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Marketing Director Interview Questions

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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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9 min read

Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Marketing Director interview questions and answers.

  1. A customer left a bad review of our product on a popular social media site. How would you speak to the customer? See answer
  2. Describe a product you marketed successfully. What marketing strategies did you use? See answer
  3. With the successful product that you marketed, how did you assess the impact of the campaign? See answer
  4. Why did you decide to be a marketer? See answer
  5. How do you deal with all the technical changes in marketing, like Google changing SEO rankings? See answer
  6. What are your favourite marketing strategies? See answer
  7. What is an innovative marketing strategy that you’d like to use in this position?
  8. Tell me about a marketing project you worked on that wasn’t successful. How did you learn from the experience?
  9. Tell me about a situation where you needed to market a service or product with a group of people who had very different values and ideas from you. How did you prevent conflicts and manage the situation?
  10. How would you create a new branding campaign for a product that hasn’t been doing well?
  11. Where do you see your marketing career in 5 years?
  12. Tell me about a time you changed a customer’s mind when they told you “No.”
  13. What do you know about the company’s target audience ?
  14. When a new product goes on sale, how do you position the existing product to ensure its long-term success?
  15. What kind of marketing management style and company culture do you prefer?
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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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15 Marketing Director Interview Questions and Answers

What is an innovative marketing strategy that you'd like to use in this position?

The goal of this question is to find out how much the applicant knows about new advances in the marketing field and learn about their plans for the marketing department. In an answer, you should look for:

  • Ability to name one or more innovative, creative marketing tactics
  • Extensive knowledge about how to implement these tactics
  • Confidence in their ability to implement new strategies

Example:

"I'm very excited about the possibility of creating a hands-on marketing campaign where we can promote the brand online and at events. I've researched many different marketing strategies, and I'm eager to discuss the options with you. For example, a popular vegetable company brought their trucks to a music festival and promoted their company by serving vegetarian snacks to health-conscious customers."

A customer left a bad review of our product on a popular social media site. How would you speak to the customer?

The goal of this question is to understand how the applicant would deal with negative media coverage. Negative coverage is a potential problem that every marketing strategist must take into account. In an answer, you should look for:

  • Ability to speak comfortably about the problem of negative attention
  • Ability to create a plan to convert negative press to positive branding
  • Applicant who can see negative feedback as an opportunity instead of a setback

Example:

“As a representative of the company, I would take the opportunity to address the person in a holistic, respectful way. I would assure them that our brand feels accountable for making customers happy and discuss how we can accomplish that for them and correct any problems.”

Describe a product you marketed successfully. What marketing strategies did you use?

This question lets you know how the candidate has created and implemented marketing plans in the past. In an answer, you should look for:

  • At least one example of a marketing plan the applicant worked on that was successful
  • Enthusiasm for marketing
  • Sound marketing strategies

Example:

"I introduced a new brand at a technology conference in New York. We formed a strategy that involved lots of physical signs, giveaways inside the conference centre, and a Facebook account that informed people about the next places where people could find and buy our product. We also used Twitter hashtags to integrate the campaign with more general tweets about the tech conference. It was lots of fun."

With the successful product that you marketed, how did you assess the impact of the campaign?

This question assesses the candidate's ability to measure the success of campaigns and spend marketing funds efficiently. In an answer, look for:

  • Knowledge of ways to measure customer awareness online and offline
  • Ability to analyse performance metrics and statistics
  • Interest in math and data collection

Example:

"When I introduced the brand at the tech conference, our team kept track of the mentions of our product during the conference on social media sites. We also tracked hits to our website, attendance levels at giveaways, sales levels in the month after the conference, and engagement through other channels like email."

Tell me about a marketing project you worked on that wasn't successful. How did you learn from the experience?

The question will help you understand how the candidate deals with failure. Here's what to look for in an answer:

  • Ability to keep trying despite setbacks and adaptability
  • Ability to learn from failure
  • Ability to find creative solutions to problems

Example:

"A brand I marketed didn't get strong engagement online from its customers. After the campaign, we learned that our customer demographics were inaccurate. We adjusted our marketing language and targeted different sites via ads and outreach. In the next campaign, we experienced greater success."

Tell me about a situation where you needed to market a service or product with a group of people who had very different values and ideas from you. How did you prevent conflicts and manage the situation? 

This question lets you know if the applicant can get along with a variety of people. Here's what to look for in an answer:

  • Ability to resolve differences and empathise with the viewpoints of others
  • Ability to persuade others about the benefits of your plans
  • Ability to manage disagreement calmly and rationally

Example:

"At my last job, I worked on a team with several people who came from very different backgrounds. We disagreed on many things, but we focused on the product instead of our personal differences. The wide range of viewpoints also improved our work, making the company's marketing campaign more successful.”

How would you create a new branding campaign for a product that hasn't been doing well? 

This is another question that can let you know how the applicant will correct errors. In an answer, look for:

  • Ability to view rebranding as an intriguing challenge
  • Experience with rebranding
  • Creative plans for rebranding

Example:

"First, I would identify why the product brand isn't doing well by conducting an audit. I would then identify who we hope to target with this new campaign, particularly customers that purchased the product less than similar products. The new campaign might contain a new logo, colour scheme or advertisement strategy depending on the results of the audit. It's important to monitor the success of the rebranding efforts by tracking sales and engagement to ensure there is improvement."

Why did you decide to be a marketer?

This basic question can tell you a lot of information about who the applicant is, their motivations, and why they want to work at your company. In an answer, you should look for:

  • Enjoyment of marketing and related subjects
  • Sincerity and honesty
  • Persuasiveness

Example:

"When I was in elementary school, I opened a small lemonade stand with my sister. We worked hard, but no one came at first. After we placed some flyers around the neighbourhood and started going to the local park, our sales increased. This experience taught me that marketing is essential for any business, and it can make the difference between success and failure.”

How do you deal with all the technical changes in marketing, like Google changing SEO rankings?

With this question, you can make sure that potential employees have a strong knowledge of online marketing. You can also make sure applicants are aware of recent advances in the field. Here's what to search for in an answer:

  • Knowledge of a variety of evergreen marketing strategies
  • Awareness of the latest marketing trends
  • Ability to keep track of developments in software and technology

Example:

"Some people think that changes are frustrating, but I believe that they're exciting. They give marketers more options for reaching potential customers. I always remember that the content needs to be good, no matter what the technology is. If the material presented is good, everything else will fall into place and work successfully. I attend workshops and conferences every year to learn new marketing techniques and communicate with experts in the field.”

What are your favourite marketing strategies?

This question lets you know what techniques have worked well for candidates. It can also tell you about their comfort levels and willingness to take risks. Here's what you should look for in an answer:

  • Detailed understanding of marketing techniques
  • Explanations of the benefits of the applicant's favourite techniques over others
  • Passion for marketing

Example:

"Offering entertaining ebooks promoting a business in exchange for a newsletter signup or something similar has helped me attract and retain customers for clients. People who are serious about learning more on the topic download the ebooks, and we get a list of people who are likely to work with the client. We always provide valuable information in our ebooks, so we build trust with customers."

Where do you see your marketing career in 5 years? 

This question gives you a chance to see if your company's goals align with the applicant's goals. In an answer, you should look for:

  • Ambitious but achievable goals
  • Projects the candidate would like to work on
  • Whether or not they would be interested in a leadership position

Example:

”I'd like to expand the business's customer base and introduce your products to new people. I would also like to expand the team to have dedicated resources for our email campaigns, social media accounts, internal communications and new markets to ensure we continue to expand as a group and a company.”

Tell me about a time you changed a customer's mind when they told you "No." 

This question explores the applicant's ability to influence others and persevere. You should look for:

  • Ability to connect with customers
  • Ability to build a trusting relationship with customers
  • Persistence and persuasiveness

Example:

“A client at my last job was reluctant to start a social media campaign because they didn't think enough of their customers were on social media. I showed them some statistics about the types of people who use social media and the costs of those campaigns compared to paid advertising. When they realised it could help them save money, they were eager to start promoting their business on social media.”

What do you know about the company's target audience? 

This question lets you know whether the applicant has taken the time to research the company and its target audience . You should look for:

  • General knowledge about the products the company sells and its target demographics
  • What customers like most about the product
  • What the company can improve on

Example:

“Since your company sells software, it's clear that your main audience is salespeople and people who manage technology departments, like an IT manager. IT buyers want products that they can implement quickly and integrate with their infrastructure easily. The research my last company conducted found that integration is one of the most important criteria for sales software buyers.”

When a new product goes on sale, how do you position the existing product to ensure its long-term success? 

This question lets you know how a candidate would distinguish a new product from a legacy product and the marketing strategies they would use. You should look for:

  • Knowledge of brand positioning
  • An awareness of the benefits of the new product
  • Knowledge of how the target audience for the new product is different from the one for the legacy product

Example:

“When the new product goes on sale, I usually position the existing option as a solution for consumers who want to save money. My goal is to present it as a bargain and emphasise its reliability and vintage style.”

What kind of marketing management style and company culture do you prefer? 

This question lets you know about the type of management style the applicant will bring to the job. It also lets you see if the candidate shares similar ideas about company culture to your own. You should look for:

  • Someone who prefers an organisation in your company's industry
  • Understanding of management styles
  • Emphasis on teamwork

Example:

”I prefer to employ a management style that emphasises flexibility. I want to ensure my team is diverse and flexible so that they can overcome any challenges they face. I also emphasise teamwork in my management, as I think the best projects are built on a foundation of good teamwork.”

Create a culture of innovation
Download our free step-by-step guide on encouraging healthy risk-taking
Get the guide

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