Dilemma of the Marketing as a Profession

Introduction

This is an essay on the marketing. It consists of brief observation of the status and scope of field of marketing and what marketing field should do so as to remain relevant in the future.

Current status and scope of the marketing field

Gok and Hacioglu (2010) stated that for more than two decades forces such as globalisation, technology, competition and increasing complexity in customer demands have led to changes in marketing concepts and related activities. Furthermore, marketing activities have been diversified and are carried out by several companies in such a way that marketing has undergone is called ‘crisis of identity’; thus marketing field has to re-define its identity so to sustain its relevance. Crisis of identity has led to the query of validity of marketing since most of its activities are outsourced and many of its roles are dispersed throughout the organizations. This is interpreted as the death of the marketing field by narrow minds. However, this is not necessarily a death of the marketing field but a symbol of growth of the marketing function as most of its activities seem to be mainstreamed to the organizations. Moreover, it implies that there is application of marketing orientation and customer care in all organizations’ functions. Furthermore, outsourcing of marketing tasks implies that there is a growth of marketing field as a profession. However, there has been a lack of proof about the role of marketing field in business performance and its contribution in the society well being. This happens because many marketing managers use opinion rather than data in making managerial decisions. This calls for data based decision making among marketing managers.

In connection to the above point, marketing activities today are acting as routine job of communication and building stakeholders’ relationship. However, this is not what should be, since marketing field needs to be business discipline rather than communication discipline. This implies that marketing has to carter for business development role rather than product development and communication role.

Additionally, Reibstein et al (2009) argued that in the marketing field today there is a gap and silo between marketing academics and senior marketing and corporate officers. This means that there is division between main marketing stakeholders.  In connection to that, marketing academics seem not to have great impact on the practice of marketing field because they are busy in advancing theory and methods which do not deal with difficult problems facing corporations, business world and society at large. Some of the challenges  that marketing academics  is struggling to solve are such as unethical marketing practices, blurring value chains, lack of confidence in global financial system, energy conservation and increasing obesity just to mention a few. In addition to that, marketing academics has failed to influence the business world on the significance of networking between marketing academics and industry. Thus, in order to solve business challenges there should be collaboration between academic marketers and industry. This will help to bridge the silo and gulf between two sides and enable the development of marketing theories that can be used and experimented in responses to business challenges.

Moreover, there is a challenge of business education especially the MBA courses. They seem to lack relevance because of shallowness and narrowness in analytical, cognitive skills, lack of business experience and self centred careerism. Furthermore, marketing field seems to be replaced with Strategy field since Strategy field seems to take some elements of marketing in such a way that one can think it has replaced marketing field (Reibstein etal, 2009).

Furthermore, marketing field is currently in pathetic state due to short term focus. This has made the field to fail to solve long term challenges that encompasses business value creation system of all stakeholders involved in the value chain. Hence, marketing field seems to solve short term financial performance of businesses focusing only on customers instead of long term large challenges. As a result, marketing is struggling to improve the living standard of all people by creating value at all levels of society within socio economic system; for example social responsibility role is one of the issue that marketing field need to focus on; as it gives competitive advantage of the organizations by building confidence and reputation that can enable business organizations to secure licence to operate in the community where organizations are doing business. In addition to that, social responsibility engagement has to be the win win engagement where the business organisations gets profits as well as solving the fundamental problems and economic challenges facing the societies where they operate through sharing the ownership of the societal problems and vision of the solution  from the start rather than doing the philanthropic type of engagement such as building schools, healthcare provisions and housing as such kind of engagements can’t prevent societal uprising in the long run such as Marikana uprising and Mara uprising and killing of Barrick Gold mines in Tanzania. That is why in the midst of philanthropic corporate social responsibility done by marketing organisations, the societies are experiencing rampant poverty, discontentment and dissatisfaction expressed in terms of riots and strikes; the civil commotions that have resulted into deaths because of confrontations with police forces. Solution should be to address societal challenges through mutual understanding and agreement between business organizations and societies where businesses are operating in addressing the real problems facing the concerned communities (Webster & Lusch, 2012, Karp, 2003; Bowen etal, 2010, Porras & Collins, 1994). Thus, Financial times (2002) advised business leaders to serve the society in which their business organizations are operating, if they want to succeed in the long run.

Finally, marketing field scope is still narrow and focuses on making profit and expanding corporations’ sphere of influence through attracting more customers only. As a result of this mentality, it has been difficult to create abundant life to the society and to the world at large because of selfish profit motive of the firms at the expense of consumers. The consequences selfish profit motive of the firms is lack of ethics and responsibility of market organizations which results into a number of crises such as global financial crisis, environmental degradation and extreme poverty to the majority of world population rather than abundant life to all citizen consumers (Webster & Lusch, 2012; Karp, 2003). 

Steps and stance that Marketing field need to embark on so as to remain relevant

Reibstein et al, (2009) stated that the relevance of any field comes from its ability to solve community problems; in the same vein, marketing as a decision science accrue its relevance on how it solves pertinent challenges that face the world. Solution that marketing field need to address so as to remain relevant are such as rebuilding confidence in global financial system, encourage energy conservation and clean energy  plus innovating new best practices that  improve  business performance.

Gok and Hacioglu (2010), argued that in order to remain relevant as esteemed field to business and society, marketing need to manage and improve networks, relationships and skills of the actors in the industry such as marketing academics, marketing managers, corporation CEOs and  sales people just to mention a few. Moreover, the field has to seek new business opportunities. Seeking new business opportunities will make marketing more visible in its contribution to business success. Furthermore, marketing managers need to disseminate knowledge management to the company, create a return on investment; a culture that embraces every marketing initiative through data driven decision making as opposed to opinion decision making. In addition to that, marketing field need to develop strong management skills such as integration, organizing, negotiation and conflict management. Additionally, marketing managers need to acquire interpersonal skills such as analytical skills, knowledge dissemination skills and holistic vision that capture all aspects of the business process rather than departmental views. 

Reibstein et al (2009) argues that in order for marketing field to be relevant, it has to make a difference in solving business as well as societal problems. This can be done through collaborations between marketing academics and senior marketing and corporate officers. Collaboration can bring impact into the marketing practice and field in creating successful cases and findings that can help the marketing field to move forward. Additionally, marketing academics can use their researches into growth and development of the field. However, in order this practice to be viable marketing researchers should ask CEOs and marketing managers about critical marketing challenges that marketing field needs to address.

Similarly, marketing field needs to incorporate new economic, social, political, environment and dynamic characteristics into academics as well as providing solution through research relevance and rigour to pertinent challenges such as renewable energy, ecosystem biodiversity, climate change, obesity and pollution and ethics. This will prevent the field from being outdated (Varadarajan, 2003, Ketolla, 2010).

Finally, marketing field has to create value to customers and all the stakeholders in the value chain who are the consumers of the business organization offerings. This implies that, marketing field has to address broader concerns that affect the creation of flourishing and abundant life. Issues to be addressed are such as ethics, culture and innovation in and their impact to sales, advertisement and to the business organization performance at different market place contexts. For example, marketing field has to emphasize on ethics in all its operations because ethics addresses principles and standards that define acceptable conduct in the marketing field despite pressure to meet performance objectives or manipulation and deception to take advantage of the marketing situation so as to make profit.

Conclusion

Marketing like many other fields undertaken by organizations is facing the crisis of identity. Solution of this challenge is to redefine its identity in order to sustain its significance. The complexity comes from multiple factors and forces such as globalization, technology, competition and increasing complexity in customer demand just to mention a few. These factors are also a manifestation of the ever increasing interdependence between and among organizational functions.

In order for marketing as a field to retain its relevance, it has to solve pertinent challenges that face the world such as rebuilding confidence in global financial system, encourage energy conservation and clean energy plus innovating new best practices that improve business performance. Moreover marketing need to manage and improve networks, relationships and skills of all the actors in the industry such as marketing academics, marketing managers, corporation CEOs and  sales people just to mention a few; moreover the  field has to seek new business opportunities. Lastly, it has to make a difference in solving business as well as societal problems by creating value to customers and all the stakeholders in the value chain who are the consumers of the business organization offerings.

Reference

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Financial times (2002, November 18).Truants, nerds and supersonics, financial times, pp 7.

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Porras, J.I., & Collins J.C., (1994). Build to last-successful habit of visionary, New York. Harper Collins Publishers.

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Webster Jr F.E., & Lusch, R.F.,(2013).Elevating marketing: marketing is dead! Long live marketing! Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(4)1-11.