Stages of Marketing Evolution
In a rapidly changing and evolving world, marketing is considered a vital and crucial aspect of the success of any organization or business. Marketing has witnessed tremendous development throughout the ages, with the changing technology and evolving needs and expectations of customers.
Understanding the stages of marketing evolution is important to know how marketing strategies have evolved and how to adapt them to the continuous changes in the business environment, especially as advancements in science and technology have changed the way people live, work, buy, and sell.
Reasons for Marketing Evolution
There are several reasons for Marketing Evolution, and among these are:
Technology: The advancement of new technology and the emergence of advanced marketing tools and platforms, such as social media, data analytics, digital marketing, and e-commerce, have helped in better reaching the target audience. In addition, effective communication channels also aid in improving ad targeting and analyzing results.
Changes in consumer behavior: Consumer behavior and needs change over time. They become more aware, their demands increase, and they seek innovative products and services. This pushes marketers to adapt to these changes and provide added value to customers, at the same time exceeding their expectations with exceptional experiences.
Competition: Competition is increasing in all industries, forcing marketers to innovate and continuously improve. They strive to develop unique and innovative strategies so they can promote their products and services, aiming to gain a competitive advantage in the market.
Globalization: Developments in transportation and communication make the world more connected and integrated. It becomes easier for marketers to access new markets and communicate with diverse audiences through the Internet and global commerce.
Stages of Marketing Evolution
Marketing has gone through several stages over time, and these stages are:
Production Orientation era
This stage relied on producing large quantities of goods and services to meet the increasing demand for them. The demand exceeded the quantity of products available significantly. Therefore, companies focus on increasing production as it leads to cost reduction. The prevailing approach at this stage was to improve production and distribution and provide products at affordable prices for everyone, which is what customers were seeking.
Product Orientation era
In this stage, companies shifted their focus from production to the product itself and its quality. The prevailing idea was that customers preferred high-quality products with good performance and additional features. Companies adopted the belief that if the product is good, it can market itself without the need for promotional efforts.
Sales Orientation era
In this stage, customers had multiple options, and competition among companies increased. Therefore, companies turned their attention to product promotion. Advertising witnessed significant growth during this stage, and marketers believed that innovation in advertisements and creativity in the sales approach was the solutions to persuade consumers to purchase the product.
Marketing Orientation era
In the early stages of marketing, the main focus was on the production process and providing products to the market at competitive prices. However, as the availability of products increased and market competition intensified, this approach became insufficient to meet the customers’ requirements and expectations.
The marketing orientation evolved, and companies shifted their focus to customers and their needs. Marketers finally began to understand the market and customer expectations, building effective marketing strategies targeting those needs.
Relationship Marketing orientation era
This stage aims to build strong and sustainable relationships with customers. It involves identifying potential customers, attracting them, also building strong relationships with them by providing a positive experience and high-value products. This leads them to become loyal customers through superior service and meeting customer expectations.
Success in this stage requires managing existing customer relationships and continuous communication. Companies strive to build a loyal customer base and achieve ongoing market success by investing in strong and sustainable relationships with customers.
The societal marketing era
The societal marketing era is an important part of modern marketing evolution. This stage focuses on building social relationships and interactions between customers and companies, promoting social communication, encouraging interactions, and fostering community engagement.
Social marketing utilizes the power of social influence to achieve its objectives, whether they are educational, ethical, environmental, or social. The social marketing orientation is an effective tool for building the company’s reputation and enhancing the relationship between customers and the surrounding community.
The digital marketing era
The emergence of the digital marketing era is due to the world’s reliance on technology and the internet. This stage focuses on utilizing digital technology and electronic communication channels to promote and market the services offered by companies.
It involves targeted customer segmentation and the use of data to understand their interests, achieved through search engines, email marketing, and social media.
This stage is an important modern tool to reach a wide audience and achieve success in the digital market.
Marketing evolution undoubtedly reflects major changes in tech and customer needs, moving from traditional methods to digital strategies and a focus on customer experience.
In this competitive and ever-changing world, Marketers must continuously learn, communicate with customers, and use technology to achieve goals in today’s competitive world.
By: Ashrakat Tarik
