{"id":14010,"date":"2021-04-26T11:00:47","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T09:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/?p=14010"},"modified":"2026-01-27T16:36:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T15:36:54","slug":"what-is-marketing-all-about-and-why-is-it-useful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diariodiunconsulente.it\/en\/2021\/04\/26\/what-is-marketing-all-about-and-why-is-it-useful\/","title":{"rendered":"What is marketing all about and why is it useful?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bestby Alberto Aleo<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

In the Italian companies which belong to the SME<\/strong> sector and operate in B2B <\/strong>markets, the difference between marketing, communication<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and sales <\/strong>is often far from clear. In fact, what is really unclear concerns especially the operational scopes<\/strong> of the\u00a0marketing<\/strong> area and the relationship with the other company departments. The marketing area, when the company has one, often includes just a few people and serves as the \u201corganizational office\u201d of the sales department<\/strong>, with some special assignments to create pricelists and catalogues and to develop web\/social <\/strong>activities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore what is, or should be, the role of the\u00a0marketing<\/strong>\u00a0area in a small or medium-sized business?<\/span><\/p>\n

An all-Italian anomaly<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before looking into marketing and into the important contribution it can make<\/strong> even in a small business, it is important to understand why this discipline is still little known and barely explored in our country. Let\u2019s face it, in Italy there is a dichotomy between marketing<\/strong>\u00a0and sales<\/strong>, which are often seen as opposed factors involved in a real conflict of interest<\/strong>. In North America<\/span>, instead, (where\u00a0marketing<\/strong>\u00a0and management<\/strong> were more or less invented), talking about sales without talking about\u00a0marketing<\/strong>\u00a0would make no sense<\/span>. This is because they are two sides of the same coin, bound together by a common objective: increasing turnover<\/strong>, finding new clients, building customers\u2019 loyalty<\/strong>, developing arguments that can convince them and strengthening the company\u2019s reputation<\/strong>, just to name a few! Overseas marketing<\/strong>\u00a0departments can count on the distribution network and on the sales team as their \u201coperational arms\u201d: there is no break in continuity between the two. The tools employed might vary, but the objectives and the main parameters used to measure the results are the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Marketing and change<\/span><\/h2>\n

The role of marketing<\/strong> is changing rapidly and radically worldwide, because the dynamics of the relationship with the market and with the customers<\/strong> are changing. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

With the advent of the Internet, the proliferation of customer-business<\/strong> interfaces <\/strong>has led all business sectors to \u201copen up\u201d to the relationship with the customers<\/strong>, becoming transparent<\/strong> and receptive<\/strong> towards their curiosities, requests for information and to market needs <\/strong>in general.<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Moreover, operating in B2B <\/strong>markets presents some peculiarities which have changed and specialized the role of the\u00a0marketing <\/strong>area: just think that our products\/services are often part of a supply system<\/strong> which is \u201cpackaged\u201d by another company, and therefore enter the market indirectly. Customers are not (only) the end users<\/strong>; they are intermediate actors<\/span> with different purchasing dynamics that must be investigated and examined with specific tools<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Photo Adobe Stock<\/span><\/p>\n

Marketing within the company<\/span><\/h2>\n

The role of\u00a0marketing<\/strong>\u00a0is becoming more and more \u201ccross-cutting\u201d with respect to the various corporate functions<\/span>. If we want to identify\u00a0Brand Value<\/em><\/strong>, Consumer<\/em>\u00a0Experience <\/em><\/strong><\/a>and\u00a0Relationship with the Customer<\/em> <\/strong><\/a>as the three macro-areas which \u00a0define the role and the positioning<\/strong> of a company in its reference market, we can certainly say that all the company departments contribute to their \u201ccreation\u201d – each one with different actions and at different times: from the production department to the design, administration or support sectors. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

In order to ensure consistency, style and effectiveness to the three pillars of the supply system <\/strong>\u2013 i.e. brand, experience and interaction \u2013 someone must take on the role of the orchestra<\/strong> director<\/strong> or \u2013 if you like \u2013 of the guardian of corporate values, interfacing with and supporting all the levels involved.<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

This is the role of the marketing area<\/span>, which requires a series of skills or abilities such as adaptability<\/strong>, quickness<\/strong>, conflict <\/strong>management, ability to concentrate various competences<\/strong>,\u00a0coordinate<\/strong>\u00a0and solve problems\u2026 It\u2019s not easy, but it\u2019s very stimulating.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2013 \u2013 \u2013
\nOnly by accurately cross-referencing data from the market, customer profiling, internal performances and sector researches, can we dedicate ourselves to this important activity with skill and efficacy. <\/em>
\n<\/strong>\u2013 \u2013 \u2013<\/h3>\n

This may well explain the love\/hate reationship that we Italians have with marketing<\/strong>: we like to act instinctively more than on the basis of data and numbers, because we are convinced that otherwise we would have to sacrifice our spontaneity and creativity. However, trust us: innovation <\/strong>comes also from being able to look carefully – and in a new way – at our surroundings<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

| partem claram semper aspice |<\/span><\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The word marketing has entered the common usage of business language. But what is marketing for and what does it do in practice? 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Marketing<\/strong> is a strategic activity fully included in the company management<\/strong><\/span>, which deals with such issues as the definition of the objectives<\/strong> of communication, the set up of the tools used by the sales department <\/strong>(e.g. promotions<\/a>), the positioning<\/strong> of the offer and the after-sales policies<\/strong>. All these decisions must be made on the basis of reliable data<\/strong><\/a>. As well as being a creative activity, marketing <\/strong>is a discipline that has its roots in statistics<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n