Peter Drucker is thought to be one of the earliest proponents of modern marketing. He suggested that the purpose of the company is to create a customer.
Drucker advocated that organisations should have a guiding philosophy that puts the customer as the focal point of the entire company.
Most companies today would accept that without customers to sell products, services, or ideas to, they would not exist. Yet over fifty years down the track, too few actually act on that concept
Theodore Levitt was one of the first to coin the phrase ‘the marketing concept’. He described it as a customer focus, co-ordinated marketing effort, and profitability. In the same article he argued that ‘market orientation’ could be the key to company success.
Levitt, argued that the marketing concept prescribes that “business success requires being customer oriented rather than-product oriented...”.
Philip Kotler added to these ideas when he discussed what he believed it took for an organisation to be market oriented. He suggested that market orientation includes: a consumer centric philosophy, an integrated marketing focused organisation, adequate market information, strategic orientation and operational efficiency.
To be market oriented means more than just focusing on customer satisfaction, although obviously customers are the main focal point of the company. It also means more than just having marketing personnel or a marketing department. Being market oriented is the responsibility of the entire organisation and will lead to good business practices such as operational efficiency.
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