Reforming Marketing Practice (1)

In the competitive business world, Marketing has undergone various organizational modifications. In this direction, Marketing has developed from the traditional Transactional business approach to Customer-oriented approach in generating sound values for the customer and develop a sound and sustainable competitive advantage for the organization.

In reforming Marketing practice the American Marketing Association (2007)produced the following definition: "Marketing is 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".

This definition adopted a distinct Customer-oriented perspective and moved away from the former AMA (2004) definition : "Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders".

Marketing is thus regarded as an "activity" instead of a "function". Marketing "activity" is positioned as a broader perspective in a company/organization, and not just as a single functional department, providing long-term value rather than narrowly an exchange of money (short-term) for the benefit of the shareholder/organization.

This newer Marketing business approach reflects on the impact/role of talented people-marketers in best Marketing implementation practices. Most pragmatically, the role of human resources of an organization that adopts the new Marketing definition as its core business focus, becomes strategically imperative.