FREE ESSAY ON MARKETING IS MARKETING

MARKETING IS MARKETING

ntroduction:
"Marketing is marketing, irrespective of the product or marketplace". This is a theme
common to many introductory marketing texts and degree courses. The two most common
exceptions cited to this proposition are buying behavior models between consumers and
business buyers and the extended ingredients of the services marketing mix. While the
overall sentiments of marketing hold true across product and market boundaries, perhaps
the differences are in fact more marked? Intends to spark some discussion pertaining to
the extent to which marketers can safely generalize when discussing the nature and
characteristics of marketing. Are we correct in offering students and in-company training
program generalizations that cut across the marketing domain? Are we doing justice to the
core nuances if we simply draw out the variations between consumer goods, services,
industrial and business-to-business marketing? Is there a different perspective that
should, in the new millennium, be the focus of textbooks and marketing courses? 
Content Indicators: readability, Practice implications, originality, Research
Implications* 
Marketing is marketing, irrespective of the product or marketplace.
This is a theme common to many introductory marketing texts and courses. The two most
common exceptions cited to this proposition are buying behavior models between consumers
and business buyers and the extended ingredients of the services marketing mix (cf. Dibb
et al., 1997; Kotler, 1998). While the overall sentiments of marketing hold true across
product and market boundaries, perhaps the differences are in fact more marked?
The marketers of services were the first to "speak out", arguing that the nature of
marketing is different owing to the basic characteristics of services:
? intangibility; 
? direct organization-client relationship; 
? consumer participation in the production process; and 
? Complexity.
The upshot for services marketers has been the extension of the marketing mix from the
classical product, price, place (channel) and promotion "4Ps" to include at least people,
physical evidence (ambience) and process. These marketers also point to the
characteristics of services, notably intangibility of the service "product", restricting
opportunities for creating a differential advantage over competitors, with the inevitable
dependence for differentiation and competitive edge on branding initiatives and
personnel.
While services marketers have outlined significant differences for "their marketing", on
the whole, texts and marketers have argued there are relatively only minor differences
between the marketing of consumer goods and industrial or business-to-business goods.
This paper is intended to spark some discussion pertaining to the extent to which
marketers can safely generalize when discussing the nature and characteristics of
industrial, business-to-business marketing. Are we correct in offering students and
in-company training program generalizations, which cut across the marketing domain? Are
we doing justice to the core nuances if we simply draw out the variations between
consumer goods, services, industrial and business-to-business marketing? Is there a
different "cut of the cake" which should, as the new millennium dawns, be the focus of
textbooks and marketing courses?
As co-author of one of the leading introductory marketing texts, Marketing: Concepts &
Strategies (Dibb et al., 1997), regular MBA, undergraduate and in-company lecturer, as
well as marketing consultant, these are themes which, increasingly, are causing this
author concern when preparing seminar papers and lecturing sessions. Based on many years
of researching and working with consumer brands, services and industrial products, as a
starting proposition, here is a very personal view of how marketing in industrial markets
really is different. Or is it?
The core dissimilarities
From basic marketing analyses, via target market strategy decisions, to the determination
of tactical marketing mix programs and controls, there are marked differences in the
issues encountered and the approaches deployed between consumer and industrial
marketing.
Buying behavior
(Figure 1) Consumer versus business-to-business buying illustrates the popular buying
behavior models for consumer and business-to-business markets, revealing the additional
specification stage in much business-to-business purchasing and the different sets of
influencing forces (for example, Assael, 1997; Ford, 1997). There are many additional
variations, including the role of the buying center versus consumer peers, the assessment
of risk, the formality of buying and the nature of selling. Few marketers, though, seem
to disagree with there being some quite stark differences in how consumers buy and how
businesses make purchases.
Understanding competitors
Perhaps because of the prominence of brands and the high profile in-home media adopted in
much consumer promotion, most consumer marketers are aware of their rivals' brands and
marketing tactics. All too often, such competitive understanding is only superficial, but
consumer marketers at least exhibit strong awareness of their like-for-like competitive
arena (Chang and Simkin, 1997; Simkin, 2000). In industrial markets, competitive
intelligence is more difficult to attain - market researchers cannot so readily conduct
surveys of rival management teams - and many businesses have only a haphazard awareness
of their competitors' intentions. Indeed, many managers seem so occupied with keeping up
to date with product specification changes in their own portfolios and in sales force
activity, that time allocated to assessing competitive forces is minimal.
Marketing research
Business-to-business surveys are notoriously difficult to conduct owing to:
? secretaries gate keeping; 
? busy managers not wanting to "waste time" attending discussion groups or completing
questionnaires; 
? incentives not being as attractive to recipients as in much consumer research; and 
? Confidentiality concerns being a major drawback.
Such marketing research does occur, but by no means as easily or as frequently as in
consumer markets, nor does it utilize anything like the extent of in-depth qualitative
techniques as favored so strongly by the marketers of consumer goods [1].
Market segmentation
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of marketing (McDonald and Dunbar, 1995),
market segmentation, is frequently deployed by practitioners in all markets. There is a
striking variation in the base variables used in order to define the segments. Despite
the sentiments of (Table 1) Segmentation variables, which presents the textbook menu of
variables to use, many industrial market segmentation schemes are nothing more than
common-usage industrial sectors or internal product groupings: a long way from the
customer need and attitude segments adopted by consumer marketers (Dibb and Simkin,
2000). Standard industrial classification coding or trade directory membership lists too
often masquerade as customer grouping analysis.
Branding
Branding exists primarily for identification and to smooth the task of differentiating
products (Macrae, 1996). There is a strong psychological ingredient inherent in consumer
branding with many consumers, notably of supermarket merchandise, exhibiting strong
loyalty to their favored brands. This is true in certain industrial markets, but for many
products the required unique positioning concept and associated marketing communications
campaigns are lacking substance, longevity and the sheer emotion of consumer brand
building activity (Doyle, 1998). Branding for most business-to-business goods,
particularly industrial products are less persuasive and emotive than for the vast
majority of consumer brands.
The marketing mix
McCarthy's "4Ps" have re-appeared in many marketing texts for around three decades.
Product, promotion, pricing and place (channels) are still considered to be the tactical
marketing toolkit manipulated by most marketing practitioners (Dibb and Simkin, 1997).
Servicing marketing added the additional "3Ps" of people, process and physical evidence
[2]. For industrial marketing, it is generalized in most introductory marketing texts
that the core "4Ps" hold firm. Compared with most consumer goods, however, there is a
much stronger customer service aspect to the product proposition: technical advice before
a sale, ongoing customer support and after market operations. Marketing channels are
often shorter, with much use of dealer networks or direct marketing. The sales force is
central to the promotional mix, sales promotion is heavily deployed, trade shows and
direct marketing are popular, and advertising tends to be more technical and less emotive
in nature. Even pricing is different: few industrial buyers adhere to list prices,
expecting to negotiate or consider tenders (Hart, 1994). Within the "4Ps", there are
important changes of emphasis, while the importance of customer service and the managing
the people ingredient in the marketing mix comes straight from the practices of services
marketing.
Controlling implementation
While there are exceptions in some of the more long-standing and mature marketing
departments, the sales-oriented culture inherent in most industrial companies has not
provided a basis for the required operational controls to ensure the effective
implementation of marketing activity (Simkin, 2000). Marketing activity is more ad hoc,
short-term and tactical, rather than on-going brand building or rolling out longer term
marketing plan recommendations.
Some marketers may perceive these variations between consumer and industrial marketing to
be only at the margins. Nevertheless, they are, from experience, quite striking
differences and manifestly alter the manner in which marketing is actioned. But do they
make marketing per se take on a different guise and ethos?
Marketing is marketing
Marketing is not a science: there is no single correct definition or approach to
undertaking marketing. The following commonly cited definitions illustrate this
variation:
The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous. The aim is to know and to understand
the customer so well that the product or service fits him/her and sells itself
(management guru Peter Drucker).
Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and
satisfying customer requirements profitably (the UK's Chartered Institute of Marketing).
Marketing consists of individual and organizational activities that facilitate and
expedite satisfying exchange relationships in a dynamic environment through the creation,
servicing, distribution, promotion and pricing of goods, services and ideas (The American
Marketing Association).
There are, however, common themes in most explanations of marketing. The most important
are:
1. the ability to satisfy customers; 
2. the exchange of product or service for payment or donation; 
3. the need to create an edge over competitors; 
4. the identification of favorable marketing opportunities; 
5. profits or financial surpluses to enable a viable future for the organization; 
6. that resources are utilized shrewdly to maximize a business's market position; and 
7. The aim to increase market share in priority target markets.
If the "right" opportunities are pursued, customers are properly probed, the "right"
customers targeted with a marketing proposition designed to give a business an edge over
its rivals, it is highly likely that customers will be satisfied, market share will rise
in core target markets and profitability will accordingly support a viable future.
Conversely, if a business develops a product or service which fails to reflect customer
expectations and needs, is no better than competing offers and takes no account of
evolving market conditions, it is unlikely that the future will be prosperous for such an
organization. These sentiments are equally applicable to consumer or industrial markets.
Definitions of marketing count for little if businesses do not develop a process, culture
and set of operational procedures to actually "do" marketing (Cravens, 1998; Piercy,
1998). The textbooks promote a process, which hinges on marketing analysis, marketing
strategy, marketing mix tactics and internal program controls, typified by (Figure 2) 
The marketing process. Recent research (Dibb and Simkin, 1997; 2000; Simkin, 2000)
indicates that the majority of large UK businesses do now practice marketing and that
when undertaking the more defined tasks of market opportunity appraisal, market
segmentation/target marketing, or marketing planning, they do indeed proceed through an
analysis-strategy-programs process.
So, is it here where there is common ground: in how marketing is defined and in the
marketing process to be deployed? Is this how marketing should be explained: a common set
of goals actioned through a process of marketing analysis, strategic decision making,
formulation of tactical marketing mix programs and operational controls?
Are the apparent differences in buying behavior explanation, competitor understanding,
marketing research activity, market segmentation bases, branding, marketing mix
ingredients and internal operationalisation, simply examples of marketing academics
seeking to exaggerate perhaps only very minor variations in how marketing is perceived
and utilized? Are there other, perhaps more fundamental differences between the
activities of consumer and industrial marketers not cited in this brief overview?
Is there one way to describe and characterize marketing? Are any differences evident in
industrial marketing merely subtle nuances or do they require their own full and proper
explanation? Indeed, just what are the principal similarities and differences between
"traditional" consumer marketing and business-to-business industrial marketing?
This author has concluded, "marketing is marketing", with common objectives, processes
and tools, irrespective of the market in question. However, the view presented here is
that the basic marketing toolkit is applied differently and requires more than minor
"tweaking" to tackle the characteristics of many industrial business-to-business
products, target markets, and even marketing managers. What do you think?
Bibliography
References
Assael, H. (1997), Behavior and Marketing Actions, Kent, Boston, MA. 
Chang, A. and Simkin, L. (1997), "Understanding competitors' strategies", Marketing
Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 124-34. 
Cravens, D. (1998), "Implementation strategies in the market-driven era", Academy of
Marketing Science Journal, Vol. 26 No. 3, pp. 237-41. 
Dibb, S. and Simkin, L. (1997), "Marketing and market planning: still barriers to
overcome", EMAC Conference Proceedings, Warwick. 
Dibb, S. and Simkin, L. (2000), "Market segmentation: diagnosing and treating the
barriers", Industrial Marketing Management, forthcoming. 
Dibb, S. et al. (1997), Marketing: Concepts and Strategies, Houghton-Mifflin, Boston, MA.

Doyle, P. (1998), Marketing Management and Strategy, Prentice-Hall, Hemel Hempstead. 
Ford, D. (1997), Understanding Business Markets, Academic Press, London. 
Hart, N. (1994), Effective Industrial Marketing, Kogan Page, London. 
Kotler, P. et al. (1998), Principles of Marketing, Prentice-Hall, Hemel Hempstead. 
Lovelock, C. (1996), Services Marketing, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. 
McDonald, M. and Dunbar, I. (1995), Market Segmentation, Macmillan, London. 
Macrae, C. (1996), The Brand Chartering Book, Addison-Wesley, London. 
Piercy, N. (1998), "Marketing implementation: the implications of marketing paradigm
weakness for the strategy execution process", Academy of Marketing Science Journal, Vol.
26 No. 3, pp. 222-36. 
Simkin, L. (2000), "Delivering effective marketing planning", Journal of Targeting,
Measurement and Analysis for Marketing, forthcoming.