Defining Marketing

Marketing affects a number of decisions that Americans make every day. Some of the first decisions that are made in the morning are affected in some way by marketing. What types of products are used in the morning while in the shower, or what kind of gas was put in the vehicle before setting off for work? What kind of deodorant was used this morning and why was it chosen? Why are these products chosen and are these choices affected by major corporations who spend billions of dollars on marketing every year? The products were definitely chosen because some very creative marketing personnel focused selling their products to a particular demographic and it worked.

This paper will focus on what marketing is and how marketing is important to the success of any organization. A personal definition will be given and compared with two definitions given in a couple of different textbooks. Three corporations from the business world will be analyzed and how effective marketing has created success within them. Finally, ATK Launch Systems Group’s marketing will be observed and the role it plays in their success.

Apple has had its share of ups and downs since its inception, but let’s look at their more recent success from the last seven or eight years. Almost everyone in America has heard of an I-Pod and if they haven’t, they should venture out of their cave now and then. Before Steve Jobs was rehired and given, once again, the CEO position, Apple was focusing on a large assortment of new products in many areas. This seemed like a good idea for the company but the wide range of products and weak marketing left Apple in a bad predicament. Steve Jobs was given the chance to change the company and did so with a new product called the I-Pod. Steve Jobs also limited the new products and halted the production of a number of others. Apple continued to make other new products but the large assortment was greatly reduced. The I-Pod changed Apple’s future and the marketing behind the I-Pod has left people with the desire to own an I-Pod. Marketing this desired product effectively changed Apple’s future and increased their worth.

The personal definition of marketing was decided upon before reading any text so the definition would be “truly personal” and the definition ended up as follows: Marketing is a strategically and carefully planned system or method of presenting a product, service, or message, to a specific group of people or demographic. This definition seemed to cover most of the areas concerning marketing. After reading some of the text, it was discovered that the personal definition did not cover the full definition of marketing. “Marketing is both a set of activities performed by organizations and a social process. In other words, marketing exists at both the micro and macro levels, (Perrault Jr. and Mccarthy, 2005).” This text says that marketing cannot be defined with one definition and as such requires two, micro-marketing and macro-marketing.

“Micro-marketing is the performance of activities that seek to accomplish an organization’s objectives by anticipating customer or client needs and directing a flow of need-satisfying goods and services from producer to customer or client, (Perrault Jr. and Mccarthy, 2005).” The personal definition that was given was similar to this micro-marketing definition but lacked some of the important points such as anticipating the customer or client needs and directing the flow of goods toward those needs. “Macro-marketing is a social process that directs an economy’s flow of goods and services from producers to consumers in a way that effectively matches supply and demand and accomplishes the objectives of society, (Perrault Jr. and Mccarthy, 2005).” The macro-marketing definition shows us a different part of marketing that is usually not thought of.

Another text defines marketing as, “a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and