Marketing is defined by the marketing Society as:

“The creation of customer-led demand, which is the only sustainable form of business growth�

Business needs marketing to deliver profitable growth. It is the process of identifying the consumers’ wants and needs and making the product/service to satisfy these.
Marketers realign themselves to the priorities of business, with the aim of creating exceptional value for both customers and shareholders.

Marketing is at the heart of strategy formulation. It is the process of understanding and engaging customers deeply, to bring the customer in to the heart of the business.

There two different flavours of marketing; Strategic and Operational. Strategic marketing is used to generate a competitive advantage relative to its competitors. It involves discovering what your customers want and making sure you meet their needs. For example, if a company is launching a new product they will do thorough research on existing similar products, the attitudes and personalities of their target market, creative ideas – before they launch the product and market it to the public.

Operational marketing is direct measures to attract and keep customers. Good Operational marketing is all about getting the most done for the least cost in the fastest time frame at the highest level of quality. Operational marketing is about determining which marketing tools, techniques and strategies should be used.