Perhaps before you can answer it would help to define just what marketing is.
In January of this year, the American Marketing Association (AMA) caused quite a stir (in marketing circles, anyway) when it released this new definition of marketing: “Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”
The AMA revisits the definition of marketing every five years and has done so since the first definition was released in 1935, proving that marketing is, at best, an evolving concept. This latest definition met with mixed response. “I believe that marketing should be defined at the company level, not the industry level,” said one poster on the AMA’s blog. “Business leaders should clarify the role of marketing in their own organizations and understand that it may evolve as the business and customer needs evolve.”
So perhaps, rather than “What is marketing?” the question should be “How do you define marketing?” Before you can determine if you’re doing something the right or “smart” way, you have to decide what’s right for your business. It’s not a one-size-fits-all proposition.
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This article will be available online on 09/01/2008
