Teacher’s Summary:
In “Understanding Marketing: Multiple Perspectives and Definitions,” Priya Patel, an honor student at Iowa State University, examines various definitions and roles of marketing. This essay delves into three distinct perspectives: marketing as the heart of a business, marketing as product development and positioning, and marketing as a comprehensive process. Through real-world examples such as Pacific Hospital of Long Beach and McDonald’s Happy Meal, Patel illustrates how marketing strategies are implemented to meet customer needs and achieve business goals. The paper concludes by emphasizing the importance of marketing in increasing customer satisfaction and business profitability.
Understanding Marketing: Multiple Perspectives and Definitions
Introduction
In today’s business world, marketing is an essential tool for businesses to succeed in retail development for customers. To understand marketing, the perception of its definition is very important. People view marketing from different points of view, often overlooking some of its most fundamental functions. Marketing is more than just buying or selling. This essay explores three marketing definitions from different perspectives.
1. Marketing as the Heart of Business
As a personal definition, marketing is the heart of a business. Marketing is responsible for accommodating customer needs by adjusting products or services. Some of these adjustments include:
- Prices
- Hours
- Product quality
- Product quantity
- Custom-made products
- Special services
Example: Pacific Hospital of Long Beach
A good example of marketing is taking place at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach. The marketing department is responsible for identifying the needs of patients to increase the customer base and, in turn, boost net profit and repeat customers for services rendered from the facility.
Some of the issues addressed by the marketing department to satisfy patient needs include:
- Providing quality services at a competitive price
- Free transportation for surgeries at the facility
- Hotel accommodations for out-of-town family members
- Private rooms during the patient’s stay
- A home-like atmosphere in patient rooms
- Extra meals for visitors
- Financial aid
By providing these extra services, the marketing department has increased the customer flow (daily census) to the hospital, and the hospital has achieved some of the company’s stated business goals, specifically, an increase in profitability and contributing to business growth.
2. Marketing as Product Development and Positioning
Another marketing definition comes from Scott (2004): “Marketing is the developing and positioning an e-content product someone who will want to buy.” In this definition, marketing defines a product that customers will want to buy, followed by the development of the product.
Example: Fast Food Industry
Fast food restaurants need to compete with each other on pricing and new products. Marketing is responsible for creating these new products. The marketing department of each firm will perform research for products that customers will buy.
For instance, when McDonald’s created a successful meal for children, the Happy Meal:
- Includes a toy with the meal
- Features an attractive toy box
- Targets children aged 2 to 10 years old
- Focuses on developing new and attractive toys on a seasonal basis
This product and marketing tool increased sales for McDonald’s business.
3. Marketing as a Comprehensive Process
The final definition comes from Kotler (2001): “Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals.”
This definition emphasizes that marketing is not only about advertising, public relations, product placement, or promotions. Marketing focuses more on the satisfaction and needs of customers as they relate to business. The process brings together the four “P’s” (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) and other factors using a well-thought-out plan to achieve the company’s marketing goals:
- Retain old customers
- Achieve new customers
- Increase business profitability
Conclusion
Marketing is a crucial factor that contributes to a business’s success. It assists any business or organization to succeed in the most cost-effective way. An effective marketing tool will reduce costs and can increase profitability for any business or organization.
Marketing will help businesses achieve any business goal while increasing customer satisfaction. When customers are satisfied, they will be loyal to that business, contributing to the business’s growth potential.
In essence, marketing is not only about buying and selling. It is also about satisfying customers’ and companies’ needs.
References
Kotler, P. (2001). Marketing Management, Millennium ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Scott, D. M. (2004, April). Buying and Selling. But what about marketing? Econtent, 27(4), 48.