Marketing is one of the terms in academia that does not have one commonly agreed upon definition. Even after a better part of a century the debate continues. In a nutshell it consists of the social and managerial processes by which products, services and value are exchanged in order to fulfill individual's or group's needs and wants. These processes include, but are not limited to, advertising
Definitions:
In his book, The Practice of Management, Peter Drucker wrote that "Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two--and only two--basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs. Marketing is the distinguishing, unique function of the business." [2]
If marketing is the distinguishing function of the business, then what is marketing and how is it achieved?
1. "...an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders."[3]
2. Human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through exchange processes".Philip Kotler
3. "...the ongoing process of moving people closer to making a decision to purchase, use, follow, refer, upload, download, obey, reject, conform, become complacent to someone else's products, services or values. Simply, if it doesn't facilitate a "sale" then it's not marketing."[4]
4. "...the management process of anticipating, identifying and satisfying customer requirements profitably" Chartered Institute of Marketing
5. "...war between competitors." Al Ries and Jack Trout
Take these definitions collectively and a comprehensive definition of marketing, applicable to both business and non-business environments, emerges:
Processes, functions, exchanges or activities -- even if they involve "war" between competitors – that create perceived value by satisfying needs of those involved in the transaction. These processes succeed in moving people closer to making a decision to purchase and facilitate a "sale." Afterwards, these processes anticipate, identify and satisfy customer requirements profitably and successfully manage existing relationships.
"this is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to satisfy customers." Nick Jones, The Concepts of Business
History:
The practice of marketing is almost as old as humanity itself. A Market was originally simply a gathering place where people with a supply of items or capacity to perform a service could meet with those who might desire the items or services, perhaps at a pre-arranged time.
Such meetings embodied many aspects of today's marketing methods, although sometimes in an informal way. Sellers and buyers sought to understand each other's needs, capacities, and psychology, all with the goal of getting the exchange of items or services to take place. Today's New York Stock Exchange had its humble beginnings as an open air market located at Wall Street in New York City.
The rise of Agriculture undoubtedly influenced markets as the earliest means of 'mass production' of an item, namely foodstuffs. As agriculture allowed one to grow more food than could be eaten by the grower alone, and most food is perishable, there was likely motivation to seek out others who could use the excess food, before it spoiled, in exchange for other items.
In 1960 Theodore Levitt wrote a journal article called Marketing Myopia. This is said to have really begun the marketing craze. In it he discussed that the big manufacturing industries at the time were misinterpreting what industry they were part of. He stated that until you fully understood the industry you were part of you were likely to fail. For example the rail industry was not in the business of rail transport but in the industry of transport in general they were still competing with the likes of cars and public transport.
Levitt is said to be one of the founders of the marketing discipline, and contributed to the making of the 4Ps framework that transactional marketing is based around.:SugarwareZ-299:
Definitions:
In his book, The Practice of Management, Peter Drucker wrote that "Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two--and only two--basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs. Marketing is the distinguishing, unique function of the business." [2]
If marketing is the distinguishing function of the business, then what is marketing and how is it achieved?
1. "...an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders."[3]
2. Human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through exchange processes".Philip Kotler
3. "...the ongoing process of moving people closer to making a decision to purchase, use, follow, refer, upload, download, obey, reject, conform, become complacent to someone else's products, services or values. Simply, if it doesn't facilitate a "sale" then it's not marketing."[4]
4. "...the management process of anticipating, identifying and satisfying customer requirements profitably" Chartered Institute of Marketing
5. "...war between competitors." Al Ries and Jack Trout
Take these definitions collectively and a comprehensive definition of marketing, applicable to both business and non-business environments, emerges:
Processes, functions, exchanges or activities -- even if they involve "war" between competitors – that create perceived value by satisfying needs of those involved in the transaction. These processes succeed in moving people closer to making a decision to purchase and facilitate a "sale." Afterwards, these processes anticipate, identify and satisfy customer requirements profitably and successfully manage existing relationships.
"this is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to satisfy customers." Nick Jones, The Concepts of Business
History:
The practice of marketing is almost as old as humanity itself. A Market was originally simply a gathering place where people with a supply of items or capacity to perform a service could meet with those who might desire the items or services, perhaps at a pre-arranged time.
Such meetings embodied many aspects of today's marketing methods, although sometimes in an informal way. Sellers and buyers sought to understand each other's needs, capacities, and psychology, all with the goal of getting the exchange of items or services to take place. Today's New York Stock Exchange had its humble beginnings as an open air market located at Wall Street in New York City.
The rise of Agriculture undoubtedly influenced markets as the earliest means of 'mass production' of an item, namely foodstuffs. As agriculture allowed one to grow more food than could be eaten by the grower alone, and most food is perishable, there was likely motivation to seek out others who could use the excess food, before it spoiled, in exchange for other items.
In 1960 Theodore Levitt wrote a journal article called Marketing Myopia. This is said to have really begun the marketing craze. In it he discussed that the big manufacturing industries at the time were misinterpreting what industry they were part of. He stated that until you fully understood the industry you were part of you were likely to fail. For example the rail industry was not in the business of rail transport but in the industry of transport in general they were still competing with the likes of cars and public transport.
Levitt is said to be one of the founders of the marketing discipline, and contributed to the making of the 4Ps framework that transactional marketing is based around.:SugarwareZ-299: