variety of marketing definitions

Marketing is defined differently depending on the point of view. In defining marketing, Christian Homburg and Harley Kromer combine three central historical definitions of marketing into one integrative definition of marketing:

The activity-oriented definition

The definition of activity-based marketing actually considers marketing as a series of market-oriented corporate events. More generally, marketing in this context can be described as a process of planning and implementing the concept, price management, promotional activities and the dissemination of ideas, goods and services to achieve an exchange that meets the needs of individuals and organizations. The activity-oriented definition originated in the 1970s and was strongly influenced by the development and focus on marketing.

Relationship-centred definition

The definition of relationship-based marketing focuses on the purpose of marketing – to build, maintain and strengthen relationships with customers through mutual exchange and the fulfillment of promises (and thus building trust). However, the relationship-based definition does not replace the activity-oriented definition, but complements it. It originated in the late 1980s in connection with relationship marketing, which at that time replaced the focus on individual customer transactions with an emphasis on sustainable customer relationships.
Management-centered definition

The definition of leadership-centered marketing considers marketing to be „consciously market-oriented management of the entire company [or also] market-oriented behavior in decision-making within the company“. (Meffert, 2000). Important in this definition are in particular the internal conditions of the company, which largely determine the orientation of the company’s activities towards the market; therefore, this definition includes the concept of the marketing mix, aspects of market sales, the idea of market-oriented management and the marketing of relationships, which is why this definition is regarded as complementary to the first two. The definition, which focuses on management, was developed in the 1980s and only became scientifically sound in the 1990s.

Definition of integrated marketing

Homburg/Krohmer’s integrated marketing definition sees marketing as a concept that essentially has two sides: an internal and an external one:

The external side understands marketing as the concept and the execution of the supplier’s market activities with regard to (potential) consumers of his products. In this context, such market-related activities include both the systematic collection of information on market conditions and the development of a marketing mix.

For the internal side of the company, marketing in turn consists of creating conditions for the performance of market-related activities. This includes in particular the management of the company according to the guiding principle of market orientation.

Both marketing approaches aim at the optimal development of customer relations from the point of view of the company’s objectives.
Alternative marketing definitions and their development process

Philippe Kotler, an American economist and Professor of Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, defines marketing as follows:

„Marketing is a process in the economic and social fabric by which individuals and groups fulfill their needs and desires by creating, offering and sharing products and other valuable things.

A definition that goes beyond the functional perspective means customer and market-oriented management to achieve the company’s goals.

„Marketing is conceptual, consciously market-oriented management that aligns all activities of the company with the needs of existing and potential customers in order to achieve the company’s goals.

In later publications, marketing is understood to mean, for example, the management of comparative competitive advantages with the help of marketing instruments.