The Role of Marketing Managers

Melaleuca Review

The concept of markets finally brings us full circle to the concept of marketing. Marketing means human activity that takes place in relation to markets. Marketing means working with markets to actualize potential exchanges for the purpose of satisfying human needs and wants. Thus we return to our definition of marketing as human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through exchange processes.

Exchange processes involve work. Sellers have to search for buyers, identify their needs, design appropriate products, promote them, store and transport them; negotiate prices, and so on. Such activities as product development, search, communicating, distribution, pricing, and service constitute core marketing activities.

Although we normally think of marketing as being carried on by seller, buyers also carry on marketing activities. Consumers do "marketing" when they search for the goods they need at prices they can afford. A purchasing agent who needs a commodity in short supply tracks down sellers and offers attractive terms. A seller's market is one in which sellers have more power and buyers have to be the more active "marketers." In a buyer's market, buyers have more power and sellers have to be more active "marketers."

In the early 1950s the supply of goods began to outpace the demand, and marketing became identified with sellers trying to find buyers. We will take this point of view and examine the marketing problems of sellers in a buyer's market.

Those who engage in the exchange process learn how to do it better over a period of time. In particular, sellers learn how to professionalize their marketing management. We define marketing as follows: Marketing management is the analysis, planning, implementation, and control of programs designed to create, build, and maintain beneficial exchanges with target buyers for the purpose of achieving organizational objectives.

The popular image of the marketing manager is that of someone whose task consists primarily of finding enough customers for the company's current output. This however is too limited a view of the range of tasks carried out by marketing managers. Marketing managers are concerned not only with creating and expanding demand, but also with modifying and occasionally reducing it. Marketing management seeks to influence the level, timing, and character of demand in a way that will help the organization achieve its objectives. Simply put, marketing management is demand management.

The organization forms an idea of a desired level of transactions with a market. At any point in time, the actual demand level may be below, equal to, or above the desired demand level. That is, there may be no demand, weak demand, adequate demand, or excessive demand, and marketing management has to cope with these different states.

By marketing managers, we mean company personnel who are involved in marketing analysis, planning, implimentation, or control activities. The group includes sales managers and sales peoples, advertising executives, sales promotion specialists, marketing researchers, product managers, and pricing specialists.

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