“Marketing is communicating the value of a product, service or brand to customers, for the purpose
of promoting or selling that product, service, or brand. Marketing techniques include choosing target
markets through market analysis and market segmentation, as well as understanding consumer
behavior and advertising a product’s value to the customer.”
A simple definition for marketing is that it is the creation and satisfaction of demand for your
product or service. If all goes well, this demand should translate into sales and, ultimately, revenue.
In 2012, Dr Philip Kotler defined marketing as “the science and art of exploring, creating, and
delivering value to satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit. Marketing identifies unfulfilled
needs and desires. It defines, measures and quantifies the size of the identified market and the profit
potential” (Kotler, 2012). In order to motivate people to pay for your product or service, or to
consider your organisation superior to your competitors, you need to create meaningful benefits and
value for the consumer. The value that a marketer should seek to create should be equal to or even
greater than the cost of the product to the consumer. Doing this often and consistently enough will
grow trust in and loyalty towards the brand.
Before we can delve into digital marketing, it’s important to understand the fundamentals that
underpin marketing itself. After all, digital marketing has the same purpose, intentions and
objectives. Dr Philip Kotler defines marketing as follows, “Marketing is that function of the
organization that can keep in constant touch with the organisation’s consumers, read their needs,
develop products that meet these needs, and build a programme of communications to express the
organization’s purposes”. (Kotler and Levy, 1969: p 15).
