What Are the Different Types of International Marketing Jobs?

Large corporations regularly hire qualified individuals to perform a variety of international marketing jobs. These can include research and analysis, positioning, implementation and design, and logistics and sales. The field of international marketing is diverse, and individuals can specialize in different areas or handle every aspect of marketing for a particular company or country.

International marketing is a business method employed by large multinational firms. In essence, this method consists of making marketing decisions on a country-by-country basis, segmenting the global marketplace into easily manageable chunks. This type of marketing works best when countries have distinct but relatively internally consistent cultures, because this consistency allows for predictable responses to various marketing techniques.

One of the most important international marketing jobs is research and analysis. Researchers examine conditions in target countries in order to determine what aspects of products are valued in each location. This process is called global segmentation. Once the conditions in each country have been determined, researchers can determine which markets would respond best to their firm's products and what changes, if any, the firm should make to the products.

Positioning, one of the more creative international marketing jobs, is the process of determining which of the available markets a company should try to sell its product in. For example, if a company sells a soft drink with a unique flavor, and that flavor is popular with 15 percent of one market and 70 percent of another, it is probably more profitable to attempt to sell to the second market. Many other factors must be taken into account, such as competition, purchasing power parity, and cultural attitudes.

Other interesting international marketing jobs are available in implementation and design. Typically, after the target market has been chosen, and that market had been fully researched, it will be necessary to make several changes to the product. In some cases, products must be changed to conform to local laws or customs. Designers also usually need to design new advertising for new markets.

International marketing jobs also include logistics and sales. With any international venture, there are important logistical questions to solve related to production, packaging, and shipment. Marketing experts also need to decide on a sales strategy for each new market. In many cases, the firm will need to consult local experts to determine the approach that is most likely to succeed.

Firms that routinely bring new products to market internationally, or have a large number of existing international products, generally have permanent international marketing staff. Firms which only rarely bring products to new markets, or only export a small number of products, typically hire consultants to handle issues as they arise. Particularly large companies international companies usually have several layers of management in their international marketing departments, including project managers and executives.