The role and importance of marketing

All organizations market themselves. They may not do so intentionally, but simply by producing goods and services and by dealing with customers, they are involved in marketing. If this is the case, then it is better that firms should have a carefully planned marketing strategy rather than a slapdash approach. For a number of years, it was assumed that marketing was only really important for firms dealing in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs), but now it is realized that it is also essential for firms dealing in services and manufacturing. Indeed, organizations such as charities, hospitals, art galleries and even universities are now marketing themselves fairly aggressively.

Marketing is of extreme importance, since it covers many of the functions of management Design, production, pricing, promotion and distribution are key areas in almost all organisations and they are all under the umbrella or influence of marketing.

Marketing in the UK and Europe has only really grown in importance since the end of the 1950s. The main reason for this rise in the importance of marketing is that, before this time, people did not have the disposable income available to demand a large range of products. Since the recovery following World War II, demand has grown and many businesses have arisen to satisfy that demand. Also, as incomes have risen, people have satisfied many of their product needs and now demand a far greater number of services than they once did. This accounts for the greater supply of restaurants, travel agents and leisure facilities.

The demand for more products and services has led to the emergence of a great number of businesses andbrands. In addition, in the UK, there is now more competition from abroad, especially from Europe, following membership of the EU. This increased competition has made marketing all the more important to firms if they wish to survive.

With the improvements in average incomes, fashion has become more important and people's tastes tend to change more frequently. Lifestyles have altered and demands have changed. For example, there is now a whole health and fitness industry, with products ranging from aerobics classes to vitamin tablets. These changes in tastes, fashion and lifestyles are another reason why marketing has become so much more important in recent times.

In the time period we are considering, there have been exceedingly rapid changes in technology. So many products that are now taken for granted were not available 30 years ago, such as mobile telephones, personal computers and CD players. These new and improved products have had to be marketed and now, of course, consumers expect new.advances in technology and improvements in products at all times and it is up to the marketers to provide and sell the products. Fear of obsolescence is a much greater worry these days than in times gone by

To summarise, the role of marketing is immense. It involves all areas of an organization and successful companies are those that know what their customers really want and then set about supplying it.

Дата добавления: 2015-08-03