Deciding That Marketing Was Right For Me

When you really think about it, deciding what you want to do with the rest of your life in your early 20s is a bit ridiculous.

For me, choosing my undergrad major was easy. I knew I wanted to go to college, and was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to study at NYU, my first choice and a school that would allow me to stay my home city. I figured I may as well major in something I like, and figure out how to apply it later, which led me to a BA in English. Deciding on my Master’s was different. I wanted to make sure it was something I really wanted to do, that I can envision myself in the field, and that I could see myself thriving in.

Marketing came to me through Mad Men. As a New Yorker, I love any shows set in the city, and I’d heard great things about it. It also doesn’t hurt that John Hamm is very handsome. I started watching and loved it, and found myself bingeing in quickly. I found that what attracted me most were the creative ideas, and the work that went into making an impressive marketing campaign. It really struck me season 1 finale, though, where Don Draper sells his idea for “The Carousel,” a slide projector for images.

He touched on the fact that selling is more than just convincing people that they should buy your product because it’s new, but that it’s about connecting with consumers and making them feel something.

This drove home with me, as I saw how advertising and marketing touched almost every aspect of my life, and that when I made a decision to purchase something, I was more driven to buy things that made me feel good. Good marketing will do that.

This gave me the insight I needed to decide that I’d like to pursue a career in marketing, and now I find myself halfway through acquiring an MS in Integrated Marketing from NYU. I had so many great experiences here for undergrad, and I’m excited for what graduate school will bring. I get to stay in my favorite city while getting an education from one of the best universities in the country.

With this blog, I want to explore the impact of marketing. Though at it’s core, it’s meant to drive customers to purchase, I think it can be so much more than that. The world changes continuously, and I constantly think about the effect we have on it and the legacy we leave behind, and how marketing can be used to spotlight groups and services that intend to do good. I hope to see that marketing has more of an impact than driving sales, and that we can use these ideas to enact positive change.

I hope this blog also gives me an insight into what direction I’d like to go in when working in marketing. As a Latina, intersectionality and inclusivity are incredibly important to me, and something that I think many companies brush under the rug. I’d like to be there to represent others like me, and to work towards increased diversity.

Now that you know a little about me, I hope you’re ready to come along for the ride!