Introduction
Marketing is a vital process in any business regardless of the nature of the enterprise. Marketing refers to the establishment of the value of a given product, service, or brand and communicating that information to the consumers. This paper focuses on the significance of marketing to organizational success, the marketing and promotion process model, and the system that is most suitable for marketing firms whether centralized or decentralized.
The importance of marketing to organizational development in the 21st Century
In the 18th Century, most information was channeled through governmental and religious institutions and the media age was acquiring information from trusted sources. Currently, due to the technological advancement in the 21st Century, individuals interact through online platforms by sharing their opinions and views.
Digital marketing affiliated with the 21st Century will lead to increased sales. The increased sales will result in escalating profitability margins, thus coinciding with the fundamental objective of the business. Sales increase because marketing enables more customers to know the existence of certain products and services in the market (Robinson, 2014).
Marketing creates customer satisfaction and loyalty. This aspect comes from building lasting relationships through forums introduced in the marketing strategies of the business. The good relations are enhanced through social platforms like Twitter and Facebook, events, and conferences organized by the marketing department. Most customers often trust companies that they have been exposed to either when purchasing products or through marketing platforms. Marketers enquire what the customers want and provide it to them thus creating an ideal customer profile that promotes satisfaction (Kitchen, 2013).
Digital marketing in the 21st Century results in increased customer awareness about a company’s products and services. Although customers might not buy the product immediately, they become familiar with it, and thus they might make plans for acquiring it later. The awareness enhances the clients’ predisposition to purchase, thus increasing the company’s sales and subsequently the gross profits. Other significances of marketing include the creation of healthy competition between businesses coupled with enabling the firms to understand their marketplace better alongside building the reputation of the company.
Marketing and Promotions Process Model
Every organization desires to exchange its products and services to the customers in the marketplace successfully. Organizations should have sound strategic marketing plans that would facilitate the appropriate allocation of resources. The marketing and promotion process model acts as a tool during promotion campaigns, and it entails several steps (Belch & Belch, 2007)
First, the organization should examine the available marketing communication opportunities after the identification of the target market where its consumers are located. The organization needs to understand the target audience of the information that it wishes to convey. The information should be encoded using language and symbols that are familiar to the target population to avoid any instances of distortion (Pickton & Broderick, 2005).
The marketing organization should stipulate the goals and the objective of the promotion. The actual figures of the expected sales should be stated coupled with how the organization intends to attain those targets. Other goals may include the introduction of a new brand to the customers and building a database for future clients
The organization should choose the promotional mix. Besides, the organization employs a combination of media including printing publications, use of radio and television, use of mailboxes, and the social media to reach a majority of the promotion endeavors. Trade shows may be used alternatively as a way to create enthusiasm to the target population, thus resulting in a well-rounded campaign (Pickton & Broderick, 2005).
The marketing and promotion team should embark on developing the promotion message. The communication should be compelling and persuading to the target market. Graphics and headlines should be used to get the attention of the readers, thus coercing them to take action. Offers such as coupons and discounts can be used to entice the target market.
The organization should also focus on the promotional effectiveness after it has been implemented. The actual performance of the organization is compared with the planned product promotion objectives. This aspect aids in establishing whether the marketing and promotion process has any impact on the consumers’ attitudes and opinions towards a given product.
As a marketing expert, the process that would be the most difficult to implement is setting the marketing promotional goals of the organization. This assertion holds because the figures of the anticipated sales of the company should be realistic, measurable, attainable, and time-bound. Therefore, uttermost caution is necessary when drawing the goals and objectives to ensure that the promotion efforts will attain them accurately. Therefore, to address this shortcoming, the marketing expert should have a broad knowledge base concerning the target market by undertaking market research and reviewing other similar previous campaigns done by the organization (Baines & Fill, 2013). The expert should also anticipate possible risks that threaten the goal attainment and come up with amicable solutions.
Centralized or Decentralized System
In most organizations, the marketing department is obligated to ensure that customers are aware of the available products in the market. Centralized and decentralized marketing systems are evident in most establishments depending on the nature of and structure of the organization. In organizations with centralized marketing system, only a single department is liable to control marketing activities through formulating varying marketing initiatives and painting a unified brand image. For organizations that uphold a decentralized marketing system, there is independence and freedom because the multiple departments are eligible to promote the products falling into the different business units.
I favor the centralized marketing system. Initially, the centralized system helps to position budgets, marketing talents, and initiatives closely to the target customers by providing a bridge between the marketing strategies and return on capital of the organization. This aspect leads to desirable outcomes because the customers are impacted by marketing policies.
The centralized marketing system also instills a sense of accountability to the managers entrusted to run the marketing department. The marketing department is solely responsible for undertaking the marketing activities as opposed to the decentralized system where multiple agencies conduct marketing tasks. Specialization encouraged by the centralized marketing system favors the attainment of increased sales motive that translates into high profits.
The centralized marketing system circumnavigates the shortcomings associated with the decentralized system as evidenced by duplication of tasks and the unavoidable deviation from the organizational goals. Duplication results in the wastage of resources that translate into a reduction of the organization’s profitability. Centralization enables complete focus on the organizational objectives by reducing stumbling blocks.
Centralization further ensures that an organization focuses on the bigger picture of the market situation rather than concentrating marketing along the business units of the multiple departments as witnessed in the decentralized system. This aspect translates into the organization gaining a high competitive edge in the market, thus resulting in increased revenues.
Conclusion
Marketing is a vital component in the existence of every for profit organization. Some of the advantages of marketing include increasing sales, creating customer loyalty, and building an appropriate customer profile. The marketing promotion process models aid successful sales campaign for an organization’s products and services. Additionally, the centralized marketing system is preferred to the decentralized because it amounts to desirable results.
References
Baines, P., & Fill, C. (2013). Essentials of marketing. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Belch, E., & Belch, A. (2007). Advertising and promotion. An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective. New York, NY: MacGraw Hill Higher Education.
Kitchen, P. (2013). The dominant influence of marketing in the 21st Century the marketing leviathan. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Pickton, D., & Broderick, A. (2005). Integrated marketing communications. Harlow, UK: Prentice Hall.
Robinson, L. (2014). Marketing Dynamism & Sustainability: Things Change, Things Stay the Same. New York, NY: Springer.