Marketing management

Marketing orientation
Marketing orientation is a business model that focuses on delivering products designed according to
customer desires, needs, and requirements, in addition to product functionality and production
efficiency (i.e., production orientation). As stated by Bernard J. Jaworski and Ajay K. Kohli in the
"Journal of Marketing", marketing orientation is the, "The organization-wide generation of market
intelligence pertaining to current and future customer needs, dissemination of the intelligence across
departments and organization wide responsiveness to it. "
Source: Boundless. Marketing Orientation. Boundless Marketing. Boundless, 21 Jul. 2015. Retrieved
15 Feb. 2016 from https://www.boundless.com/marketing/textbooks/boundless-marketingtextbook/introduction-to-marketing-1/evolution-of-the-marketing-orientation-19/marketing-orientation118-6857/
Beginning in the 1970s, Harvard Professor Theodore Levitt and other academics argued that the
sales orientation model was ill-equipped to deliver products tailored to customer wants and needs.
Instead of manufacturing products for the sole purpose of generating profit, they argued for
businesses to shift their strategy toward developing products based on customers' desires, insights,
and opinions. Using this customer intelligence, companies could produce products that supported
their overall business strategy, competed effectively in an increasingly global and competitive market,
and delivered solutions for current and future customer needs.
With the widespread adoption of Internet technology, e-commerce, and social media technologies,
the customer has clearly become the driving force behind contemporary business strategies.
Marketing-oriented companies revolve around internal business processes that gather, synthesize,
and package market intelligence into integrated marketing communications programs
(i.e., advertising campaign, new product launch, promotional offer, etc.). Furthermore, it involves a
brand planning its marketing activities around a singular concept -- the customer -- and supplying
products to suit diverse tastes.
Competitive analysis is also a significant component of market orientation. Generally, companies
gather this information using market research, consumer surveys, and focus groups with
prospective customers to identify needs, preferences, as well as competitor strengths and
weaknesses. Since its introduction, marketing orientation has been reformulated and repackaged
under numerous names including customer orientation, marketing philosophy, and customer intimacy.

Source: Boundless. Marketing Orientation. Boundless Marketing. Boundless, 21 Jul. 2015. Retrieved
15 Feb. 2016 from https://www.boundless.com/marketing/textbooks/boundless-marketingtextbook/introduction-to-marketing-1/evolution-of-the-marketing-orientation-19/marketing-orientation118-6857/
Marketing Orientation Components
Components which define a marketing orientated organization include:
1.

Customer orientation

2.

Competition orientation

3.

Interfunctional coordination
As stated, the most important focus in a market-orientated business is the customer. Similar to a
production-oriented company, one of the primary goals of marketing-oriented or customer-oriented
businesses is long-term profitability. Nevertheless, organizations that follow a marketing orientation
model realize that delivering superior customer value through product innovation, as well as
products and services tailored to customer needs, directly correlates with generating revenue.

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