Marketing Is More Than Advertising

Ask ten people what marketing is and most will say "advertising" or "selling". Both are part of marketing, but they are the visible end of a much longer chain of work. Before any advert is made, someone has to decide who the customer is, what that customer needs, what the business will offer, at what price, and through which shops, websites or partners it will reach them.

Marketing is the work of connecting what a business can offer with what customers need, in a way that is good for both. A company that makes an excellent product nobody needs has a marketing problem. So does a company whose customers need its product but cannot find it, cannot afford it, or do not trust it.

This course is for people who are new to marketing: new marketing assistants and coordinators, owners of small businesses, and staff in sales, product or general management roles who work with marketing teams. It teaches the core ideas that every other marketing activity rests on.

What the two definitions agree on

• The customer comes first. Both definitions start from what customers require or value, not from what the company happens to make.
• Marketing is a process. It is a set of connected activities that run all the time, not a single campaign.
• Value goes both ways. The customer receives something worth having; the business receives payment and, over time, a profit that lets it continue.
• It is wider than promotion. Creating and delivering the offer are part of marketing, not only communicating it.