Market the marketing in travel and hospitality industry [Archives:2000/24/Business & Economy]
By Shams Tabrez
Director Marketing
Co. United Travel
& Tourism, Sanaa
Why is marketing such a hot topic in today’s service industry?
Why is it expected to be the key management function?
What is the role of marketing in our travel and hospitality industry?
What is so magical and dynamic about this powerful subject?
All these and other questions come to one’s mind when one tries to understand the process of marketing. The best thing is to start by understanding the definition of marketing. Actually the definition of marketing is based on the six marketing fundamentals:
1- Satisfaction of customer’s needs and wants
The primary focus of marketing is on satisfying customer needs.
What are customer needs? (Gaps between what customers have and what they would like to have)
What are customer wants? (Needs of which customers are aware)
2-Continuous nature of marketing
Marketing is a continuous management activity, not a one time set of decisions.
3-Sequential steps in marketing
Good marketing is a process of following a number of sequential steps.
4-Key role of marketing research
Using marketing is a process of following a number of sequential steps.
5-Inter-dependence of hospitality and travel organizations
There are many opportunities for cooperation in marketing among organizations in our industry.
6-Organization-wide and multi-department efforts
Marketing is not the sole responsibility of one department. To work best, it takes the efforts of all departments or divisions.
When we combine these six marketing fundamentals, the following definition of marketing emerges for the travel & hospitality industry.
Marketing is a continuous, sequential process through which management in the hospitality and travel industry plan, research, implement, control, and evaluate activities designed to satisfy both customers needs and wants and their own organization’s objectives. To be most effective, marketing requires the efforts of everyone in an organization and marketing can be made more or less effective by the actions of complementary organizations. Before we proceed further, lets take a glance over the interesting historical background on the subject of marketing. There are differences between the way that marketing evolved in non-services industries and the way it developed in service industries: (organizations primarily involved in the provision of personal services).
Marketing eras
Among manufacturing and packaged-goods companies, marketing has evolved during four distinct “eras”:
1)Production
2)Sales
3)Marketing
4)Societal Marketing
The changes in management thinking about marketing developed during these four eras because of technological advances, productivity improvements, intensified competition, expanding market demand, increased management sophistication, changing societal values and other factors.
“Evolution of marketing” next week.
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