Introduction Into Marketing

Marketing is by definition, “the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably. It is recommended within a company that every member is aware and partly responsible for the marketing strategy. Adopting the Marketing Concept or being Market Orientated is not the only option into which a company can progress down. The other three areas are, 1. Sales Orientated – where by the main focus of the company is selling whatever the product is and through every avenue that is available to them. 2. Product Orientated – where the focus is on what is made or supplied by the company and 3. Production Orientated – where the focus is the making of affordable products and increasing efficiency in the production process.
There are three key characteristics within the Marketing Concept that should be adopted by any company wanting to be successful. These are: meeting the needs and wants of the customer; long term planning to meet business goals and objectives; and creating a holistic marketing environment within the business.
Alongside the characteristics of the marketing concept, the company must also take account of the environmental factors that will influence its continuing success. These environmental factors can be split into two inter-related elements, called Micro and Macro Environmental Factors. Micro factors are internal to the company and include suppliers of materials, good or deliveries, and customer and competitors. Macro factors encompass all forces and agencies external to the company itself. These will include the demographic, economic, political and cultural environments.
Taking a look at the Britvic Company, it can be seen that there are a number of micro environmental factors that have influenced its growth over the years. One of the most important was when Ralph Chapman, owner of the British Vitamin Products Company (better known as Britvic Soft Drinks), recognised that the effects of the Great