Serhat YILMAZ Dokuz Eylül University

Marketing Marketing has been defined in various ways.The definition that serves our purpose best is as follows: Marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating, offering and exchanging products of value with others.

Needs,Wants and Demands Marketing starts with human needs and wants.People need food,air,water clothing to survive.Beyond this people have a strong desire for recreation, education,and other services. They have strong preferences for particular versions and brands of basic goods and services. It is important to distinguish among needs,wants and demands. A human need is a state of deprivation of some basic satisfaction. People require food,clothing.These needs are not created by society or by marketers.They exist in the very texture of human biology and the human condition.

Products People satisfy their needs and wants with products. A product is anything that can be offered to satisfy a need or want.Occasionally we will use other terms for products,such as offering or solution.

Marketers and Prospects The concept of marketing brings us full circle to the concept of marketing. Marketing means working with markets to actualize potential exchanges for the purpose of satisfying human needs and wants. A marketer is someone seeking one or more prospects who might engage in an exchange of values. A prospect is someone whom the marketer identifies as potentially willing and able to engage in an exchange of values

Marketing Management Marketing management is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals.

Coping with exchange processes calls for a considerable amount of work and skill. Marketing management takes place when at least one party to a potential exchange things about the means of achieving desired responses from other parties.Marketing management can be practiced in any market.

Company Orientations toward the Marketplace We have defined marketing management as the conscious effort to achieve desired exchange outcomes with target markets.Clearly,marketing activities should be carried out under a well-througt-out philosophy of efficient,effective and socially responsible marketing.There are five competing concepts under which organizations can choose to conduct their marketing activities:

Marketing Strategic Planning Marketing oriented strategic planning is the managerial process of developing and maintaining a viable fit between the organizations objectives,skills and resources and its changing market opportunities.

*The strategic marketing plan develops the broad marketing objectives and strategy based on an analysis of the current market situation and opportunities. *The tactical marketing plan outlines specific marketing tactics,including advertising,merchandising,prici ng,channels service and so on. The marketing plan is the central instrument for directing and coordinating the marketing effort.

Market Penetration Strategy There are three major approaches to increasing current products market share in their current market. Musicale could try to encourage its current customer to buy more cassettes per period.

Market Development Strategy How can managament look for new markets whose needs might be met by its current product? Musicale might try to identify potential user groups in the current sales areas whose interest in cassettes the company might stimulate.

The Marketing Process Planning at the corporate division and business levels is an integral part of the marketing process.To fully understand the marketing process we must first look at how a company defines its business.

Scanning the Marketing Environment Successful companies recognize and respond profitably to unmet needs and trends in the macro environment. Unmet needs always exist.Companies could make a fortune if they could solve any of these problems. A trend is a direction or sequence of events that have some momentum and durability.Trends are more predictable and durable than fads.

A trend reveals the shape of the future.Successful companies realize that the marketing environment presents a never-ending series of opportunities and threats.The major responsibility for identifying significant changes in the macro environment falls to a company’s marketers.More than any other group in the company, marketing managers must be the trend trackers and opportunity seekers.

GOOD LUCK