What is marketing - a complete overview of the concept, its definitions, functions and types in simple words from practitioners. What marketing basics do you need to know? More detailed marketing tasks

It's hard to believe, but until recently, most businesses did not have marketing departments. In the United States and other Western countries, marketing departments have grown out of divisions of sales departments. In many Russian companies, the positions “head of the marketing and advertising department” are still found, that is, the fashionable word was simply introduced into the name of a long-existing unit.

Marketing departments are developing so rapidly that they often become larger in terms of staff and/or costs than sales departments - the main breadwinners of the company.

Having encountered marketing for the first time and begun to apply it in professional activities, it is then difficult to imagine how it was possible to do without it before. For example, a company wants to create a new product. A study is conducted that answers the question: “does the buyer need this product?” Next, you need to find out the real and potential market share of this product, the price situation, the number and characteristics of competitors. Finally a positive decision was made. Now the question arises about the appearance of the product, its name, packaging, type of packaging, etc. and so on. For each item, a market study of potential buyers is conducted. The next stage is product advertising. We came up with an advertising move and studied its perception by the buyer. We released the product on the market - we studied the opinion of wholesalers, the reaction of buyers, the distribution of the product on the market, etc., etc., etc. To exaggerate, before making any decision, it is necessary to conduct a study that will show the current state of the market, prospects for its development and give recommendations on how to act to achieve your goals.

Today in Russia there are not only marketing departments at enterprises, but also independent research companies that offer their services for market research. For many managers, the question is still relevant: what is better: to have their own marketing department or periodically order research from third-party organizations.

The main arguments given by supporters of carrying out research only by their own employees

	Marketing company
- competence of employees in this area (who can better know the specifics of the enterprise and its clients)	- incompetence of universal marketers
- availability of confidential intra-company information (the most valuable information is never taken outside the company)	- inaccessibility of confidential internal information
- respect for confidentiality by employees (the employee depends on the company, he has already been verified and is trustworthy)	- the possibility of reselling research results to competitors
- objectivity of its employees (the employee is interested in the prosperity of the enterprise)	- possibility of manipulation of results
- low final cost of the research (after completing the research, employees can be transferred to another area of ​​work)	- high cost of research

The main arguments given by supporters of conducting research only in specialized marketing companies

Marketing company	Internal enterprise marketing department
- high professionalism of marketers in conducting research and analysis (for successful research you need not so much to know the technological process, but to own sources of information and methods of its processing and analysis)	- insufficient professionalism of employees, who are often busy with other things
- compliance with confidentiality by the company (even suspicion of double play will eliminate the company from the market forever)	- the possibility of reselling research results to competitors (you can leave for another company with a promotion)
- objectivity of marketers (they do not know the client’s expectations)	- high probability of manipulation of results (affected by “corporate opinion” - general expectations, mood, beliefs)
- low final cost of the study (the work is completed quickly, there is no need to pay salaries all year long)	- high cost of research (salaries to the department must be paid all year, as well as rent, taxes, etc.

The same arguments are used by opposing sides with equal success.

A small survey conducted by N.V. Dolgopolova, head of the marketing department of the State Unitary Enterprise “State Laser Center “Raduga”” among fellow marketers of “problem” state unitary enterprises, showed that the proposal to attract external consultants is most often perceived by management as a manifestation of the incompetence of their own specialists. A priori, it is believed that in-house specialists should conduct any research faster, cheaper and of better quality than external ones. As a result, it is a common practice to create your own analytical reports based on incomplete or unreliable information, but consistent with corporate ideas.

In December 2001, a discussion was held on the functions of the marketing department in the enterprise. In the table we present the opinions of real experts - heads of marketing departments of enterprises and employees of marketing companies (34 specialists from Moscow, Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, St. Petersburg, Kyiv took part in the discussion).

There were no objections to the fact that every modern enterprise should have at least one marketing specialist on staff. The main controversy was caused by the question of whether enterprise specialists should conduct the entire volume of research themselves, or their role is only to control the activities of external performers. And the entire complex of research work - from collecting primary data to analysis - should be outsourced to specialized marketing agencies. As usual, there is no clear recipe.

When making a decision, you need to remember the central role of the marketing department in the enterprise and the entire range of issues that its employees deal with. The marketing department develops a strategy for the production and sales of products, prepares information for management about the market situation for decision-making, coordinates the actions of all other departments (production, sales, finance, etc.), and provides support to the sales department in promoting products.

Most enterprise marketers admitted that they spend no more than 15–20% of their working time directly on market research; the rest is taken up by other tasks, including sales and advertising. This means that the agency will complete the research at least 5 times faster than an in-house specialist! And this is a very important indicator for any market where the situation is changing rapidly.

There are three main criteria for determining how to organize marketing research - on your own or with the help of research companies: the ratio of work and human resources, the ratio of costs and results and the competence of the research companies.

Here is an approximate, far from complete, list of work required to conduct research: development of a research program; identifying sources of information and acquiring statistics; recruiting interviewers, training them and developing questionnaires; operational management of information collection: the need to constantly communicate with a large number of counterparties; processing of received data; writing an analytical report; preparation and presentation of the report.

It is very difficult for a person who also has other responsibilities to complete the above amount of work at the proper level of quality and within the given time frame. Thus, it is necessary to hire a special person to conduct the research, and, most likely, relieve him of other duties during this time. If such a person can be found and occupied while the research is completed, then the issue of workload is not a determining factor for the company in deciding whether to do the research itself or outsource it to other companies.

Regarding the cost-benefit ratio. Let's say we are conducting research for an architecture and construction company. Getting one client for such a company can recoup all the research costs. On the other hand, this one client will probably come to this company anyway. Well, what if he doesn’t come and current clients leave? Can a research company guarantee results? The answer is no, you may already be doing everything right. Can you guarantee yourself that you are doing everything right?

In almost all investment projects, money should not be spared on research. Typically, investments in equipment, real estate, hiring people, etc. much more than the cost of marketing research. At the same time, even if you have a person who can conduct marketing research, do not be lazy, go to several research companies, maybe they will seem more competent to you. The cost of incompetence may be too high.

Of course, employees in a company know the specifics of their activities much better (at least, that is what is commonly believed). But do you really think that it is absolutely impossible for an outsider to understand it at a level that would allow him to correctly pose questions? In addition, the customer approves the research program, which includes a list of results and methods by which these results will be obtained.

There are organizational issues that a research company will most likely be able to resolve better: more efficient and convenient work with interviewers, well-functioning control of work, a convenient questionnaire, a convenient and strict structure for presenting data in the final analytical report, etc. This is due to the availability of ready-made forms that make the work faster and better. And this is only because the research company regularly “makes headway” and improves its work. There is another important point that determines competence: a marketer in a research company works with statistics from different markets. This develops an outlook that is difficult to acquire while working in one company; and this allows you to look at things very soberly from the outside (which is one of the main arguments in favor of conducting research “with the wrong hands”).

For marketing research, two principles must apply: 1) the cost of information should not exceed the benefits received from its use, 2) the quality of information must correspond to the purpose and objectives of the research.

Results

Every company should have its own marketer, but only a few very large companies can afford to maintain a department to handle the full range of work, including research. The main function of the marketing department of a medium-sized company is setting research goals and objectives, implementing the enterprise's marketing strategy, collecting and processing current information. The main function of a small firm marketer is setting research goals and objectives and implementing the enterprise’s marketing strategy.

The size of the marketing department very much depends on the size and scope of the enterprise itself. The larger the range of products you have, the more competitors, the greater the role advertising plays, the larger the internal marketing department should be. It makes sense for every company to use the services of external analysts. Any investment project requires the joint work of internal and external analysts.

Marketing is a type of human activity aimed at satisfying needs through exchange.

Marketing- a social and managerial process aimed at satisfying the needs and requirements of both individuals and social groups through the creation, supply and exchange of goods and services.

Marketing is making a profit from.

Marketing— a market concept for managing the production and marketing activities of an enterprise, aimed at studying the market and specific consumer requests.

What is marketing? Many people believe that marketing is just about sales. And this is not surprising: every day we are bombarded with hundreds of advertisements, newspaper advertisements and sales messages. However, advertising and sales are nothing more than components of marketing. They exist as two integral components of marketing.

Marketing is a process that involves predicting the needs of potential buyers and satisfying these needs by offering appropriate goods - products, technologies, services, etc.

TO main types of marketing activities relate:

• research (consumer, product, market);
• R&D (coordinated with marketing activities);
• planning;
• price policy;
• package;
• complex of marketing communications (media advertising, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing);
• sales activities (work with the staff of the distribution network, trainings, control, organization of special sales systems, measures to optimize local sales, etc.);
• developing a system for distributing goods to sales points;
• international operations;
• after-sales service.

Marketing Goal

The purpose of modern marketing is not a sale or in any way (including deceiving the buyer), but .

Marketing Goal- attract new clients by promising them the highest quality, and retain old clients by constantly satisfying their changing needs.

The main task of marketing- Understand the needs and demands of each market and select those that their company can serve better than others. This will allow the company to produce higher quality products and thereby increase sales and increase its income by better satisfying the needs of target customers.

Marketing begins long before the company has a finished product. Marketing begins with managers identifying people, calculating their intensity and volume, and determining the company's ability to satisfy them. Marketers continue to work on products throughout their entire life cycle. They try to find new consumers and retain existing ones by improving the consumer properties of the product and using sales reports and feedback for this purpose. If a marketing specialist has done a good job - correctly understood the client's needs, created a product that meets the buyers' requirements, set a reasonable price, distributed the product correctly and carried out an advertising campaign, then selling such a product will be very easy.

Marketing is the social and managerial process by which individuals and groups satisfy their needs and wants through the creation and exchange of goods that have consumer value.

To explain this definition, it is necessary to consider several concepts directly related to marketing:

• - a sense of need to satisfy basic needs
• and - a specific form of satisfying human needs
• demand - the need for certain goods, expressed in a person’s ability to purchase them
• - the consumer’s assessment of the ability of the product as a whole to satisfy his needs
• - the act of purchasing some desired product for something offered by another party.

Marketing Principles

In modern economic practice, the organization’s relationship with the majority of market participants should be built on the principles of marketing.

Basic principles of marketing:

1. Scientifically practical market research and production and sales capabilities of the enterprise.
2. Segmentation. Its meaning lies in the fact that the enterprise identifies the most acceptable market segment (a homogeneous group of consumers), in relation to which it will conduct market research and promote the product.
3. Flexible response from production and sales involves rapid change depending on changing market requirements, elasticity of supply and demand.
4. Innovation involves improving and updating products, developing new technologies, introducing new methods of working with consumers, entering new markets, updating advertising, new, new sales methods.
5. Planning involves the construction of production and sales programs based on market research and market forecasts.

Thus, marketing should be considered as an economic, social, managerial and technological process based on the following basic principles:

• constant study of the state and dynamics of the market;
• adaptation to market conditions, taking into account the requirements and capabilities of end consumers,
• active formation of the market in the directions necessary for the organization.

Managing the behavior of an organization based on the principles of marketing should ensure work in a dynamic, continuous (ring) mode, ensuring the organization's flexibility and adaptability to turbulent changes in the market environment.

The goal of managing the behavior of an organization based on the principles of marketing is to determine promising areas of the organization’s activity in the market that provide the organization’s competitive advantages with minimal expenditure of resources.

Main objectives of marketing:

• Research, analysis and assessment of the needs of actual and potential consumers of the company's products in areas of interest to the company.
• Marketing support for the development of new products and services of the company.
• Analysis, assessment and forecasting of the state and development of markets in which the company operates or will operate, including research into the activities of competitors.
• Formation of the company's assortment policy.
• Development of the company's pricing policy.
• Participation in the formation of the strategy and tactics of the company's market behavior, including the development of pricing policy.
• Sales of company products and services.
• Marketing communications.
• Service maintenance.

Functions and types of marketing

Main functions of marketing:

• planning;
• organization;
• coordination;
• motivation;
• control.

Additional features unique to marketing:

• comprehensive market research (detailed study);
• analysis of the production and sales capabilities of the enterprise;
• development of marketing strategy and program;
• implementation of product policy;
• implementation of pricing policy;
• implementation of sales policy;
• communication policy;
• organization of marketing activities;
• control of marketing activities.

Types of Marketing

Depending on the scope and object of application, the following types of marketing are distinguished:

1. Domestic marketing: sales of goods and services within the country.
2. Export Marketing: Additional research into overseas markets and sales services for effective exports.
3. Import marketing: a special type of market research to ensure highly effective purchasing.
4. Scientific and technical marketing is associated with the sale and purchase of the results of scientific and technical activities (patents, licenses).
5. Direct investment marketing: studying the conditions for investing capital abroad and attracting foreign investment.
6. International marketing: selling or purchasing goods from a national enterprise of another country.
7. Nonprofit Marketing: Creating positive public opinion about specific individuals, organizations, places, or ideas.

Conditions of demand and marketing tasks

Demand can be: negative, absent, hidden, falling, irregular, full, excessive, irrational.

Negative demand caused by a negative attitude of buyers towards a product or service. The task of marketing in these conditions is to analyze why the market dislikes the product, and whether a marketing program can change the negative attitude towards the product by redesigning it, lowering prices and more active promotion.

Lack of demand. Target consumers may be uninterested or indifferent to the product. The task of marketing is to find ways to link the inherent benefits of a product with the natural needs and interests of a person.

Hidden demand- this is when many consumers cannot satisfy their desires with the help of goods and services offered on the market (harmless cigarettes, more economical cars). The task of marketing is to estimate the size of the potential market and create effective products and services that can satisfy demand.

Falling demand. The task of marketing is to analyze the reasons for the drop in demand and determine whether it is possible to stimulate sales again by finding new target markets, changing product characteristics, etc.

Irregular demand(fluctuations on a seasonal, daily and even hourly basis): - rush hours for transport, overload of museums on weekends. The task of marketing is to find ways to smooth out fluctuations in the distribution of demand over time using flexible prices, incentives and other incentive techniques.

Full demand. Such demand usually occurs when the organization is satisfied with its sales turnover. The task of marketing is to maintain the existing level of demand, despite changing consumer preferences and increasing competition.

Excessive demand- this is when the level of demand is higher than the ability to satisfy it. The goal of marketing, referred to in this case as “demarketing,” is to find ways to temporarily or permanently reduce demand, rather than eliminate it.

Irrational demand, i.e. demand for unhealthy goods and services; cigarettes, alcoholic drinks, drugs, etc. The challenge of marketing is to convince such hobbyists to give up such habits.

Marketing is the art of transforming the needs of people and organizations for goods and services of a certain type into consumer demand. By and large, he solves the same problems as business; he is the soul of business. Like any other art, marketing requires mastery of certain techniques. Without this, any business is sooner or later doomed to failure.

What does marketing study?

Marketing studies the state of affairs in the market, the presence of supply and demand for a particular product, pricing policy and, of course, ways to increase demand for the goods and services offered by the company. Marketing is needed not only to sell a product, but also to satisfy the needs of consumers, to create products that people want to see on the shelves.

Marketing Objectives

In business, marketing can solve the following problems:

• identifying the needs of consumers in the company’s field of activity;
• developing new products to meet these needs;
• market research and forecasting its development, taking into account the actions of competing companies;
• formation of an optimal assortment and prices for products;
• creating, maintaining and increasing demand for the company’s products, successful marketing of these products.

Types of Marketing

Currently, there are about twenty types of marketing, each of which has its own arsenal of methods and means.

1. Direct marketing. Its very name implies the use of a direct, undisguised offer to buy a specific product or use a specific service. In other words, direct marketing – This is an open offer addressed to potential buyers. It can be carried out by mailing catalogs, price lists, and offers to purchase goods. Such offers can also be made over the phone. If catalogs are distributed not by mail, but by courier or other means, this is also considered direct marketing. The most aggressive of direct marketing techniques is direct selling through door-to-door salesmen.
2. A good alternative to a catalog is marketing kit. This is a selection of materials about the manufacturing or selling company. A marketing kit can contain the history of the company, ideally a legend about it, a story about the team that works on creating the product and about the product itself, its features and benefits, areas of application and methods of use, as well as other information that may interest potential partners or clients. Of course, it must include information about the company’s address, its management and other official data. It would be a good idea to add here information about awards, certificates and other documents that positively characterize the organization as a socially responsible company. By the way, the marketing kit can also contain the product catalog itself. All this can be collected in one brochure, or issued as separate booklets and leaflets, putting everything in a beautiful folder, decorated with a company label.
3. Strategic Marketing Marketing is a higher level of marketing based on long-term planning, focused on creating goods or services that have high customer value. It is based on forecasts compiled taking into account materials obtained during market research. A good marketer not only sells, he comes up with what people want to buy. Therefore, the marketing department is engaged not only in sales, but also in market research, forecasting and planning. His tasks include defining the company's mission, creating a strategy, and forming a portfolio of goods and services that are in higher demand than existing competitors.
4. Personnel Marketing – This is a special area of ​​marketing that is usually dealt with by HR departments. We cannot write off the most important resource, without which there can be no production, sales, or profit. This resource is human, the most complex and unpredictable. Personnel decide a lot even in a market economy. Successful selection of personnel, “infection” of their general idea, the company’s mission, stimulation of their work play a significant role in shaping the image of the organization, increasing labor productivity, and in the successful implementation of the strategy. Personnel marketing allows you to satisfy the enterprise’s need for human resources and the needs of the enterprise’s employees themselves.
5. Direct marketing is a broader concept of direct marketing. It also involves direct work with the target audience to expand sales markets, but the boundaries of interaction in this case expand, including not only the final buyer, but also distributors. Direct marketing and direct marketing are often combined into one type of marketing. As already mentioned, it is carried out through personal selling, offering goods and services by telephone or mailing lists, and distributing catalogs. Direct offers of goods and services through social networks or “shopping on the couch” also belong to direct marketing. For greater effectiveness, they use a consistent series of direct influence measures on the client: first, they send him an offer by mail, then they call him on the phone to find out his opinion about the proposed goods and the terms of purchase, and only then the seller makes a personal visit to the buyer to show and sell the products that interest the client. .
6. Marketing complex (marketing mix) is a set of techniques and tools characteristic of different types of marketing, which are used in combination. It is often called mixed marketing. Combining various tools (development of products that are interesting to consumers, pricing, methods of sales and promotion of goods) allows you to build a flexible strategy and quickly adapt to changes in the market. The marketing mix is ​​often called the “4p” complex: product, price, place, promotion.
7. Many people probably had to purchase goods for a certain amount in a store and receive a coupon for a discount or a gift to another store. That's an example cross marketing, which is based on a one-time or long-term merger of two non-competing companies: a bank and an electronics store, and an enterprise producing construction and finishing materials, a grocery store and an organization selling cosmetics or household chemicals. It is beneficial for the client to purchase one product and receive a related product at a discount. Organizations also benefit from such an association: since the client has used the goods or services of one of the two cooperating companies, then the likelihood is that he will purchase another product he needs in this case at a discount from another partner company.
8. Conversion Marketing used in cases where demand for a product is below zero. That is, when potential consumers not only do not purchase a product or service, but are also willing to pay in order not to receive it. An example would be dental services. Many people, especially if they had to visit this doctor in Soviet times, agree to bravely endure toothache, just to avoid ending up in the dentist’s chair. Conversion marketing was able to break this prejudice by convincing potential clients that dentistry does not hurt, and healthy teeth are beautiful and prestigious. Conversion marketing is about turning negative demand into positive demand.
9. Viral Marketing is a collective name for promotion technologies that can quickly increase the number of people reached by advertising. Thanks to people’s desire to share interesting information, the audience that watches a video, launches a game, listens to or reads a message about a product or service grows like a snowball. The spread of information on social networks by word of mouth is reminiscent of an epidemic, hence the name of the type of marketing. An example of viral marketing would be inviting friends to play a game to get some bonuses. By posting a message on our page that we have made a successful purchase in an online store, by liking a picture containing hidden advertising, or by sending a friend a link to a funny commercial, we become participants in viral marketing. So a creative video posted on YouTube will cost little, but can attract a huge number of customers. The most difficult thing here is to generate an idea; the rest will be done by social network users free of charge and with pleasure.
10. Social Marketing– this is not the promotion of goods or services, but of any social values ​​or behavior patterns. Television advertising “Call Your Parents” and outdoor roadside advertising urging drivers to slow down to avoid hitting a child are typical examples of social marketing.
11. Differentiated Marketing is a type of marketing aimed at narrow segments of the target audience with specific needs. You can interest them only in products specially developed for them, which will not be in demand among other consumers. Differentiated marketing is more expensive than usual, but the return on it is higher. An example of such marketing is the release of shampoos for different hair colors in different colors, but made in the same style of packaging: especially for red hair, especially for blond hair, especially for dark hair.
12. Incentive Marketing is marketing that is used in the absence of demand for a product or service with the aim of its appearance. First of all, they find out the reasons why the product is not in demand. Perhaps the consumer does not know about it or does not know enough. Other reasons may be high price, unattractive packaging, or the availability of a more convenient or multifunctional similar product from competitors. The goal of incentive marketing is to eliminate these causes. This can be done by sharply reducing prices, increasing advertising, increasing people's awareness of the product, improving packaging and other methods.
13. With the development of information technology, it has gained considerable popularity. digital marketing. This is email marketing that works in two directions: push (push) and pull (pull). The process of “pushing” is expressed in sending spam. You can “pull” to yourself in different ways: by placing a banner on a popular resource on the Internet, by publishing news on the company’s page with keywords that are often typed in search engines.
14. Guerrilla Marketing– This is one of the most low-cost and common types of marketing. Its essence is to tell about yourself and the product, to make the brand recognizable without investing money in expensive advertising. The use of cheap or even free channels for transmitting information (enclosing a price list in a parcel with an ordered product, posting advertisements in shop windows, distributing advertising business cards at the checkout) is one of the ways of guerrilla marketing. Placing a bright, memorable company label on packaging and giving customers calendars with an image of this label will also help make the product recognizable at a minimum cost. The company’s participation in organizing public events indicating its name on a poster with the names of partner companies, holding competitions and lotteries, tastings, consultations and other local events will also allow the company to become widely known and reduce advertising costs. Publication of an article about the company in the press can also bring considerable benefits.
15. Event Marketing– the main direction of guerrilla marketing, when a company creates an event (presentation, exhibition, prize draw among buyers) or participates in a major event of a district, city or regional scale.
16. Adversarial Marketing– these are actions aimed at eliminating the demand for one or another product, usually harmful to health. An example of this is the placement of frightening pictures and warning notices on cigarette packs.
17. Targeted Marketing – It is a marketing activity aimed at one or more market segments to the exclusion of others. In other words, efforts are concentrated at one point. May meet concept "concentrated marketing" it's just another name for targeted marketing.
18. Mass Marketing– is the release of products for a wide range of consumers, suitable for almost everyone. It is opposed to differentiated and targeted marketing. The product is positioned as universal. The most common mass marketing tools are television advertising and radio advertising. This helps sell goods in large volumes, but, as a rule, at a low price.
19. Internal Marketing is an integral part of personnel marketing. Its tools include the creation of a corporate style, corporate etiquette, and the formation of internal corporate traditions.
20. Trade Marketing This is one of the most common types of marketing. It is aimed at promoting goods in the retail chain. Trade marketing tools include promotions with gifts for first customers or those who have made a purchase for a certain amount, prize draws among product buyers, presentations, tastings, and distribution of flyers before entering the store. Trade marketing is often called trade marketing, but in fact trade marketing has a wider field of activity. It involves working not only with the end buyer, but with all participants in the trading chain.

How marketing should work (video)

Marketing strategy

It is necessary to solve marketing problems in a comprehensive manner, using several types of marketing at once, skillfully combining various tools. Moreover, this should be done not haphazardly, but rationally, with a good understanding of why this or that type of marketing is chosen, why certain tools are preferred. A marketing strategy will help streamline the marketing process and act purposefully.

Marketing strategy is the basis of all marketing activities, a set of activities and directions of marketing activities, developed on the basis of studying market conditions and predicting the actions of competitors, based on the company’s capabilities and other important parameters. It should be the starting point in the work of any enterprise.

According to the definition of the American scientist F. Kotler marketing- a type of human activity aimed at satisfying needs and wants through exchange.

The original idea underlying marketing is the idea satisfying human needs and requirements(physical needs and needs for food, clothing, warmth, safety, social needs and requirements, the need for knowledge and self-expression, etc.). People's needs are limitless, but the resources to satisfy them are limited. So a person will choose those goods that give him the greatest satisfaction within his capabilities.

Demand is a need backed by purchasing power. It is not difficult to list the demand of a particular society at a particular point in time. However, demand is not a reliable indicator because it changes. Changes in choice are influenced by both price changes and income levels. A person chooses a product whose combination of properties provides him with the greatest satisfaction for a given price, taking into account his specific needs and resources.

Human needs, wants and demands are satisfied by products. Under goods in a broad sense, can be understood as anything that can satisfy a need or need and is offered to the market for the purpose of attracting attention, acquisition, use or consumption.

Exchange is the act of receiving a desired object from someone and offering something in return.

Market in marketing it is understood as a set of existing and potential consumers of a product (sales market).

A key aspect of marketing is mindset. He suggests that when making marketing decisions, a manager should look at everything through the eyes of the consumer. Therefore, these solutions must be those that the consumer needs and wants.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines marketing as follows:

Marketing is the process of planning and executing the concept, pricing, promotion and sale of ideas, goods and services through exchanges that satisfy the goals of individuals and organizations.

There are four components to this definition:
1) management action (foresight, goal setting and planning, meeting demand);
2) a set of controlled elements of marketing activities (product (intention), price, distribution (sales) and promotion);
3) objects with the help of which demand is satisfied and goals are achieved (goods, services, ideas, organizations, people, territories);
4) method of satisfying demand (exchange).

Thus, the previous definition can be briefly expressed as follows: “Marketing is the management of satisfying demand through trade.”

Marketing goals can be:
– maximum consumption;
– achieving maximum customer satisfaction;
– providing the widest possible choice;
– maximum improvement in quality of life.

From the point of view of enterprise management, the following marketing goals can be distinguished:
– increase in income;
– growth in sales volumes;
– increase in market share;
– creation and improvement of the image, fame of the enterprise and its products.

Marketing management refers to the analysis, planning, implementation and control of activities designed to establish and maintain exchanges with target customers in order to achieve certain enterprise goals.

The following tasks of marketing activities in an enterprise can be distinguished:
1. Research, analysis and assessment of the needs of actual and potential consumers of the company's products in areas of interest to the company.
2. Marketing support for the development of new products and services of the company.
3. Analysis, assessment and forecasting of the state and development of markets in which the enterprise operates or will operate, including research into the activities of competitors.
4. Participation in the formation of the strategy and tactics of the enterprise’s market behavior.
5. Formation of the enterprise’s assortment policy.
6. Development of the enterprise's pricing policy.
7. Development of a policy for the distribution of goods of the enterprise.
8. Marketing communications.
9. Service.

3. Marketing information system

A marketing information system is a set of personnel, equipment, procedures and methods designed to collect, process, analyze and distribute timely and reliable information necessary for preparing and making marketing decisions.

The conceptual model of the marketing information system is presented in Fig. 1.

Internal reporting subsystem is the basis of MIS. It reflects information about orders, sales, prices, inventories, receivables and payables, etc. Analysis of internal information allows the marketing manager to identify promising opportunities and pressing problems of the enterprise.

Rice. 1. Marketing information system

While the internal reporting subsystem contains and provides data on what has already happened, marketing surveillance system subsystem provides information about the current market situation. Marketing observation is defined as a constant activity to collect current information about changes in the external marketing environment, necessary for both the development and adjustment of marketing plans.

Marketing research in contrast to marketing observation, they involve preparing and conducting various surveys and analyzing the data obtained on a specific marketing task facing the enterprise.

MIS also includes marketing solutions support subsystem, which is an interconnected set of data systems, tools and techniques with which an enterprise analyzes and interprets internal and external information.

Four main coordinates are laid down in the popular theory of marketing: product, price, distribution, promotion (product, price, place, promotion). In English, all four words begin with the letter P. This is where the name of this concept came from - 4pi marketing, or 4p marketing mix. One of the parents of the 4pi concept is Theodore Levitt. He is the author of the article "Marketing Myopia", which was published in 1960.

Principles of formation

The 4p theory, based on the analysis of four parameters of a company’s activity, is able to identify weaknesses and direct the company’s marketing policy in the right direction. The main components of the 4p concept:
Product – a range of services or goods, their characteristics, properties, design.
Promotion – sales promotion, advertising campaigns, company PR.
Distribution – employee evaluation, distribution channels, location.
Price – cost, discounts, markdowns, markups.

Below are the features and characteristics of each “coordinate” of 4pi marketing technology.

Product

The product range must be balanced. It is important to understand whether the company’s products are really needed by consumers, whether they fully satisfy their needs. The first “pi” of the marketing concept – product – will help solve these problems.

Functionality, warranty, design, brand, reliability - indicators that need to be analyzed. Support and related services are also important. Conventionally, goods are divided into several types:
generate income now;
there will be profit tomorrow;
improvements are needed;
in developing;
income was in the past;
unsuccessful products;
critical facts.

Companies seeking stable sales must choose a product policy that cuts off the last three types.

Price

The price of a promoted product consists of three parts: production costs, planned profit, and psychological factors. In this case, you should consider the company's pricing policy or the chosen pricing strategy. There are several options: the company settles on average market prices, chooses the premium segment, makes it cheaper than leading suppliers, or sets the lowest cost. The last path is the road to nowhere. It is necessary to choose a middle ground: the company must make a profit, the consumer must be interested and profitable in purchasing the product.

The company can afford to change the cost, but only taking into account the elasticity of demand. If price fluctuations do not lead to major changes, then demand is inelastic. Analyzing this indicator is simple: you need to conduct a survey among buyers in advance about how many services or goods they are willing to purchase at different cost levels.

Place

A competent product sales policy is the basis for successful promotion and delivery of goods/services to consumers. Buyers should be able to receive the company's product in a convenient place at a convenient time. The organization is obliged to take care of providing additional data and after-sales service.

Selecting optimal sales channels will help reduce sales organization costs. By answering the following questions, a company can do this. Will trade be conducted through intermediaries or independently? How many channels need to be used simultaneously? Having made the right decision about the location of distribution of goods/services, the enterprise will receive the key to further success. Even changing the shelf location of a product in a supermarket can induce consumers to buy and change their attitude towards the products offered.

Promotion

Using the fourth “coordinate” of the 4P marketing tool – promotion – can tell the story, push sales, demonstrate a product or service to potential buyers. Using a variety of ways to convey information, the company will solve the main problem - creating a consumer desire to buy products.

There are many promotion methods: special offers, tastings, promotions, sales and others. The main result is a satisfied client and income received by the organization.

The golden mean is the choice of professionals

All components of the 4p marketing mix are of great importance for the effective operation of any company. The effective use of this technology can establish a balance in the product range, a promotion system, product sales, and help establish optimal prices. By making a product or service desirable to customers, the company will receive maximum benefit, prosperity, recognition, and profit. A holistic picture of the business is the end result that comes from using this well-known marketing technology.