What Does Marketing Mean to Me?

Marketing is such a loaded word these days. There’s digital marketing, print marketing, influencer campaigns, SEO, email funnels, analytics dashboards—you name it. In school, we learn the foundations: the 4 P’s, segmentation, consumer behavior, and how to identify a target market. But once you step into the real world, you start to realize that marketing is much more than a list of textbook terms. It’s strategy, storytelling, psychology, creativity, and connection, all rolled into one.

To me, marketing is about understanding people. It’s about putting your audience at the forefront of every idea and every campaign. Good marketing doesn’t shout “Buy this!”—it whispers, “This was made for you.” And when you hit that mark, when you truly connect with your audience, you create not just a customer, but a loyal community.

Although I’m certainly not an expert yet, I’ve been lucky to gain hands-on experience across different corners of the marketing world, and each role has shaped my perspective in a unique way.

At 3 Mad Fish, a boutique advertising agency, I learned the power of visual storytelling and market research. I helped develop consumer profiles and presented data-driven insights that shaped brand strategy. I also had the chance to be on set for beauty campaign shoots, working with a creative team to bring ideas to life in real time. It was my first glimpse into how many moving parts go into a single campaign, and how vital it is to keep the consumer in mind at every touchpoint.

One of my favorite parts of the internship was helping to build out an internal Instagram and LinkedIn launch plan for the agency itself. We weren’t just promoting products, we were telling a story about who we were and what we could offer. It helped me realize that in marketing, you’re not just selling a service, you’re building a brand identity from the ground up.

That branding mindset carried over into my next role as a Public Relations Intern at KCSA Strategic Communications. There, I leaned into the power of communication. I drafted press releases, created media lists, and developed pitches designed to get coverage for clients across industries. I also compiled media briefings and tracked PR effectiveness, learning how to measure impact beyond just likes and shares. It was all about telling the right story to the right people, at the right time.

At Purpose Yoga Studio, a women-owned business just getting off the ground, I helped shape a full brand identity, from tone of voice to visual design. I managed social media, helped with customer engagement, and worked with the team to ensure our online presence matched the in-person experience. It taught me that even on a small scale, authenticity matters. People can tell when a brand is genuine, and they respond to that with loyalty.

My role as Vice President of Communications for Zeta Tau Alpha further deepened my love for digital marketing and content strategy. Running social media for an organization of over 300 members wasn’t just about making cute Instagram posts. It was about building a brand that felt cohesive and true to who we were as a sisterhood. I tracked performance metrics, planned content calendars, and created TikToks that were not only fun, but effective in reaching potential new members. When our follower engagement spiked and our recruitment numbers grew, I knew we were doing something right.

All of these experiences have helped me form a personal definition of marketing: it’s the intersection of empathy and innovation. You need the creative spark to make something people haven’t seen before, but also the insight to know what they actually want to see. You have to listen before you launch. Connect before you convert.

Marketing, to me, isn’t just a major or a job title. It’s how I see the world. Every brand, every trend, every viral moment, it all comes back to the question: who is this for, and why will it matter to them? That’s the question I want to keep answering, over and over again, throughout my career.