Defining Marketing

Defining Marketing

La’Tecia D. Alverson

February 5, 2012

Marketing 421

Michael Ricco

In the business world, a company’s main goal is to provide goods and services to their consumers and at the same time make a profit. This is the one thing that all companies have in common. In order to be successful, organizations must first be educated on their consumer’s needs. Every company is divided into departments that serve different purposes for the business. In this paper, I will discuss marketing and the marketing strategies of several companies. I will also describe how each of the elements of the marketing mix affects the development of the marketing strategy and tactics.

Most people have the misconception that marketing is advertising. Marketing goes beyond the advertising that is presenting products or services. Advertising is a step in the marketing process, but it is the last step in the attempt at drawing the consumer to the good or service. Marketing is a way of educating consumers about your product or service and demonstrating why they should choose yours over those of you competitors. Companies have to research and find ways to do just that. This can be done internally as well with educating employees on how to serve customers. “Marketing is the performance of activities that seek to accomplish an organization’s objectives by anticipating customer or client needs and directing a flow of need-satisfying goods and services from producer to customer or client.” (Perreault, et. al., 2012). “Far too often, organizations try to develop a product to meet customers’ needs without ever really verifying what the customers wanted in the first place. Instead, those organizations make a strenuous effort to “sell” the product through rigorous, ongoing advertising, promotions and publicity -- through "outbound" marketing. These organizations may have built a beautiful ladder – but it may be entirely on the wrong roof! Far too often, that lesson...