What Does a Corporate Marketing Director Do?

A corporate marketing director leads the research, design, execution and results assessment stages of marketing campaigns. These campaigns seek to build and maintain brand name recognition and corporate identity, both for potential customers and other businesses. A corporate marketing director organizes and directs the efforts of a team of marketers as well as contributing his or her own research and ideas.

Corporate marketing is not only aimed at generating new sales. A corporate marketing director often provides input or takes a leadership role in other areas, including product development; distribution; pricing; and, most particularly, corporate communications. Directors are often put in charge of campaigns to foster good relations with other businesses involved in producing the company's products or services, current or potential investors, retailers and distributors, and any other parties that might influence the organization's success.

While designing creative marketing campaigns is a very important part of this job role, good research comes first. Research skills are vital to success as a corporate marketing director. A company expects its corporate marketing director to show initiative. He or she is not only responsible for managing existing relationships and advertising to known markets, but is also required to seek out new leads to build contacts and explore untapped markets.

To fulfill the position's many functions, a good corporate marketing director must be multi-talented. Excellent written and spoken communication skills, the ability to research and interpret data, an understanding of financial systems, creativity, and leadership skills are all necessary qualities to excel in this role. This diverse skill set is normally demonstrated to potential employers by having attained formal academic qualifications — typically a bachelor's or master's degree in a related discipline and through work experience. While outstanding graduates will sometimes be hired for this role directly after having finished their degree programs, most candidates will normally have achieved results as marketers in more junior positions before becoming a corporate marketing director.

Due to the broad extent to which a corporate marketing director is involved in a company and the crucial role his or her decisions can play in informing the company's overall direction, this position can lead into general management. It is not uncommon for corporate marketing directors to find opportunities to distinguish themselves for promotion into new roles at the executive level. To some extent, a professional in this position must gain familiarity with all aspects of running a particular business, and therefore becomes a good candidate for senior management positions within an organization.