Business Opportunities Weblog

Today’s Definition of Marketing. Has it Changed?

By on March 6, 2004 in Ideas

Home Based Business Opportunities reprinting an article by Bobette Kyle:

With the continued proliferation of the Internet, the meaning of the word “marketing” also proliferates. There seem to be as many definitions of marketing as there are marketers.

Many see marketing as a series of tactics or gimmicks. Some push pyramid programs [multi-level marketing (MLM) or network marketing] as the way to successful marketing.

Others may say the Web has made traditional marketing obsolete. I say the Internet has expanded our capabilities, created new ways of doing business, and radically changed business dynamics. It has not, however, changed the foundation of marketing.

Basic, traditional marketing is as relevant as ever. The Four P’s – product, price, place (distribution), and promotion – whether you tack on added P’s and C’s or not, are still very much alive. Strategic thinking, segmenting, and targeting can still earn you a competitive advantage.

The author, Bobette Kyle is author of the marketing plan and online promotions manual “How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Website Marketing”, . She draws upon 10+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, MBA, and online marketing research in her writing. Bobette is also publisher of the Web Site Marketing Plan Network

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Business Opportunities Weblog editor and publisher Dane Carlson lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, just 15 miles from Yosemite National Park. He accidentally became a professional blogger in 2001. He has added 12,203 posts to the site.

Another Idea: How to Start a Internet Marketing Business

  • http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/Arts/MktgChange.htm Bobette Kyle

    Hello Dane –

    I just ran across your post while doing a search. It looks like you’ve inadvertantly attributed it to Home Based Business Opportunities. It is republished on that site, but I am the author.

    My guidelines require that anytime my work is republished the resource box be included along with a link to my site. :-)

    Also, the article’s been expanded since that time. Here are details…

    Website Marketing Plan Network,

    About the Author Resource Box:

    Bobette Kyle is author of the marketing plan and online promotions manual “How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Website Marketing”, http://www.HowMuchForSpider.com . She draws upon 10+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, MBA, and online marketing research in her writing. Bobette is also publisher of the Web Site Marketing Plan Network, http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com .

    Regards,
    Bobette Kyle

  • http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/Arts/MktgChange.htm Bobette Kyle

    Thanks for the revision. :-)

    Bobette Kyle

  • Leo de Leon

    The Internet has certainly opened the doors to a new era. It looks as if traditional, formal education is becoming more obsolete.

    Most majors at any university or college will teach us to get high-paying jobs instead of being our own bosses.

    Robert Kiyosaki, in his book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” highly ridicules the industrial-revolution mentality “get an education so that you can get a high-paying job”. Truth be known, in today’s world, most educated people have jobs. Rich people have assets such as investments or businesses.

    I know lots of college students who still think that owning their own home is having an asset. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were taught that by their parents or teachers. By definition, an asset is something that will put money in your pocket. Unless it is an investment property, your house is a liability.

    Anyhow, what I’m really writing about is the above article. Marketing online is really three basic things.

    Michael Dell of Dell Computers mastered the direct-to-consumer business model, which made Dell the world’s premier computer maker and the first .com business to generate $1 million in volume.

    In a speech to the Detroit Economic Club in 1999, he said that in order to thrive in an e-commerce economy, a business must possess the Three “C”s.

    Content
    “…provide Compeling information” (products and services available to consumers online)

    Commerce
    “[customers should be able to do] all transactions, not just buying things over the Web” (software, hardware, and customer service to make ordering and tracking easier)

    Community
    “Build two-way relationships with customers over the Web” (customer loyalty)

    In other words, you must find a way to get people to come to your site, purchase your product, and then (most importantly) have them come back again and again. If you can rule the third “C”, you can rule the Internet.

    I am surprised that Bobette Kyle, an MBA with all that experience still refers to Network Marketing as a “pyramid program”. Network marketing is a huge industry and has generated tons of millionaires all over the world. It is not a pyramid program in any way. It is a Network program.

    Today there are many strong Network Marketing companies that run their marketing process entirely online. Some of them are extremely successful, all because they have mastered “the three C’s” that Michael Dell talked about.

    In my opinion, if you want to be successful as an online marketer, learn from the masters and invest some time studying the qualities and characteristics of those companies that are thriving. Network Marketing could be a great start for your learning journey. Even if you decided to go a different path later on, what you will learn in Network Marketing you will not be able to learn in formal education.

    Leo de Leon
    Marketing Consultant

  • http://www.websitemarketingplan.com Bobette Kyle

    quote from Leo de Leon…
    “I am surprised that Bobette … snip… refers to Network Marketing as a ‘pyramid program’. Network marketing is a huge industry and has generated tons of millionaires…”.

    Leo, you are correct. The above was a sloppy attempt to explain some misconceptions related to the overall definition of marketing. It wasn’t intended to discredit network marketing as a concept.

    I originally wrote the piece a couple of years back. Since then, it’s been updated. That particular part of the article now reads:

    “Many times, ill-conceived notions and perceptions reduce the meaning of the word ‘marketing’ to a shadow of it’s true self. Many see marketing as a series of tactics or gimmicks. Some define marketing as pyramid programs and the like.”

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