Marketing and Stress

Marketing is one of the most stressful white-collar jobs and marketing executives are not far below teacher, air traffic controllers and doctors on the list of high-stress occupations. In a recent study, 67% of people in marketing and advertising reported that excessively high stress was a regular part of their working lives; 46% said they often felt crushed by chronic stress, while 34% were suffering so much stress they were seriously thinking of leaving their jobs. __H__.

The real cause for concern is the condition of chronic stress. __9__. This is the name for a condition in which the individual has become so mentally and physically exhausted that he or she is no longer able to function effectively.

In marketing, you find people who are deeply dedicated to their jobs and to being successful. __10__. One reason is the intensely competitive nature of marketing – striving to stay ahead in a market where you are consistently up against competitors who are striving to stay ahead of you. __11__. This loss of performance is compounded by the fact that marketers have to risk vast sums of money on campaigns or product launches which may or may not prove successful.

The amount of stress in a job is related to the amount of control an employee feels he or she has. __12__. But stress is also related to the importance we attach to a successful outcome. If someone genuinely does not care if they succeed or fail, their stress remains low. However, the more passionately we care about success, the greater the stress when anything threatens it. Research has shown that the most stressful organizations to work in are those which combine highly competitive culture, demands for total dedication and a low-to-zero tolerance of failure. __13__. When asked, most marketers said that this description perfectly describe the cultures found in most marketing department.

The final ingredient in the mixture is the combination of bad managers and over-demanding clients. __14__. Some senior mangers see such pressures as a way of getting things done. But surely it would be far better to reduce or eliminate the sources of stress than to have to deal with the consequences.

A  Despite this commitment, it is very hard for them to remain in control of events, and this threatens their goals and creates insecurity.

B  Such companies are quick to blame marketers when things go wrong.

C  This results in a huge number of uncertainties and worries about that competition, which in turn leads to inefficient working.

D  It is caused by unending pressure to perform at a high level, which can eventually result in Burn Out Stress Syndrome – BOSS.

E  Almost every marketer has dealt with both of them and is make anxious and exhausted by the experience.

F  Therefore these problems can be seen to increase in proportion to the number of stressful situations.

G  Uncertainty about job prospects makes matters worse and is another challenge to this sense of security.

H  Figures such as these suggest that stress is a serious problem.