Introduction

Friends, Readers, Marketers … We are here to uncover the various layers of marketing as a subject through a product, in this case Pepsi. This is a marketing diary for our coursework at Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication, Pune.

What is marketing?

Marketing, to many, only signifies ‘Sales’, a myth which has existed and been carried on for ages. But the evolution of the marketing definition speaks another story of what it was perceived as in each era of time.

In 1935, the first formal AMA definition was developed in 1935. It has been periodically reviewed since then and was modified again 1985 and 2004. The three definitions are:

·         Marketing is the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services  from producers to consumers (1935)

·         Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives (1985)

·         Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders (2004)

From the above, we understand the various molds in time which finally lead to the organizational structure where marketing is a function of the organization. But on the crux, it ignores a key role played in marketing i.e. understanding the consumer that lies at the center.