BCom Marketing

Marketing is everywhere and affects most of what we do. Marketing is about creating value and understanding why individuals and groups consume what they do.

While studying Marketing at Otago, we also consider the consequences of consumption from social, ethical and environmental perspectives. We stress that marketing can bring about positive change within individuals and society.

Since marketing influences just about every industry and organisation, career options are varied and diverse. We offer high-quality courses, with teaching based on the latest research.

Marketing is people-orientated. It offers careers that are exciting, challenging and rewarding. Because Otago’s courses are comprehensive, require independent and collaborative learning, and celebrate creative approaches to problem-solving, our graduates leave well equipped to work in a variety of roles.

A career in marketing could include: sales management, public relations, brand management, designing new products, planning advertising and behaviour change campaigns, export and international marketing, or analysing market trends.

Some of our graduates join training programmes with well-known companies. Others work for smaller businesses, not-for-profits, and sports and cultural organisations, offering equally stimulating career opportunities ranging from sales to advertising, market research to market analysis.

While studying marketing you will also gain transferable skills such as communication, negotiation, analysis, critical engagement, problem-solving, management, and team skills, all of which make you more employable and rounded as a citizen.

We invite a number of industry guest speakers into lectures and provide opportunities for students to work directly with industry members on consultancy projects and class assignments.

We keep students informed about frequent on-campus presentations by companies looking to recruit talented students, and are in regular contact with organisations throughout New Zealand, many of them keen to employ Otago graduates.

Employers tell us they respect Otago’s BCom graduates, but also value interviewing graduates who have done more than their minimum degree requirements.

Opportunities for personal growth and development include internships, taking part in the Business Case Competition, or getting involved with Audacious, an entrepreneurial competition.

Marketing is a major in the Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), a three-year programme. It can also be studied as a minor.

The first year of study covers general principles of marketing, including the marketing management process, the four “P’s”, consumer behaviour and the research processes used to generate information to make marketing decisions.

The second year applies marketing principles in more detail. Students will develop a more specialised understanding of topics such as market analysis, consumer behaviour, integrated marketing, product and brand management and specialisations such as sports marketing.

The final year provides an opportunity to gain deeper insights into more specialised topics such as digital marketing, persuasive storytelling and practical skills for producing creative marketing content, as well as international marketing, strategy, innovative marketing, and ethics and societal issues in marketing.

As well as lectures and smaller group tutorials, marketing courses are practical, incorporating case studies, presentations, group work and regular guest speakers. At 300- and 400-level, you also get the opportunity to work with businesses on real marketing problems.

Marketing at Otago helps you develop transferable skills that are directly relevant to many other careers. For example, case studies call for strong analytical skills and group projects for organisational, negotiation and managerial skills. Many businesses say they value Otago marketing graduates because they have a practical approach and can “hit the ground running”.

You can combine marketing with a wide range of other subjects by incorporating a second major into your BCom, completing a double degree, or adding a minor into your degree structure. A few examples are outlined below: