CEO's, CMO's, business students, and entrepreneurs all have different definitions of what marketing really is.
Marketing consists of a multitude of aspects. So what really is Marketing? Does marketing have a brand identity problem? Some common definitions are highlighted below:
Google definition:
"The action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising."
Investopedia's definition:
"The activities of a company associated with buying and selling a product or service. It includes advertising, selling and delivering products to people. People who work in marketing departments of companies try to get the attention of target audiences by using slogans, packaging design, celebrity endorsements and general media exposure. The four 'Ps' of marketing are product, place, price and promotion. "
American Marketing Association (AMA) definition:
"Marketing is 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."
Merriam Websters definition:
"The activities that are involved in making people aware of a company's products, making sure that the products are available to be bought, etc."
My roommates definition of marketing:
"A way to enhance things, make them more aware of the product/service, essentially with marketing, at the end of the day you want people to like you because we are humans and we are built to have a belonging with stuff and people."
Creating relationships is the common theme in all of these definitions. Some definitions explain how you would marketing such as advertising and promotions, while other definitions explain why you would use marketing.
