What MBA professors don’t teach you about marketing
There was a time when many of my friends got tired of being engineers and started taking graduate courses that have “business” sprinkled in it. What used to be hours of senseless chat on Friday nights became a venue for MBA-lingo definitions and discussions. Of all the things I heard from my friends, marketing was the only thing that interested me. One time, I asked what marketing book should I read and my friend showed a book so thick it makes a good support when changing car tires.
Nope, I didn’t read the book and definitely I didn’t become a marketing professional after that.
I think if you ask 100 marketing experts on the definition of marketing, you will get 100 different answers. Since they are all experts, the most likely best definition is a combination of their answers. Thus, you end up reading a thick book.
Let’s begin with The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia:
Marketing, in economics, that part of the process of production and exchange that is concerned with the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer. In popular usage it is defined as the distribution and sale of goods, distribution being understood in a broader sense than the technical economic one.
From Wikipedia:
Marketing is an integrated communications-based process through which individuals and communities discover that existing and newly-identified needs and wants may be satisfied by the products and services of others.
From the American Marketing Association:
Marketing is defined by as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.
From the Chartered Institute of Marketing:
The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.
And from the handy-dandy Dictionary program in my MacBook:
The action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.
Reading these definitions makes me dizzy.
One small problem with these definitions is they are difficult to remember. Go ahead and try it. It’s hard. The bigger problem is these definitions lack character. I imagine myself a CEO and telling everyone in the marketing department what they should be doing – I only see blank faces.
Of course, you can argue it’s about the right definition, not about ‘character’. But think about it for a moment. Maybe, just maybe, the reason marketing is confusing is because the purpose itself lacks “character”. And just maybe the reason many marketing we experience every day are so dishonest and cold is simply because the “marketing” people themselves don’t have the right definition? (Disclaimer: I am no marketing expert)
John Jantsch, in his book Duct Tape Marketing, offers a definition of marketing, that in my opinion is the simplest and truest of them all. He defines marketing as:
Marketing is getting people who have a specific need or problem to know, like, trust, contact, and refer you.
You can argue that is applicable only to consultants or people offering services. OK, let’s do an experiment. Let say you are the product manager of PepsiZero, and let’s replace the word ‘you’ with Pepsi Zero.
Marketing is getting people who have a specific need or problem to know, like, trust, contact, and refer Pepsi Zero.
Ok, let’s make it more specific:
Marketing is getting people who are skinny and thirsty to know, like, and trust Pepsi Zero.
Trying, doing this exercise with the other definitions:
Marketing, in economics, that part of the process of production and exchange that is concerned with the flow of Pepsi Zero from PepsiCoke to skinny and thirsty people.
- Columbia Encylopedia
Marketing is an integrated communications-based process through which skinny people discover that their thirst can be satisfied by PepsiZero. (Not bad!)
- Wikipedia
The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying skinny person’s thirst profitably.
- Chartered Institute of Marketing,
While John Jantsch’s book is targeted to small business owners, his definition of marketing captures the essence of it. It is no surprise that people often associate marketing with advertisements because even the people who are paid to do marketing also have the same notion.
I think it starts with the very definition of what marketing is. Your thought affects your action. Many marketing starts and ends on the “knowing” part. An ad here, a billboard there, a brochure today, and a cold call tomorrow and your marketing is done.
Don’t be surprised if many thinks marketing is evil and marketing people are a bunch of liars and cons. After all, “trust” is not always a goal.
How about you. Do you have your own definition of marketing?
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Obviously since I got such nice treatment here it may come as no surprise that I love this post, but mainly because I love the treatment you gave to both the definitions and how you’ve applied why the definition works in the real world – when I speak to groups I do that exact thing by saying who cares what “THE” definition of marketing is, how can we make it “YOUR” definition of marketing –
ie: Marketing is getting people who are skinny and thirsty to know, like, and trust Pepsi Zero.
It’s a great exercise and really takes the mind numbing academia right out of the discussion.
Thanks for spreading the word
John
John Jantsch
17 Jul 09 at 1:59 pm
You could throw a virtual rock in the blogosphere and hit a dozen posts bad-mouthing a 2-year degree is business these days. Not sure where this comes from.
Maybe it’s the case of the cobbler’s children having no shoes here. Marketers – I’d include vitually all of the examples above, too – seem to have trouble articulating what marketing is in total. That’s due to a lot of reasons, none of them good. Many are simply “ad guys” acting the role of “marketers” on TV (or the digital media of your choice).
I think Drucker’s definition was that marketing “… is the sum total of everything your brand is and does, when viewed from the customer’s perspective.” This is the only definition that captures the whole picture. It ain’t your ad copy. Or your PR. Or (gasp!) your struggling social media efforts. It’s everything “they” interact with, from your over-blown ad copy to your toadying blog to your lousy customer service (or hopefully the opposite).
Marketing sits at the small tables in many companies because it doesn’t look at the bigger picture. Advertising is to marketing what the post office is to government. We don’t build trust by only doing one thing. Can we stop the hate on MBA’s now?
Stephen Denny
17 Jul 09 at 2:14 pm
@john: Thanks for dropping by. I really find your book very valuable. I can’t remember how many times I said to myself I just need to follow what you’ve written to increase my chance of success.
@stephen: Oh yes, Drucker. Unfortunately, I haven’t read any of his books yet. I don’t hate MBA’s – just want to make fun of them :)
Having spent my whole career on the engineering side, I always advice my team to learn a few things on marketing because I believe it could help us get a better sense on how our customers think – information we can then use to better design products. Unfortunately, the common reaction to my advice is marketing is all bullshit and no different from deliberate lying which of course, we all know is not true.
I’ve heard lots of negative remarks about marketing and marketing guys.
Greg Moreno
17 Jul 09 at 11:46 pm
My definition of marketing is that it is a scientific research that analyzes (studies) buyers’ psychological patterns, behavior, likes and dislikes, attitudes.
Jojo Siao
20 Jul 09 at 9:00 pm
Agree with you on MBA’s not really “getting it”. I’ve been through some of those textbooks, and they talk about the five P’s or whatever. It’s so disconnected from reality. Two of my favorite books where Seth Godin’s Permission Marketing and the 22 Immutable Laws Of Marketing. I’ll have to check out Duct Tape. Thanks!
Brian Armstrong
23 Jul 09 at 10:50 am
22 Immutable Laws Of Marketing and Positioning were the first 2 books I’ve read on marketing.
Greg Moreno
23 Jul 09 at 12:47 pm
Great post – interesting seeing the various definitions of marketing. My clients have heard ‘ask 10 marketing experts, get 10 different answers’ from me often.
In my humble opinion, however, it’s even simpler than that. Marketing is getting more of the people who might buy your product or service to actually buy it.
They may not need it or have a problem that you can solve (think vanity plates and diamonds for the dog – though I suppose the lack of a $300 putting game might be considered a problem for some).
Trust and liking are a result of the brand experience, which includes company and product impressions, product quality and exceptional customer service.
So, it would read like this for Pepsi One (branding is obviously necessary).
Marketing is getting thirsty, skinny people who buy Coke Zero to buy Pepsi One.
Marketing is getting the stars to buy expensive diamond collars for their dogs.
Word of mouth, Pepsi billboards, Pepsi in favorite restaurants, and the taste of Pepsi One make people like and trust Pepsi One.
Word of mouth, seeing the diamonds on a friend’s dog and the reaction of friends to the dog’s diamond collar make people like and trust Harry Winston dog collars.
The ‘how’ of marketing, not the ‘what’ is where so many disagree. Peter Drucker, John Jantsch and Jay Conrad Levinson have great insights into the ‘how’ of marketing.
Jeri Vespoli
27 Jul 09 at 6:05 am
@Jojo Siao. With respect, you have given what is far closer to a definition of market research than marketing. My personal definition of marketing is building long-lasting mutually profitable relationships. having done the research you have to take action!
On the practical side, in addition to Peter Drucker, John Jantsch and Jay Conrad Levinson, I recommend anything by Jay Abraham. (John Grant is very good, too, on branding and Green Marketing.) On understanding and selling to consumers anything by the late great Prince of Print, Gary Halbert is a MUST read, also ‘Scientific Advertising’ (easily available as a free e-book online, just Google it.
Chris Shallow
13 Aug 09 at 7:42 am
Seth Godin’s Permission Marketing, the 22 Immutable Laws Of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout [summary here: http://www.bizsum.com/articles/art_the-22-immutable-laws-of-marketing.php, and Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, also by Al Ries and Jack Trout are also well worth reading. I use them all on my marketing courses, too.
Chris Shallow
13 Aug 09 at 7:51 am