The marketing Chief and the Chief Executive

PART I

MARKETING IS NOT the devious art of separating the unwary consumer form his loose change. While it encompasses many commercial arts- selling, pricing, product policy, merchandising, promotion, advertising- marketing is these things and lots more.

Marketing is concerned with all the exhilarating big things and all the troublesome little things that must be done in every nook and cranny of the entire organization in order to achieve the corporate purpose of attracting and holding costumers. This means that marketing is not just a business function. It is a consolidating view of the entire business process.

Obviously, then, marketing is not just for marketing specialists. Marketing is also for presidents- which is what all other corporate departments also say so urgently about themselves. The lieutenants of each department constantly tell the president that his direct personal support is immediately needed lest the enterprise suffer irreparable harm. Every department calls for the chief's undeviating and sympathetic attention- production, finance, personnel, community relations, labor relation, R & D. If the poor man responded fully to everybody, he would scarcely have time to be president.

Though marketing is for the president, few things in marketing actually need his attention. Those which do can have a power full impact on the life and earnings of his company. Unless the chief executive is thoroughly ex per-fenced in the subject, the things in marketing that require his direct attention can pose treacherous problems. Because marketing deals so inescapably with intangibles and with data that are simultaneously incomplete, unreliable, and not usually very relevant, marketing is not an art easily masters in mid-life, like finance.

One thing that distinguishes marketing from other corporate functions is its unique operating environment. Instead of performing mainly against standards-as for example, manufacturing does- it performs mainly against competitors. Manufacturing has cost ad operating standards. It has a lot of control over its environment- production processes, machines, and employees. These are organized and manipulated under one corporate roof to produce maximum efficiencies. In contrast, marketing is all over the map : it has very little comparable control very its environment.

Both manufacturing and marketing must roll with the punches, except that marketing gets punched more often and more unexpectedly. It is in more continuous and direct contact with the enemy. Outside conditions constantly impose new and unexpected demands. Because of that, marketing's main thrust is less with efficiency than with magnitude. It is less immediately interested in how well (to continue the metaphor) it conserves its fighting strength than in how often or by what margin it wins the fight, no matter with what absence of style or grace.


to be continued