“Marketing is Everything”

“Marketing is Everything”

Y.M.W.G.P.K. Udurawana

Senior Lecturer, Department of Business Management, Faculty of Management Studies, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.8080325

Received: 13 August 2024; Accepted: 26 August 2024; Published: 23 September 2024

ABSTRACT

Than the other concepts, marketing has no embedded on the definition of marketing. There are many definitions to address the meaning of marketing, meanwhile, the same definition has changed with time. Though everything has marketing, many researchers have discussed marketing being on a business discipline referred to the organizational practices. Therefore this article struggles to prove that marketing must have a simple definition considering everything manner beyond the profitable mindset.

Keywords: Marketing, Business Perspective, Sustainable Value Addition, Everything is Marketing

INTRODUCTION

As a researcher, I have identified that, most of people have addicted to see their own meaning rather than the reality of any concept or object has. People know love, but fail to do love, people know religion but fail to be with the religion, people know humanity but fail to practice humanity. Therefore, the practices of some concepts may have always differed from the theory (Sandhu, Rizwan. (2021).

Though Philip Kotler (2006) defined marketing as “the science and art of exploring, creating, and delivering value to satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit”, most Sri Lankans experienced marketing as advertising, marketing as promotion, marketing as cheating, and marketing as selling. (Udurawana 2021). Therefore, the same deviation of theory vs practices exists when people behave in marketing.

The above Kotlar’s definition of Marketing has denoted that, marketing means adding value to satisfy someone towards a profitable relationship. That means, if we are marketers, we must have the capacity to add value for others’ needs and their satisfaction. If someone has a capability to do something to execute someone’s need at least at the expected level, that person experiences satisfaction. (Udurawana et al. 2021)

Objectives of the Research

According to this definition, a person can add value to anything. That anything may be a physical product like a bar of soap, pure services such as counseling, a spiritual place like Sri Maha Bhodhi, or a location like an elegant beach, could be prepared as a solution to customers’ needs.

Therefore, relevant to most practitioners in the world, there is a considerable gap of the definition of marketing and practices of marketing. Further, except remaining on existing definitions of marketing, there are no identical research studies relevant to identifying a proper meaning to marketing.

Then the generic objective of this study is, to identify solutions to why the meaning of marketing is narrowly defined on profitable concept being on business culture, and what will be the most suitable meaning to define marketing.

METHODOLOGY AND DISCUSSION

This explanatory, deductive research design used secondary data to identify the proper meaning to marketing. Previous studies, book definitions, and researcher experiences have been used to identify solutions to the research gap.

The well-known marketing philosopher, Philip Kotlar’s definition denotes that, marketing happens to be on value additions, and that value addition or satisfaction needs to emerge on profit. Then the people who follow this definition believed that there should be profit to be practiced the marketing. Then most marketers have absorbed meaning of the marketing as only for profitable business. This profit orientation may not lead to long-term value, some marketers may increase their profit through less value, then the customer experiences the worst practices of marketing. (Udurawana 2021)

Being on this reason, as a marketing practitioner, the researcher has experienced that some people discussed about marketing as a customer cheating tool – the reason may be the profit-oriented practices rather than satisfying customer needs. (Kotlar P 2019) Some marketers believed that profit could be increased through consumer awareness. Then they repeatedly advertised about their brands, this was another reason to customers, to identify marketing as advertising. Meanwhile, some argue that marketing means selling. Therefore, the majority of customers are addicted to say that “there is marketing or that is marketing” when they see the advertising or selling efforts of marketers.

It seems that the prevailing practices of Marketing are defined by subjective meanings. Praveen (2012), has discussed about this subjective meaning of marketing, where he mentioned that ‘Marketing gives an impression to mean different things to different people. Therefore, there is no other concept in the practice, misunderstood by people than the meaning of the reality of marketing.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) 2008, defined marketing as ‘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’. When reading the meaning, at once the meaning directs its readers to the organizational concern, business culture, and marketing as a departmental activity. However, though the AMA is the world-recognized official body to discuss about marketing, they also repeatedly changed the meaning of marketing from the years 1935, 1937, 1948, 1960, 1985, 2004, 2008 and up to date. (Criticisms of the Marketing Definitions 2017). These practices revealed that though there should be marketing in marketing definition, there was no sustainable definition to marketing.

In marketing, the marketer has to be involved in exchanging an offering. Generally, an offering may be a good or service, or simply a product. The Marketing Principles written by Kotlar et al, 2019, mentioned that a product can be represented by ten entities such as Goods, Services, Experiences, Events, Persons, Places, Properties, Organisations, Ideas, and information. The mistake is, all the products have been introduced from the business perspective rather than the natural and human relations.

With respect to the business perspective Profit can be identified as a financial gain, It can be calculated by matching the amount earned and the amount spent in our transactions (google Dictionary 2024). Meanwhile, according to the holistic concern on human relations, the profit can be identified as a benefit or advantage (google Dictionary 2024). To entertain an advantage there should be a value of exchanging. Therefore, if there is a benefit with everything we exchange it has a value, in means it is a profit. That benefit may come as a smile, concern, happiness, or good emotion or attitude or as a financial value. If the AMA, Kotlar, or any other philosopher had defined profit on beyond the financial perspective, all the marketing definitions could be accepted in today’s practices.

Schewe & Smith mentioned in 1983 that, every physical product exchanging with a value means marketing is living. Therefore, not only goods such as book and pen may be exchanged for other goods with a bag or an umbrella. The same book or pen can be exchanged with someone for another human solution such as love or concern. At last both parties entertain whatever benefit it may be a profit or priceless value. Therefore it is not reasonable to define marketing being on only business perspective.

Than the other meanings of marketing, the sustainable approach was added by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM), where SLIM has defined marketing in 2014 as “Marketing is the corporate philosophy and the central business function of an organization that creates value for its customers and other stakeholders through competitive, profitable and sustainable exchange processes.”

This definition facilitates marketers to manage their customers being on a sustainable manner. Therefore, a long-

lasting relationship management is necessary to today’s marketing. Cheating, misusing, or harming to customers is eradicated under this definition. Than the short-term orientation, a marketer has to rely on a long-term value-adding process. However, this definition also embraces the characteristics of the business mind viewpoint on traditional marketing.

If there is good and productive commitment is on any relationship, it may facilitate to entertain a long-lasting bond with a person, group, job, product, or anything. Therefore, reasonable, healthy, reliable, and or valuable solutions are the basis of anyone’s loyalty (Chao, D.R. (2015).

FINDINGS

Researchers who have deviated AMA or Kotlar viewpoints, they have discussed about marketing being on the holistic view, where Schewe & Smith, 1983 defined marketing as ‘managing human and organizational exchange activities directed at satisfying human wants and needs’. This definition has addressed human needs and wants than organizational needs and profits. Therefore this research has a space to represent all types of value addition to human life and organizational needs. However, this definition was not popular among researchers and practitioners. Not only that, this definition has no enough capability to address everything as marketing or marketing is everything.

Therefore, marketing should be everywhere with everything, from the beginning of the life to end everything should be addressed with marketing.

This ‘everything matter of the marketing or marketing is everything’ was addressed by many researchers including Philip Kotlar. Eric Swain 2012 published an article mentioning that marketing is everything, but where he had highlighted everything happening between the ‘organization and customer’ on the business perspective. Highlighting all the organizational touch points related to customers were the basis of the ‘Marketing is everything’ concept addressed by Eric Swain in 2012. He failed to address the applicability of marketing on human relations and spirituality.

Then it is obvious that marketing practitioners better to add all types of human actions to explain the meaning of marketing moving beyond business activities. Therefore, the researcher argues that human feelings, emotions, and attitudes are also products that need to be involved in marketing. Therefore, LOVE has marketing. As someone gives love with a value, if someone collects it on value, there is an exchange. Some value has a price or profit, some love has a wealth we never can count in rupees. If that love has no cheating or short-term approach that leads for a sustainable relationship with the parties.

If you properly decorate yourself with the most suitable dressers, tools, and styles in a smart way, If you healthily treat your body, if you are happy to see yourself, the bond you have with yourself is positive, that means you have marketing.

If you are treating to your wife perfectly, If your wife is happy that’s is marketing, If you look after your relatives in a valued manner it is marketing. If your tears, Fate, Sweat, or energy have value if you are capable to communicating your feelings in a valued manner you are a marketer and value creator.

If your family members have the capacity to add value to each member of your family if all members are happily entertaining their family membership that bond may be long-term. It is your family marketing.

If the sacred place has a historical spiritual value, If the place administrators present its value to the world in an exciting way, if the visitors embrace the place with its reality, the place has marketing.

If someone have the capacity to add value to their speech, if the audience is enough engaged with the speaker on the value its speech, the speech has marketing.

CONCLUSIONS

The main reason to practice marketing in different manner is the marketing definition, it has explained as being on only a profitable manner. Then marketers do everything to align their organization on a profitable line rather than considering human relationships.

In reality, to practice marketing there is no need to be a monetary exchange, the value is the gain. Thatswhy, the researcher concludes that the definitions of marketing need to adapt including human exchange such as feelings, emotions, attitudes or personalities.

These findings facilitate to all philosophers to see marketing with each business function such as marketing in production, marketing in human resource management, marketing in finance, marketing in marketing, and marketing in research and development.

Then if we create our home or organization such a beautiful manner, If we speak such productive – beautiful words in family or organization, If we place our equipment to maintain a productive layout within the home or organization, If we recruit productive partners to family or organization, it is obvious that our day to day incidents are down to marketing.

If we utilize our official letters in a meaningful way and attractive design, if we write our articles in attractive meanings, that is the marketing in writing. Therefore marketing is surrounded to your birth, your wedding, your breakup, your job, your home, your workplace, and even with your death.

Finally, if someone prefers to deploy the well-known Kotlar definition it should be adapted including ‘value adding for everything (not suitable the “profitable” word) and ‘sustainable’ words. If someone refers to AMA definition, it needs to be adapted including “value adding on everything’. At last, however, all definitions should adapt to use “Value Adding – Sustainable’ two words and must move beyond the organizational perspective to holistic concern.

Based on these findings, the researcher defines marketing as “adding value to anything in a sustainable manner”. Thatswhy marketing is everywhere, and everything is marketing if there is sustainable value-adding.

REFERENCES

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