Marketing Research

Marketing is important to an organization; it includes more than selling or advertising a product. Marketing is more than promoting a product. Marketing includes advertising, deciding on the products to sell, deciding on the prices for those products to sell, distributing, and selling. This paper will define marketing from two different sources and a personal definition of marketing, and also the importance of marketing in the success of an organization. Three different examples from the business world will also be a part of this paper.

There are different definitions of marketing; however, Perrault, Cannon, and McCarthy Jr., defines marketing as 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 (2009). Another definition of marketing is the activity for creating, communicating delivering, and exchanging offerings that benefit the organization, its stockholders, and society at large (Kerin, Hartley, Berkolvitz, & Rudelius, 2009, p. 6).

The main focus of marketing is to satisfy customers in a way that build a relationship that encourages customers to do business with an organization. Marketing is a constant communication with customers. For a business to understand what customers need, any business need to have a marketing strategy. Marketing strategy allows a company to concentrate on it limited resources so that they can increase sales and have an advantage competitively. Marketing is a complex subject who breadth makes it difficult to define. Its purpose is to bring a buyer and seller together (Scott, 2005, p. 196). Marketing requires organizations to deal directly with the customers.

Marketing is important to a company or organization because it help them to out shine the competition. It plays a major role in the growth and development of a company. Marketing motivates research, development, and fresh ideas. Marketing produces sales and leads that will produce happy customers. It also generates awareness. Without effective marketing plan companies will not have customers nor will companies be a successful business. It is very important for a company to make sure they are in tune with what the customers like so that they will continue to return and do business with the company.

A company that displays a good job of marketing would be McDonald's. McDonald's listens to what the customers want, and they provided that. The customers wanted cheaper prices so McDonald's gave the customers the Dollar Menu. They wanted to have a healthier menu items