“Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals.”
        - American Marketing Association, 1985

The definition of marketing varies as vastly as the number of differing business models. Regardless of the chosen definition, marketing involves the following responsibilities:

1. Understanding customer needs
2. Designing and producing goods or services that match those needs
3. Developing and maintaining relationships with customers and suppliers

Since the overall goal of most businesses is to profitably meet and grow with customer needs, the expanded model for marketing permeates all aspects of a business. It assumes that the marketing effort will, and should, affect the operational policies and procedures for all organizational functions (see the Structure section).

The model also assumes that the organization begins by identifying and analyzing the customer segments that it will satisfy through its production and marketing activities.

In other words, the Customer Determines The Marketing Program >>>