What Is Marketing?

Marketing refers to activities undertaken by a company to promote the buying or selling of a product or service. Marketing includes advertising, selling, and delivering products to consumers or other businesses. Some marketing is done by affiliates on behalf of a company.

Importance of Marketing

(1) Marketing Helps in Transfer, Exchange and Movement of Goods

(2) Marketing Is Helpful In Raising And Maintaining The Standard Of Living Of The Community

(3) Marketing Creates Employment

(4) Marketing as a Source of Income and Revenue

(5) Marketing Acts as a Basis for Making Decisions

(6) Marketing Acts as a Source of New Ideas

(7) Marketing Is Helpful In Development Of An Economy

 Nature of Marketing

1. Marketing is an Economic Function: Marketing embraces all the business activities involved in getting goods and services , from the hands of producers into the hands of final consumers. The business steps through which goods progress on their way to final consumers is the concern of marketing.

2. Marketing is a Legal Process by which Ownership Transfers: In the process of marketing the ownership of goods transfers from seller to the purchaser or from producer to the end user.

3. Marketing is a System of Interacting Business Activities: Marketing is that process through which a business enterprise, institution, or organisation interacts with the customers and stakeholders with the objective to earn profit, satisfy customers, and manage relationship. It is the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer or user.

4. Marketing is a Managerial function: According to managerial or systems approach - "Marketing is the combination of activities designed to produce profit through ascertaining, creating, stimulating, and satisfying the needs and/or wants of a selected segment of the market."  According to this approach the emphasis is on how the individual organisation processes marketing and develops the strategic dimensions of marketing activities.

5. Marketing is a social process: Marketing is the delivery of a standard of living to society. According to Cunningham and Cunningham (1981) societal marketing performs three essential functions:-

1. Knowing and understanding the consumer's changing needs and wants;
2. Efficiently and effectively managing the supply and demand of products and services; and
3. Efficient provision of distribution and payment processing systems.

6. Marketing is a philosophy based on consumer orientation and satisfaction

7. Marketing had dual objectives - profit making and consumer satisfaction

Scope of Marketing

1. Study of Consumer Wants and Needs- Goods are produced to satisfy consumer wants. Therefore study is done to identify consumer needs and wants. These needs and wants motivates consumer to purchase.

2. Study of Consumer behaviour- Marketers performs study of consumer behaviour. Analysis of buyer behaviour helps marketer in market segmentation and targeting.

3. Production planning and development- Product planning and development starts with the generation of product idea and ends with the product development and commercialisation. Product planning includes everything from branding and packaging to product line expansion and contraction.

4. Pricing Policies- Marketer has to determine pricing policies for their products. Pricing policies differs form product to product. It depends on the level of competition, product life cycle, marketing goals and objectives, etc.

5. Distribution- Study of distribution channel is important in marketing. For maximum sales and profit goods are required to be distributed to the maximum consumers at minimum cost.

6. Promotion- Promotion includes personal selling, sales promotion, and advertising. Right promotion mix is crucial in accomplishment of marketing goals.

7. Consumer Satisfaction- The product or service offered must satisfy consumer. Consumer satisfaction is the major objective of marketing.

8. Marketing Control- Marketing audit is done to control the marketing activities.