Marketing & Communications

Marketing Manager

Plans and oversees campaigns that build awareness and drive customer action.

Content last reviewed: August 2026

A marketing manager plans and oversees campaigns meant to build brand awareness or drive specific customer actions, coordinating between strategy, creative work, and data. A typical day includes reviewing campaign performance data, briefing a designer or agency on a new campaign, and coordinating with sales or product teams to align messaging.

The role increasingly requires comfort with both creative judgment and data analysis, since campaign performance is closely tracked and budgets are often justified with metrics.

Core tasks

✓Planning and overseeing marketing campaigns
✓Analyzing campaign performance data
✓Managing budgets across channels
✓Briefing and coordinating with creative or agency partners
✓Aligning marketing strategy with sales and product teams
✓Reporting results to leadership

Tools & skills used

Campaign planning and project managementMarketing analytics and reporting toolsBudget managementCross-functional communicationUnderstanding of digital marketing channelsCreative judgment and brand sense

Typical entry paths

→Marketing is the direct major
→Business Administration or Communication Studies with marketing-focused coursework or internships

Common misconceptions

It's not a purely creative role, budget management and data analysis are a real, constant part of the job.
Marketing covers many distinct specialties (brand, performance, product, content), a single title can mean quite different day-to-day work.

Frequently asked questions

What does a Marketing Manager do?

Plans and oversees campaigns that build awareness and drive customer action.

What are the core tasks of a Marketing Manager?

Day to day, this typically includes: Planning and overseeing marketing campaigns; Analyzing campaign performance data; Managing budgets across channels.

What tools or skills does a Marketing Manager use?

Common tools and skills for this role include Campaign planning and project management, Marketing analytics and reporting tools, Budget management, Cross-functional communication.

How do people typically become a Marketing Manager?

Marketing is the direct major. Business Administration or Communication Studies with marketing-focused coursework or internships.

What's a common misconception about being a Marketing Manager?

It's not a purely creative role, budget management and data analysis are a real, constant part of the job.

What college majors lead to becoming a Marketing Manager?

Majors that commonly lead here include Marketing, Business Administration, Communication Studies. A major shapes what you study, it isn't a guarantee of landing this specific role.

From our guides

Business Administration vs. Marketing: Do You Need the General Degree or the Specific One?Marketing is one of the concentrations most business schools offer inside a general business degree, so why is it also its own standalone major? Here's how to decide which one actually fits.

This describes what the role typically involves day to day. It's not a guarantee of hiring, salary, or advancement, actual responsibilities vary by employer, industry, and location. See our disclaimer.