What Is Marketing?

Marketing is Everywhere. Take a look around and be amazed at how much marketing surrounds us every minute of the day. It might be advertises heard on the radio as we wake up in the morning or it might be the billboards that we see. Perhaps we try a new flavour of milk or out children simply unable to live without the latest toy or lollies on display at the supermarket checkout. We all need products in order to survive and most of us want products that make us happy. From the food you eat, to the clothes you wear, to the car you drive, and media that you watch, marketing is everywhere.

Marketing is everywhere and much of what you do every day is in sone way affected by it. Marketing is an evolving discipline and each marketer will have their own take on exactly what it is. Some people - mistakenly - think that marketing is selling; some that marketing is advertising; and some that it is making sure your business is listed at the top of every Google search that in some way relates to your product. No doubt, you already have your own ideas about what marketing is.

The most recent formal definition of marketing is:

The activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchange offerings that have value for customers, clients m, partners and society at large.

The definition refers to 'activity, set of institutions and processes', recognising the broad scope of marketing - that it is not just a function that exists as a 'marketing department' within an organisation.

'Creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value recognises that marketing must involve an exchange that benefits both the customer who buys the product (a good, service or idea) and the organisation that sells the product (a good, service or idea).

'Customers, clients, partners and society at large' recognises that organisation need to conduct their marketing in such a way as to provide, mutual benefit, not just for users of their products, but also for partners in the supply chain, and that marketers must consider their impact on society. Marketing brings many benefits to societies, including employment and the creation of wealth. With careful planning some marketing activities can be good for customers, people in the supply chain and the environment.

Consider Mc Donald's - one of many major coffee purchases that changed their coffee buying practices in 2008. Today Mc Donalds only serves Fair-trade coffee. In order to prevent exploitation, Fairtrade coffee guarantees growers in developing countries a minimum price for their beans. Marketers must be aware of the impact their product has on society - and they must work towards minimising the negative impacts of their products and maximising the positive impacts. This is referred to as a corporate social responsibility or sustainability. Corporate social responsibility is a commitment to behave in an ethical and responsible manner, to 'minimise the negative impacts and maximise the positive impacts'.

Marketing is a relatively new discipline, which came into its own in the 1960s. Many of the ideas that underpin marketing theories draw on other disciplines, including psychology, sociology, economics and management. Many definitions of marketing have been proposed over the years and marketing, like any new disciplines, continue to evolve today.

Through accident or intent, the most successful business throughout history have been built around and focused on making their customers happy - and doing it better than their competitors can. Every person, thing and process within a market-orientated organisation strives to create value between one party and another that is the purpose of all marketing efforts.

Alot of people have the misconception that marketing is all about selling. Marketing is most definitly not well described as 'the art of selling products to customers'. Non-for-profit organisations, community groups, governments and even individual use marketing practices.

Marketing, done well, is an approach to business that influences and informs activity of the business or organisation.

As you prepare to organise, plan and write your Marketing Plan think about how your ideas can be discussed and can be applied to the things you encounter to your objectives of your business.

You will realise that there are some common elements to each instance of marketing, such as product, price, promotion, place (distribution), people, processes and physical evidence.

However these factors come together to provide a complete marketing experience is what differentiates one marketing effort from another, successful organisation from failed ones, and having loyal, satistfied customers from having no customers at all.