THE PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS OF MARKETING

Introduction to Marketing

Differences between Selling and Marketing

The selling concept and marketing concept are frequently confused.

Selling concentrates on the seller’s need to convert the product to

cash, while marketing concentrates on satisfying the customer’s

needs and wants. The marketing concept replaces and reverses the

logic that was followed in the selling concept. In short, they can be

defined in the following ways:

Differences between sales and marketing orientations:

1. Sales Orientation

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Inward, upon the organisation’s needs

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Selling goods and services

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Everybody

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Profit through maximum sales volume

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2. Marketing Orientation

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Outward, upon the wants and preferences of customers

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value

Satisfying customer wants and needs delivering superior

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Specific groups of people

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Profit through customer satisfaction

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activities.

Through coordinated marketing and inter-functional

Define Marketing

Marketing is a way of thinking, a philosophy. The American

Marketing Association defines marketing as:

The process of planning and executing the conception, pricing,

promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create

exchanges that satisfy individual and organisational goals. (Bennett

1995).

The marketing process begins with customers. Specifically, the

process starts with a particular group of customers, often called the

target market. It is the needs of this market that define the products

and services that can be successfully developed and brought to the

market. In hospitality firms, although there are marketing

departments, everyone in the firm is involved in marketing because

good performance by everyone is needed to secure repeat sales.

Facts of Marketing

Marketing has two facets. First, it is a philosophy, an attitude, a

perspective, or a management orientation that stresses customer

satisfaction. Second, marketing is a set of activities used to

implement this philosophy. This is the marketing process.

In hospitality marketing, the product is the experience of the guests.

This experience has both a goods component (e.g. food) and an

interactive component, which we call service. In practice, hospitality

employees become part of the product (experience). In one way or

another, every employee is part of the guests’ experience, because

the typical hospitality organisation is highly personal and interactive.

Primarily through intensive promotion.