Mkg Audit

The marketing audit is in a number of ways the starting point for the strategic marketing planning process. In fact, it is through the audit that the strategist arrives at a measure both of environmental opportunities and treats and of the organization’s marketing capability. The thinking that forms the basis of the concept of the marketing audit is that the corporate objectives and strategy can only be developed effectively when a detailed and objective understanding of both the corporate capability and its environmental opportunities and threats is pursued.

The audit is, therefore, as Mc Donald (1984) has suggested, “The means by which a company can identify its own strengths and weaknesses as they relate to external opportunities and treats. It is thus a way of helping management to select a position in that environment based on known factors.”

The definition of the audit has also been proposed by Kotler (1999). He has suggested that a marketing audit is “a comprehensive, independent, and periodic examination of a business unit’s marketing environment, objectives, strategies and activities with a review to determining problem areas and opportunities and recommending a plan of action to improve the company’s performance”.

Taken together, these definitions highlight the three major elements and potential benefits of a marketing audit:

1. The analysis of the external environment and internal situations.

2. The evaluation of past performance and present activities.

3. The identification of future opportunities and treats.

Ansoff (1968) has suggested that “corporate decisions have to be made within the constraint of a limited total resource”. Recognizing this,