History and scholarship
Peter Drucker (1954) named marketing and innovation the two basic business functions. Neil Borden (1964) framed the marketing mix, which Jerome McCarthy (1960) simplified into the 4Ps. Theodore Levitt's 'Marketing Myopia' (1960, HBR) urged defining businesses by customer needs, Philip Kotler (1967; Kotler & Levy, 1969) systematised the discipline, and Vargo and Lusch (2004) proposed service-dominant logic.
What the job involves
Market research, brand and campaign planning, content and social, ad execution and analysis, and CRM. Overlaps with performance marketing and data analysis. Scope and required skills vary by company and industry; check actual job postings and NCS job descriptions.
Hiring and careers
Entry-level applicants often show a portfolio or competition work. Some move in from sales or merchandising.
FAQ
- Must I major in business?
- Not always; evidence of experience matters.
- Which certificates help?
- Few are required; analytics certs are supporting evidence.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Drucker, P. F. (1954). The Practice of Management. Harper & Row.
- Borden, N. H. (1964). The concept of the marketing mix. Journal of Advertising Research, 4(2), 2–7.
- McCarthy, E. J. (1960). Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach. Richard D. Irwin.
- Levitt, T. (1960). Marketing myopia. Harvard Business Review, 38(4), 45–56.
- Kotler, P. (1967). Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, and Control. Prentice-Hall.
- Kotler, P., & Levy, S. J. (1969). Broadening the concept of marketing. Journal of Marketing, 33(1), 10–15.
- Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2004). Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68(1), 1–17.
- 국가직무능력표준(NCS). https://www.ncs.go.kr
- 고용24 직업정보(고용노동부·한국고용정보원). https://www.work24.go.kr