Up till now, whether in Singapore or here in China, I often come across the question - what’s marketing? Or what’s the difference between sales and marketing? Isn’t it the same? In an attempt to translate the word “Marketing” into Chinese, I have a long list of different terms that contribute further to the confusion! Interestingly, from my personal experience and observation here, the mis-interpretation of marketing goes in different stages: 1) it is sales- just another fancy name for sales; 2) it is sales support- producing materials to support sales sell better; 3) it is advertising - this is especially true for FMCG companies; 4) it is market research - information center of the company; 5) it is planning - scheduling and executing all the activities of the year; 6) it is business development - in charge of expanding the business; 7) it is PR - voice of the company and to attend to media.

So, what’s marketing? It is surprising that the term “marketing” can be confusing as the world does not lack good definition of marketing, from marketing gurus to professors to practicians. In my narrow practice of marketing, I would like to view marketing as “Concentrating the company’s Capabilities on Consistently Channeling & serving targeted Customers’ needs & wants against Competitive forces.” Concentrate- strategically map the market out and prioritize. Capabilities - resources and core competences suitably matching the key success factors for the industry. Consistently- build and enhance the brand and image through constant desired customer experiences. Channeling and serving - reaching and totally satisfying the customers at all different customer touch points. Customers’ needs and wants - requirements and aspirations of all stakeholders involved in the influencing and decision making process. Competitive - everything should be done in relative to the key players and upcoming players in the industry. I believe that marketing should be the integration of everything from formulating customer centric strategy to value driven planning and most importantly, carefully and diligently implementing strategy. Winston Nyo General Manager, Village Earth Pte Ltd