You keep reading so much about marketing but have you ever wondered when did marketing start. People have been trading goods for ages, but many people may not know about the different marketing stages and how marketing evolved. You can find out more about these stages at “The six main stages in Marketing’s History.“
Let us understand more about Marketing by finding out – What Are the Stages of Marketing?
1. Production and Product Orientation Stage
It was the mass production era when the birth of marketing took place. In the early 20th century, production orientation concentrated on increasing production and reducing cost. Similarly, Product orientation focussed on excellent product quality. The birth of marketing speeded up both these orientations.
2. The Sales Orientation Stage
It started in 1920 with a salesman pitch. The idea was to sell what you had already produced at any cost. The salesman was supposed to talk the consumer into buying the product irrespective of their needs. The marketing was at a nascent stage then, and sales orientation was too narrow a concept for Marketing.
3. The Marketing Orientation Stage
From 1950 onwards, the Marketing orientation stage prompted the customers to buy what they needed. As you know, Marketing strives to identify the needs of customers and then creates the products to satisfy those needs. Unlike sales orientation, marketing orientation focussed on the customers’ real needs.
4. The Relationship Marketing Orientation Stage
From 1990 onwards, the focus shifted to develop a relationship with the customer. It was a step further from the marketing stage. One could identify the customer needs better by having a healthy relationship between the company and the customer.
5. The Societal Marketing Orientation Stage
It referred to the social responsibility of marketing. Earlier, companies had a narrow focus on profit-making, sometimes at the cost of the environment. The societal concept ensured the responsible face of marketing in the last 20 years.
6. The Digitial Marketing Stage
We are living in this stage today with advancements in technology. The Internet has facilitated marketing to target and reach markets in unthinkable ways helping even smaller companies to rise faster. It has opened up new forms of marketing.
Conclusion
Since the birth of marketing to Internet-based marketing, marketing has evolved in every stage. The core principles of marketing remain the same – “Identify and satisfy customer needs.”
Every Marketing Stage has added some value in terms of the importance of relationships, our responsibility towards society, and finally, digital marketing for everyone, small and big.