Alice

Philip Kotler?s definition is: ?Marketing is the social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others.?

Of course people have many conceptions as to what marketing is ? it depends on where you work and what you want to achieve. Some see it as a technical progression towards achieving a sale, others as a method of persuasion, or identifying and creating customers? needs or wants.

Marketing?s message should be a form of communication with the customer, a method of creating relationships, to gain trust and credibility, and to create an awareness of the product through convincing language that marks you over your competitors.

It is a process of understanding the customer and converting them into desire. Once the customers? identity is confirmed, then their attention is gained, a demand is created and persuasive tactics are used to begin the selling process. By constantly creating new messages to highlight and deliver the best solutions for your customers? needs, the process is completed by providing relevant and compelling motivation for action.

Whatever the definition, marketing is ultimately a long-term activity, and cannot be confused with the selling process. Its very nature doesn?t lend itself to a quick fix, and if forced into too short a timescale can fall flat on its face. It is often abandoned because it fails to bring in immediate results, which can be attributed to misunderstanding the target market and the processes towards achieving the goal, plus an unsuitable message and inadequate resources.

By analysing companies that are successful, it is usually because of their marketing activities, and the processes related to them, that have enabled them to achieve their goals.