Marketing: What it is, what it is not!

In general marketing seen as all about selling the product or service by show off too much or most specifically mis-selling.

Being marketing educator and marketer, I feel offended that a subject with richness of concepts, full of intervention of different subjects like behavioral science, neuro science, geography, art and other subjects considered only an art of (mis) selling only. Its true that all the marketing efforts ultimately directed towards sells only but it is not true that marketing is all about selling a product by showing off what it is not.

Marketing concept evolved from production concept to product concept to customer focus and now co-creation where customer choses what kind of features it needed in its product and company put its efforts and available resources to create such product. 

Marketing got its true shape when in the year 1960 McCarthy gave concept of 4 Ps (Product, Price, Place & Promotion) to shape the company's decision in streamlining its marketing activities in the market. It was later used and made famous by marketing Guru of his time Philip Kotler. 

In the year 1995 Dholkia, Venketesh, Firat & Fuat coined the term customerization  which gave an equal opportunity for a customer to decide what they want in a product. Later it was argued that customer also need expertise to decide it. 

In the year 1996 Kambil coined the term co-creation as a part of company's strategy to reframe its value preposition keeping its available resources in mind. 

In the year 2000 CK Prahalad & Venkat Ramswamy made co-creation concept famous and in the year 2004 they envisioned the concept in their book "The Future of competition" that customer can also play an equal part in deciding the product features and the final outcome/shape of the product or service they want. 

But viability of this concept is equally depends upon the nature of industry and affordability of the company as well as customer or consumer. 

In past marketing means to sell the product whatever is produced in the factory.

In todays time major aim of any marketing concept/strategy is to focus on the demand of the consumer, creating the better product which suits the demand of the consumer and presenting it in the best manner to showcase the utility/features of the product and even to get the feedback of the consumer to improve for betterment. 

Though focus of marketing revolves around the consumer to meet its demand in terms of creating the required product/service and not just selling it. It comprises many factors before selling the product. 

If we keep the very basic 4Ps of marketing:

Product: It comprises various features of products. Ingredients, color, features, packaging etc. depending upon the industry it varies.

Price: Competitive pricing, Premium pricing, Skimmed pricing etc.

Place: Distribution channel, Operation, Storage,  Ware housing etc. 

Promotion: Advertising, BTL (Below the line) & ATL (Above the line) promotions, Story telling, Events, Awareness campaigns, Social media promotion, online promotions etc.  

Now 5th P i.e. People also added in the marketing

People: It includes all the human stakeholders in the company/industry i.e. customer, competitor, employees etc.  

In the last but not the least aim of the marketing as a subject is not to sell mud as river but mud as a product and its goodness for skin and its valuable usage. For a true marketing person mud and river are different products have different markets and customer segments. 

Marketing is a neutral tool and it all depends upon the user how one is using it. Its like use of knife as an instrument to cut vegetables or use it to harm someone all depends upon the mindset of the person who is using it.