1.10 Marketing Philosophies

Through the years, several different marketing philosophies or orientations have emerged. One orientation is not necessarily better than another. If we look around the world at the wide variety of product categories and industries, we see that each orientation is being applied. They all can play a role in delivering a useful product at a price that a customer can afford.

Production Orientation

Build it and they will come. An orientation based on the belief that supply generates its own demand. Mass production, economies of scale, and uniform products and services are employed to lower costs and increase distribution. Henry Ford’s Model T automobile is a definitive example of production orientation. The car was quick to make using the world’s first assembly line, simple to drive, and inexpensive to repair. When introduced, the Model T cost $825. Within a decade, its price dropped to $360. At the height of its production, half of all automobiles in America were Model T’s. Incidentally, all Model T’s built on the assembly line were black because black paint dried faster than other colors. Hence, Henry Ford’s famous quip, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.”

Sales Orientation

Sell ice to the Eskimos. An orientation based on the belief that marketing’s only role is to sell products once they are made. Marketing doesn’t have input into what products are made, how they are made, or how they are priced. Marketing must find someone to buy and then aggressively sell. Door-to-door sales of Kirby vacuum cleaners, Cutco knives, pest control, home security systems, etc., are examples of a sales orientation. Business-to-business companies also often adopt a sales orientation. Any time we introduce and sell a product or service to a customer that either was not aware of it or not aware of their need for it, we are employing a sales orientation.

Market Orientation

Customer is king. An orientation based on the belief that every product or service should be focused on meeting customer needs from the outset. Marketing plays a key role in determining target customers, product features, pricing, distribution, customer research, and company-to-customer relationships. Amazon, Google, Apple, Nordstrom, Southwest Airlines, Papa John’s Pizza, and Toyota all top the list for market orientation. In their own way, each company continues to adapt and evolve in order to provide exactly what their customers are looking for.

Societal Orientation

Do well by doing good. An orientation based on the belief that every product or service should provide value to the customer as well as to society as a whole. This orientation encourages marketers to make a better world together with making a better product. Timberland Shoes and Outdoor Wear planting one million trees in Inner Mongolia, Newman’s Own Spaghetti Sauce donating all profits to charity, Endangered Species Chocolate sponsoring sustainability projects in Ecuador, and Tom's Shoes giving a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased are all examples of societal orientation.