Defining Marketing

Defining Marketing Paper

The daily routine of most Americans begins by getting out of bed, showering, dressing, eating some form of breakfast and culminates with us getting into a vehicle and heading to work or school. This obligatory start to most days is as stated, both routine and ordinary. In general, as consumers, we do not give a second thought to why we chose the brand of mattress we rise from, the brands of pajamas, toothpaste, shampoo or any of the various items we use during the course of our day. Marketers however, do not view these decisions as mundane. Each day society is besieged with a vast arsenal of advertisements hoping to influence consumer decisions; from the type of ketchup we use to our choice of cellular phone service.

Marketing influences most aspect of our lives. In order to understand the inherent influence marketing makes, it is important to both define marketing and explore specific examples.

A personal definition of marketing is vital to a thorough understanding of how marketing impacts individual choice. I define marketing as the strategic promotion of any consumer item or service to influence the purchasing practices of an individual or market segment. Marketing to me, creates the impetus that fuels a need or desire to purchase a specific item.

Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association (AMA) as “an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders” (Marketing Power, 2004, 1) . Susan Ward of Small Business Canada defines marketing as “the process of interesting potential customers and clients in your products or services” (Ward, 2008, 1).

These definitions although diverse, embody the tenants of marketing. Marketing is an integral part of all business. Success is determined by an organizations cognizant marketing decisions. My personal definition describes the careful strategies that marketing companies develop to convince the consumer of his or her need for a product. A product or service that is marketed successfully is a product an individual purchases utilizing two methods. The consumer makes either a conscious decision, or the product enters into the subconscious mind so thoroughly the purchase is made without awareness of choice.

The AMA includes a similar definition, but continues by adding that marketing must also increase stakeholder and company value (Marketing Power, 2004). Susan Ward from Small Business Canada concurs with the previously listed definitions by reiterating that marketing is the vehicle used to excite the consumer about the company’s particular product or service (Ward, 2008). Essentially, marketing is a game of attraction. Marketing requires a deliberate circumspection of target consumer groups. Once this information has been amassed, target specific promotion, distribution and pricing can be implemented to attract buyers to purchase particular products and services.

Examples of marketing abound in the consumer driven society in which we live. The definitions detailed above effectively quantify marketing as the promotion of products and services by creating an appealing advertisement campaign. To illustrate these definitions exploring specific marketing advertisements are useful.

The i-phone is a prime example of a mass marketed campaign. Apple began by releasing glimpses of the i-phone in excess of a year before the first i-phone was sold. Utilizing print, billboard and television media the i-phone was introduced in a manner that kept interest building. The first campaign claimed