Green Jobs: what does a Marketing Executive do?
Green marketing refers to the practice of developing and marketing products or services based on their real or perceived environmental sustainability. Marketing Executive roles play a fundamental part in conveying a company’s sustainability message to its consumers. As more companies within the food industry are making commitments to improving their carbon footprint in the coming years, the priority placed on green marketing roles has increased.
Examples of green marketing include advertising the reduced emissions associated with a product’s manufacturing process, or the use of post-consumer recycled materials for a food product’s packaging. Other companies like supermarkets may market themselves as being environmentally conscious by donating food to food banks and reducing wastage. The opportunity for new green creative campaigns in the food industry is endless. Here’s how John Lewis launched a campaign to reduce food waste.
What are the job responsibilities?
- Creating and uploading copy and images for the organisation’s website
- Writing and dispatching email marketing campaigns involving green initiatives
- Researching new sustainability media opportunities that may benefit the business
- Communicating with clients, affiliate networks and affiliate partners about the company’s sustainability mission
- Planning and actioning social media engagement and brand awareness campaigns
- Contributing to company and industry blogs
- Improving the company’s sustainability image by developing and integrating content marketing strategies
Who might your employers be?
Employers in the food industry might include organisations looking to improve their brand image and create new initiatives involving sustainability, reducing plastic food packaging and reducing carbon emissions. These could include:
- Supermarkets
- Food and drink brands
- Food manufacturers
- Marketing agencies contracted by the food industry
- Food and drink distribution companies
- The FDF (Food and drink federation)
What qualifications do you need?
This area of work is open to graduates with varying degrees, but the following subjects may be particularly helpful:
- Advertising, media and communications
- Business and technology
- Creative design
- Environmental Science
- Journalism
- Marketing
If you don’t have a related first degree, you may be required to demonstrate a genuine interest in marketing and have knowledge or a background in sustainability or environmental science.
What is the salary like?
- Marketing assistants start on salaries of around £18,000 to £22,000. As a marketing executive, you can expect to earn in the region of £20,000 to £30,000
- Senior marketing executives (with around five years’ experience) can earn between £30,000 and £45,000, with marketing managers earning up to £60,000.
- Marketing directors can earn from £60,000 to more than £100,000.
Where will you be working?
- Marketeers are mostly office-based, but will attend meetings with clients, partner organisations and suppliers, as well as a range of events and exhibitions.
- Opportunities exist in most large towns and cities but are less common in rural areas.
- If you’re working for an international company, you may need to travel or work abroad.
- Self-employment or freelance work can also be an option for the future for experienced marketing professionals.
The working environment for green marketers can of course often end up outdoors. Green marketers may have to create promotional videos or attend photoshoots for a new sustainability campaign involving tree planting, plastic waste reduction or sustainable farming so the setting could be anywhere from forests and beaches to farms.
What’s the career progression like?
There’s a career structure within marketing and you can expect to progress from marketing executive to senior marketing roles with experience.
After leaving university, you can work as a marketing intern with no prior industry experience. From there, the natural order often is to become a marketing assistant, then a marketing executive before becoming experienced enough for more senior roles like a marketing manager which can ultimately lead to a marketing director role.
To increase your experience, you could move between in-house departments or work in a marketing agency or consultancy for several different clients. You might also want to move companies or sectors to progress your career more quickly.
Is there a demand for this job?
Due to the growing concern surrounding climate change, the demand for this job role is quickly growing. It’s estimated that the food industry contributes to 37% of global greenhouse emissions worldwide. Because of this, many large corporations within the food industry are investing into strategies and programmes in order to reduce their carbon footprint and become more sustainable. For food industry companies to be able to meet their sustainability targets, they need support from their consumers. Green marketeers are pivotal in communicating the food industries greener efforts directly to the consumer. If you have all the right skills for a career in marketing along with a passion for the planet, green marketing could be the next career for you.
