Abstract
Marketing has faced criticism that it does not only aim at satisfying the needs and wants of customers but it creates such needs. This paper explores literature available on the shifts in marketing process to evaluate the extent to which to which these changes have lead to the creation of customer needs and wants. The findings of the results show that marketing process may influence buyer’s decisions and in conclusion it does not really create needs and wants.
Introduction
Marketing process involves both social and managerial aspects, and touches on the fulfillment of individual or groups’ wants and needs though creation and trade of products or related values. The traditional view of marketing was largely transactional and focused on selling products but there have been shifts in marketing strategies that have seen the emergence of relationship marketing, customer and brand orientation that centers on relations with consumers. The shift in marketing strategies has lead to criticism that the marketing process not only fulfills but creates customer needs and wants, but in reality marketing strategies aims at customer satisfaction. The argument can be explored by looking into the changing marketing approach, their aims at achievements in the practical market.
Literature review
It has been said that the current big productive economy requires that people make consumption their way of life, convert they purchase and use of products into rituals and that consumption is driven by human desire for spiritual satisfaction and their ego satisfaction (Leonard, 2010). Marketers have been spending huge amount of money, in billions of dollars, in their effort to persuade and manipulate into buying more or adopt a consumer lifestyle. Marketers’ efforts are all about nudging consumers to choose their products while they are making purchase decisions (Beder & Boston, 1999). The idea that markets create human needs or wants can relate to the notion of consumerism.
Consumerism involves a belief that the well being of an individual and their happening depends largely on the extent to which they engage personal consumption, specifically on their buying of material goods. Basically, a consumerist society involves people devoting large amount resources, energy and time and even thoughts on consumption (Leonard, 2010). In such a case, marketers bombard people with advertising them that urge them to purchase things, with the advertisements promoting some particular products and promise them that they will be happy (Beder & Boston, 1999). In the current times, mass marketing appears to consume people’s daily life especially with increasing use of banners, emails, social media and even the mobile phones. The mass marketing begins with the need of a firm to reach out to a big audience, sell their products and serve the customers better. The intrinsic motivation of the firms is, however, to achieve improved quantity in sales and this informs the many marketing campaigns adopted by a firm (Beder & Boston, 1999). The marketing efforts such as advertisements are inwardly aimed at serving the interests of the firms’ owners are sponsors.
The major shift in marketing can be related to relationship marketing, marketing orientation and branding. The emergence of relationship marketing can be related to opposing views to conventional marketing theories that have been in use since 1990s (Hui, 2006). There have been rapid changes in business and economic environment which forced firms to implement in relational strategies of marking industries such as banking. In relational banking the firms aimed at the attraction, retention and enhancement of relations with the firms’ clients. Even though this approach has not previously been termed as paradigm shift, the traditional approach adopted in the marketing of services had greatly been challenged because it did not adapt to the changing service industry operating environment (Hui, 2006).
Some researchers emphasized the need to have a relationship that is long-term and interactive between sellers and buyers in the industrial and services marketing. This involved moving away from the traditional marketing approach that failed to identify the relationship buyer and sellers and the opportunity it provides for the seller to serve the customer. This involves making the customer a co-producer during the exchange process (Hui, 2006). The marketing filed has seen increased cases of business partnerships in form of joint ventures, strategic alliances and even cross-shareholding among various firms (Hui, 2006). When there are not clarifications about which business is a purchaser, seller or opponent, there results an internal marketing that entail strategies aimed at addressing the need. In the relationship marketing approach, the marketing function in collaboration with other functions work towards the attainment of a common goal – serving the needs of a customer (Hui, 2006). The marking professionals are attuned to achieve the major purpose that has been set by a firm. The quality of this relationship has great effect on the achievement of long-run business relationship with clients.
The basis of relationship marketing as paradigm shift argument can be found in the highlighted differences between relationship and transactional marketing. The relational marketing has a sustained relationship with customers but the transactional approach was considered short term and only short-term in nature (Frambach, Fiss & Ingenbleek, 2016). The focus of relational marketing is the customer and which attends to their fulfillment and sustained improved interaction with him. However, the relational marketing is dependent on the marketing gimmicks and its focus is single transaction, it does not consider customer interactions’ quality and is thus oriented towards market share (Frambach, Fiss & Ingenbleek, 2016). The big, bureaucratic organizations were being replaced slowly by strategic partnerships or networks which provided a new kind of exchange process that needs building ling-term relationship. The new paradigm placed emphasis on retention of customers, high value interaction, connection with the management and structure of a firm and competition based on collaboration. The new focus of the strategy has been what customer perceives to be quality and then products that align to their perceptions (Urde, Baumgarth & Merrilees, 2013). The relationship is therefore, a communication process that is appropriately planned and whose outcomes relate to value process of the customer.
The new shift in marketing approach involved a focus on product uniqueness, taking advantage of the new technology and then value proposition of the various offers so as to retain customers. As a defensive marketing strategy, marketers have to be relentless in being ahead of competitors so as to maintain buyers’ loyalty (Urde, Baumgarth & Merrilees, 2013). In case the social contact with the consumer can make him to be less responsive to price, the seller has better economic gain during the business deal. This is at the expense of a buyer. During the selling exchange, it is impractical for customers to be willing to forego their financial value just because of a relationship (Hui, 2006).
Marketing orientation is an approach that involves understanding the needs of customers and creating a marketing mix that can fulfill them. The one-to-one marketing has come with an increasing tide of power among customers, and this has led to suggestion of the need for marketers to focus on such a personalized approach in their efforts. The conventional marketing has mainly emphasized on gaining customers, but there have been a shift whereby the marketing process is more bragging about products and less focus on creation of value. The entrance of internet and social media due to increased access to mobiles leaves more power in the hands of present consumers. The influence is not longer found with glossy marketing efforts or materials or sliver-tongued marketer, such that consumers have to be marketed in a manner that they appreciate (Buttenberg, 2017). The major reason for carrying out market research is to obtain information on customer needs and wants, and firms use this information to make products that can satisfy those needs. The idea of customer orientation involves a unique mindset of an organization. It acts as a behavior or tool whose focus on satisfaction of the dynamic needs of individual customers and which is aimed at improving corporate performance (Urde, Baumgarth & Merrilees, 2013). The performance metric for this strategy normally involve the satisfaction, loyalty and retention of customers. It may involve a company’s marketing idea that relates to actual wants and needs of each customer.
Customer orientation also relates to brand orientation which is a new strategy in branding whose focus is on brands as strategic hubs or resources. It involves the organizational process revolving around the creation and defense of a given brand identity in long-term relations with the target customers, and it aims at gaining sustained competitive advantage as a brand (Buttenberg, 2017). The strategic brand’s aim is not only to have a competitive brand but to satisfy the needs and wants of the customer. Customer orientation and brand orientation are therefore link by the fact that they aim at satisfying the needs and wants of customers through fulfillment of their needs (Buttenberg, 2017). Marketing efforts that are customer-oriented focus on the products’ perception and how they are satisfying the needs of customers. The customer behavior theory is the basis of this strategy. It relates to capabilities of marketers while they are managing customer relationship and their responsiveness towards the marketing efforts.
Some arguments have been put forth to support the notion that marketing relationship , customer and brand orientation are new strategies that not only satisfy the present needs and wants of customers but creates some needs. In this case, marketing efforts such as advertising are viewed in light of business psychology that involves presenting a message to the customer (Bosveld, 2008). In this sense, language is not only aimed at fulfillment but the creation of customer needs and specifically beyond wants. The argument in this case is that if one has a valuable product, there is no guilt in creation of its need. This involves making the customer have the product at the expense of his money (Bosveld, 2008). For instance, a market would make a customer at a restaurant to have the need to read an informative book he is selling and make the customer buy it. The opposing view is that this has been a misconception, and that marketing has wrongly been considered to be trickery in people’s minds, outright lies and that it is all about persuading customers to buy products or services that they do not need (Blythe, 2013). This criticism is viewed as being unfair since marketing process involves creation of value but not needs and retention of customers. The argument is that ideally, customers will return and purchase a product again and again, and this would not occur if the buyer did not experience a fair treatment to begin with. In fact, research shows that it is easier to maintain a customer than to recruit or attract a new one. The role of the market is to interface between a firm and the customers in the market (Blythe, 2013).
However, marketing efforts have been associated with impulse buying customers. While it has been related to needs that are not reflected by consumer in their purchase decisions, impulse buying has been seen as purchases that are not planned for since it was not in the customer’s buying list (Verhagen & van Dolen, 2011). The decision to purchase a product is reached at immediately upon seeing it displayed. An individual making the buying decision suddenly experiences an urge to buy it. The decision can be viewed from a social psychology perspective in that it is associated with the self-concept of the consumer. Impulse buying regardless of the marketing efforts is related to products that enhance the self-image of the buyer or that would enhance his self-presentation (Verhagen & van Dolen, 2011). In this case, the marketer does not influence the decision to buy.
Findings of the research
The research shows that market is a place that has sellers, actual buyers and potential buyers of a given product or service. Marketing involves either a transactional or social approach of presenting products to individuals who want or needs it. The conventional approach to marketing was largely transactional but changes in marketing strategy have lead to adoption of relationship marketing, customer orientation and brand orientation which focuses on interaction with customers. The relationships developed during marketing, developing customer-oriented and brand-oriented strategies are aimed attracting and retention of customers through quality products and services that fulfills their needs but not to create those needs. Even argument that have tied marketing process to trickery or gimmicks aimed at making customers buy what they do not need or want fail to recognize that such may have existed , only that they are not in consumer’s buying list. Even in the case of impulse buying, the customer buys with an aim of improving self –image or self-presentation which is a social need existing within. In this case the new shifts in marketing, where strategies are focused on improved relationship with customers do not create needs or wants but look for ways of fulfilling them in the long-term. The issue of customer relationship in marketing comes out as very important aspect in management. With dynamic customer needs and wants, maintain a relationship with customers can help in improving marketing process, increasing sales and profitability in an organization.
Recommendations
For further understanding on the impact of marketing process on customer needs and decision making, there is a need to explore customer orientation and brand orientation are linked. The research could extend to how the link affects the performance of organization in terms of market share and revenue. Another area of more research is how change management can helps in dealing with dynamic customer needs and wants.
Conclusions
The shift in marketing strategies has lead to criticism that the marketing process not only fulfills but creates customer needs and wants, but practically marketing strategies aims at customer satisfaction and rarely create such needs. While marketing relationship may influence the buying decision of the consumer, it can only awaken the hidden needs but not create them.
References
Leonard, A. (2010). The story of stuff: How our obsession with stuff is trashing the planet, our communities, and our health-and a vision for change. Simon and Schuster. 160
Norris, T. (2011). Consuming schools: Commercialism and the end of politics. University of Toronto Press. 108-144
Beder, S., & Boston, T. (1999). Global spin: The corporate assault on environmentalism. Alternatives Journal, 25(4), 42.
Hui, K. C. (2006). Relationship marketing: Is it a paradigm shift.
Urde, M., Baumgarth, C., & Merrilees, B. (2013). Brand orientation and market orientation—From alternatives to synergy. Journal of Business Research, 66(1), 13-20.
Frambach, R. T., Fiss, P. C., & Ingenbleek, P. T. (2016). How important is customer orientation for firm performance? A fuzzy set analysis of orientations, strategies, and environments. Journal of Business Research, 69(4), 1428-1436.
Buttenberg, K. (2017). Development of Customer-Orientation, Brand-Orientation and Business Performance within the First Ten Years of the Firm. Transnational Marketing Journal, 5(1), 3-24.
Blythe, J. (2013). Principles and Practice of Marketing. 3-5
Bosveld, C., (2008). Chapbook on the Makeing of a Chapbook Jennifer. Pudding House Publications.12
Verhagen, T., & van Dolen, W. (2011). The influence of online store beliefs on consumer online impulse buying: A model and empirical application. Information & Management, 48(8), 320-327.
