The heart of marketing is matching supply and demand in a complex, advanced economy. Marketing consists of a sequence of activities: identifying customer needs, developing goods and services to satisfy those needs, communicating information about products to potential customers, and distributing the products to customers. In small firms, a few people must carry out all the marketing functions or activities. Large corporations, on the other hand, tend to hire people with specific potential or skills to fill more specialized job requirements.

Career options include sales, advertising, retailing, brand management, logistics management, market research, purchasing management and more.