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Marketing 1
Defining Marketing
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MKT 421
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Marketing is the way in which organizations reach customers and interact with them, and
the way that they develop strategies to sell products and grow their business. An organization's
performance requires a good job of marketing. Marketing, though, is more complex than this
description suggests on its own.
“Marketing is everywhere. Formally or informally, people and organizations engage in a
vast number of activities that we could call marketing. Good marketing has become an
increasingly vital ingredient for business success. And marketing profoundly affects our day-today lives. It is embedded in everything we do—from the clothes we wear, to the Web sites we
click on, to the ads we see (Philip Kotler, 2009).”
Marketing is more than just trying to sell a product. “In fact, the aim of marketing is to
identify customers’ needs and meet those needs so well that the product almost 'sells itself.' This
is true whether the product is a physical good, a service, or even an idea. If the whole marketing
job has been done well, customers don’t need much persuading. They should be ready to buy.
And after they buy, they’ll be satisfied and ready to buy the same way the next time (William D.
Perreault, 2009).”
If marketing lets an organization create a product that consumers will want to buy,
marketing is a major variable in the success of an organization. “Financial success often depends
on marketing ability. Finance, operations, accounting, and other business functions will not really
matter if there isn’t sufficient demand for products and services so the company can make a
profit (Philip Kotler, 2009).”
There are plenty of organizations that have lived or died based on their marketing.
Aerospace companies, like Sikorsky Aircraft, are always trying to get more contracts and make
more sales. Marketing helps determine its success. Sikorsky's track record for military and
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commercial performance is based on the high safety and performance rating it has sustained.
Along with this, Sikorsky has a strong position in the market, and is considered the “medium lift
workhorse” of the US military. These factors mean that military and civilian companies think of
Sikorsky when they need a rotary aircraft. Their product “sells itself,” which means that their
marketing is effective and a good match for their market and their customer’s needs.
Many companies find that marketing their brand aggressively is a key component of their
success. Brand marketing means that consumers think that the brand is reliable and valuable.
For example, people immediately recognize that products from the GAP are casual and
fashionable, because of their marketing strategy. It is easy to recognize the GAP logo and stores,
it is memorable, and people believe their products are high quality. As their brand marketing is
effective, the GAP has profited greatly.
Microsoft's marketing relies on painting their Windows system as easier to use, and more
stable, than it was before. They want to encourage customers who usually do not use Windows
to try their PCs. Since some customers lost faith in Microsoft after their trouble with Vista, they
want to coax those customers back to Microsoft.
“Companies generally establish a marketing department to be responsible for creating
and delivering customer value, but as the late David Packard of Hewlett-Packard observed,
“Marketing is far too important to leave to the marketing department.” Companies now know
that every employee has an impact on the customer and must see the customer as the source of
the company’s prosperity (Philip Kotler, 2009).”
Not every aspect of marketing is immediately recognizable. The most effective
companies know that marketing is not only about selling their products. It is about discovering
what consumers want and need, and designing a product that perfectly meets those needs.
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References
Philip Kotler, K. L. ( 2009). Marketing Management, Thirteenth Edition. Prentice Hall, Inc. A Pearson
Education Company.
William D. Perreault, J. P. (2009). Basic Marketing, A Marketing Strategy Planning Approach. New York:
McGraw-Hill/Irwin, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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