What are some popular misconceptions about the marketing function of a company?
There are several misconceptions. One is that advertising is marketing, or that sales is marketing. Another misconception is that marketing begins after the product is developed. To really work, marketing has to be way upstream. Some mistakenly believe that marketing is less important or more important than the other functions of a company – engineering, sales, manufacturing, or operations. It really only works if it’s integral in all functions. The whole system has to be in sync for success. All people in all departments need to focus on customer needs. Markets are changing and needs are changing. The team concepts we see emerging in American business are strong ones. And to the extent that they bring people together to improve customer focus, companies will remain viable and become leaders.
