Understanding the Role Marketing Plays in Organizations - Essay Example

Understanding the Role Marketing Plays in Organizations By Introduction Marketing refers to the set ofactivities, through which products of value are created and delivered to the customer. Similarly, the process through which goods and services are moved from theory to the purchaser can also be referred to as marketing. Marketing takes into consideration several pieces, the first one being the product or service to be moved. For the success of marketing exercise, the product or service of interest should be identified and then developed into suiting the demands of the consumers. The appropriate price of the merchandise or service should then be determined, before the most suitable delivery place is arrived at. In as much as distribution plays a significant role in ensuring that marketing is successful, the event of developing and effecting a promotional strategy is normally worthwhile as it ensures that organizations realize the objectives that they laid out when introducing the product or service of interest (Cohen 2012, pg. 36). Over and above, marketing plays a decisive role in making sure that organizations remain relevant in the market for a considerable duration. As a matter of fact, global brands such as Apple, Samsung and Coca-Cola take marketing very seriously and customarily allocate a substantial portion of their budget to handle marketing issues. This essay aims to provide more insight into the aspect of marketing, putting special emphasis on understanding the nature of marketing as well as the role that it plays in any organization. Similarly, the essay analyzes how marketing operates within a business and outlines the steps that an organization can embrace in order to influence the judgments of a number of customers. The Nature of Marketing The nature of marketing is such that customer focus is central, and activities habitually revolve around the customer. The primary aim of those who are involved in marketing is to ascertain that the needs and desires of the buyer are met. To this effect therefore, marketers can be forced to raise the cost of going about the marketing exercise, just to certify that the goals and ideas of the organization are realized (Evans et.al 2009, pg. 80). Marketing can hence be regarded as harbouring a dual objective as it ensures that the customer is satisfied and the organization registers positive returns. The fact that marketing certifies that the standard of life within the society is maintained portrays it as a social process. This because it takes into consideration the changing needs and wants of the community, puts in place an effective provision and payment approach as well as an efficient supply and demand strategy. In an ideal world, marketing can also be considered as a managerial function. This is because it involves several activities ranging from the creation of a product or service, satisfying the needs and wants of the society to earning the organization good returns. Consequently, the backstops upon respective organizations to make certain that their strategies do not fail. The event that ownership of a product is transferred from the producer to the end user alike depicts marketing as a legal process (Evans et.al 2009, pg. 83). Economically, marketing is an activity that slots in all the business undertakings. The nature of marketing can, as a result, be said to be broad as it incorporates both the value for the customer and the producer, as well as respect to the environment. The Role of Marketing The primary role of marketing in any organization is to create and maintain a satisfying relationship with customers. As mentioned above, the connection should be beneficial to both parties involved as the customers are to get their prerequisites provided while the organizations are to get value for their input in the production process. Stakeholders often argue that marketing is necessary not only for organizations, but for the society as well. In an ideal world, all industries require marketing be it ventures that are for profit or the non-profit organizations. The for-profit organizations depend on marketing to bring in revenue and even to a larger extent profits (Solomon et.al 2010, pg. 146). The non-profit organizations on the other hand hinge on marketing to help it attract customers who will support them in the accomplishment of their mission. Such input come in the form of donor funding or provision of any resources they might be lacking in their quest to accomplish their goals. The marketing process is founded on interacting with the public, notably customers. This form of interaction comes in handy in ensuring that the organization knows what the public knows about it, hence contributing to market research. Marketing provides an opportunity for small and medium scale organizations to compete with their market leaders. Celebrated organizations that provide global brands quite often find it easy to sell their products. On the contrary, small-scale organizations find it difficult to move their merchandises and services no matter how good they may be as a potential customer base is not often aware of any such products. Through marketing, however, the small organizations can make the public know of their existence, thereby playing a role in its expansion. Apart from increasing sales, marketing plays a huge role in creating and maintaining the reputation of organizations. It often takes quite a while before an organization develops into a global brand (Solomon et.al 2010, pg. 147). In fact, the success or failure of any organization depends on its reputation and it is for this reason that several organizations, including famous international brands such as Microsoft, spend considerable amounts of their budget to market their products. In so doing, they fill people in on the latest market trends. The event of being in good books with customers is far-reaching as it enables customers to put in good words for organizations, earning more customers in the process. Operations of the Marketing Function The marketing process is designed in such a way that organizations first have to identify a consumer need that has not been fully exploited and introduce it to the market. Before the introduction is done, organizations have to make the appropriate analysis, in the process coming up with strategies that if implemented will contribute positively towards the organization accomplishing its goals and set objectives. Situation analysis is the first step in marketing as it identifies available opportunities that the organization can venture (Jobber et.al 2009, pg. 59). Similarly, it presents an ideal prospect for the business to assess its capabilities of efficiently producing and distributing the product. Situation exploration is essential as it helps the organization have an understanding of the environment in which it operates. For environmental assessment to be productive it should be carried out both internally and externally, with the former evaluating the past, present and future positions of the organization in case the product is adopted. The external assessment on the other hand provides the organization with how customers have been handling the evolution of the product and providing an overview of the market trends (Jobber et.al 2009, pg. 62). The five C analysis is one mechanism through which organizations can carry out situation scrutiny in the course of marketing. The first three C’s make clear to the company an in-depth evaluation of its operations, its competitors as well as the customers. The two remaining C’s focus on both collaborators and the climate within which the organization operates. The company part provides the organization with how the product will sway its image within the market. In like manner, it evaluates how the product will influence the objectives and the goals of the organization. The part of contributors ensures that the organization takes into consideration and appreciates the role being played by both suppliers and distributors in the marketing process. Understanding the customers implies that the organization will have a clear outlook of tendencies on how the users prefer their products and services (Rickman et.al 2014, pg. 17). Similarly, it analyzes the magnitude of the market and its ability to develop as well as the sections within which the market is divided. Analyzing the competitors ensures that the organization has a clear picture of both its direct and indirect challenges, the strong points and flaws that they harbour and its position within the market. Understanding the climate within which it functions ensures that the organization takes into respect both its political and regulatory environment, a section that is of great significance in the success of any venture. It correspondingly includes the commercial aspect of the market that estimates the rate of inflation among other economic issues. Assessing climate equally provides an opening for the organization to comprehend the social and cultural atmosphere within which it works and gives it a shot in the arm to embrace technology in its operations. The objective of employing the 5 C analysis is to make certain that consumers get the wants that they desire and that the organization gets substantial earnings in the form of revenue. Marketing operations function in such a way that once the opportunity has been identified and strategic analysis is carried out, then an ultimate plan through which the process will be made a reality is established. Market research plays an integral role in the establishment of a program as it indicates the segment of the market on target (Fitchett et.al 2014, pg. 8). In like manner, it provides insight on the resources that the organization should put in place to ensure that their goals are met as well as the appropriate period within which the plan will be implemented. In effecting the established premeditated plan, it is imperative for the marketer to arrive at critical decisions. The resolutions should be arrived at tactically and should involve ways and mechanisms of developing the product, thereby making it become better and much to the customers satisfaction. Correspondingly, the marketer needs to make decisions regarding the appropriate price for the product, as well as the mechanism through which the product will be distributed to the customers (Fitchett et.al 2014, pg. 14). The best price for the product should be reasonable to the consumer. At the same time, it should be lucrative enough for the producers, enabling them to compensate every party involved in the creation process. Stakeholders argue that the distribution process is of great significance to the producer as it ensures that they move the goods. A good distributor should be in a position to supply the required capacity of the goods within the agreed time. This implies, therefore that the distributor should make timely deliveries, with the goods still in good condition. The adoption of promotional strategies is one mechanism through which organizations can move different products. It is for this reason that marketers habitually consider various promotional strategies when they want to attract a significant number of customers. Once factors such as price and distribution have been arrived at, the next far-reaching factor is promotion. There are several ways through which promotions can be carried out, and organizations are at liberty to select more than one mechanism (Fitchett et.al 2014, pg. 16). Some of the mechanisms include in-store appreciation of the customer as well as the use of social media platforms to make potential customers aware. The podiums such as Facebook and Google plus bring in a fresh element into marketing as they create a soft atmosphere to interact with the customers. Other promotion mechanisms include providing give-aways to customers who purchase the products and allowing customers to sample some of the products. Specialists have similarly put emphasis on the significance of supporting a cause when presenting a new product in the market. This puts the body in good books with the buyers and gives them an upper hand as a section of their customers put in right words for them to others. Once the marketing plan has been established, the organization should then focus on putting into practice. The global market is not stagnant and is subject to constant change. It is of great meaning to make sure that the performance of the merchandise is monitored closely, and avenues are put in place to ensure that the client remains satisfied over the long-term. How Marketing Influences the Customers Marketing has a far-reaching role in influencing the choices made by consumers. It is precisely for this idea that sales and marketing departments play a substantial role within any organization. Having a friendly attitude for example, is of great significance as it makes customers feel special and appreciated making them come back for the same product or service on several occasions (Cohen 2012, pg. 37). As a form of marketing, it is imperative for any entrepreneur to forget the hard to sell approach immediately the customer comes into a store and begin by pleasantries. Marketing provides users with the opportunity to acquire a lot of information on a product or service. The fact that customers prefer dealing trustworthy people makes them go for the marketed products. Several organizations make promises in the course of selling their products. Customers typically look forward to the promises being kept, and this is another reason that makes them go for the marketed products and services. Conclusion Marketing as illustrated above ensures that products are moved from a mere concept to reality. Though several global brands are celebrated for their high quality, marketing has played an integral role in ensuring that they maintain their market positions. The only complexity is that the market is unpredictable and often changes. It is important, therefore, for organizations to understand the environment within which they operate and come up with tactical avenues through which they can accomplish their objectives. Reference List Brassington F. and Pettitt, S. (2007) Essentials of Marketing.2nd Ed Harlow FT Prentice Hall Cohen, R., 2012. Marketing Influence: The Power of Persuation. Forbes Europe, 22 May. Evans,M. A. and Foxall,G. J (2009) Consumer Behaviour 2nd Ed Chichester Wiley Fitchett, J. et.al, 2014. Exploring the role of discourse in marketing and consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 13. Foxall, G.R., Goldsmith. 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