By Lauryn Rooker
Staff Writer
Photo by Mallory Hayes
What exactly is marketing, and why is it important to us? Marketing is everything you do to place your product or service in the hands of potential customers. It includes diverse disciplines like sales, public relations, pricing, packaging, and distribution. All in all, marketing is a huge part of our everyday lives. Without it, businesses would not be successful, and America would be hurting. Marketing is not only a profession, but it also is an activity. Marketing activities are numerous, and there are many different varieties. They basically include everything needed to get a product off the drawing board and into the hands of the customer. The broad field of marketing includes activities such as designing the product, so it will be desirable to customers; promoting the product, so people will know about it; and setting a price, by letting potential customers know about your product and making it available to them. These activities are aided by using tools such as marketing research, pricing strategies, public relations, advertising, and marketing communications.
After hearing all of this, you may be thinking “How can I get into marketing?” or “I would like to change my major to marketing.” Well, this article is just for you! Tennessee Wesleyan’s Business Administration Department is pleased to announce that a new Marketing emphasis is now available to TWC students. “The courses in the Marketing Program have been carefully selected and developed to first provide students with the most comprehensive marketing education possible,” explained Dr. Carol Decker, Associate Professor of Business Administration. “Secondly, Tennessee Wesleyan College has a reputation for creating programs [that] enhance the quality of education our Business Administration majors.” Furthermore, “TWC is the first college/university in the area to offer a marketing program.” You will find the marketing emphasis to be very integrative, interactive, and applicable to other disciplines,” stated Dr. Decker. “If you have an interest in promotion/advertising, sales, electronic marketing, retail management, being a buyer, sports marketing, healthcare marketing, marketing human resources, logistics and supply chain management, financial marketing, services, non-profit marketing, marketing research, international marketing, or managing the Marketing process, [then] this program is for you. The numbers and titles of the newly approved courses are as follows: BA 341 Integrated Marketing Communications, BA 343 Buyer Behavior, BA 371 Sales Management, BA 481 Retail & E-Marketing, BA 491 Marketing Management, and BA 486 Logistics & Supply Chain Management.
In conclusion, marketing is what is going to change our world and with it comes so many different opportunities. With marketing we can make our world a better place. So, if you have any questions or would like to get involved with this new addition to our campus you can contact Dr. Martha Maddox, Associate Dean and Chair of the Business Administration Department, (423-746-5245).
