Scope of marketing includes two things. One, areas of applicability of marketing and the other, things to be marketed. First, marketing is a wide term and now there are many offshoots of it which include Consumer Marketing (exchange Processes), Industrial Marketing (studying earlier stages of supply chain), Services Marketing (intangible products), Not for Profit Marketing (charities, NGOs, schools, etc), Small Business Marketing, International Marketing, Rural Marketing, etc.
In fact everyone has to sell one or the other idea in his day-today life and thus everyone is a marketing-person. Marketing is thus all pervasive. Every organisation,- whether for profit or not for profit, needs to opt marketing to satisfy its target customers or beneficiaries. And second, marketing does not mean only marketing of products or services, but includes many things. These are:
Ideas:
Consultants sell ideas, most of the Government and Non Government Organisations sell ideas only. Even the manufacturers, when offering a product or service, market basic ideas. The CEO of Revlon once rightly remarked “In the factory we make cosmetics; in the store we sell hope.”
Image Source: engaginglifeandleadership.com
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Most of the NGOs promote ideas. Delhi Police markets the idea ‘Lane driving is sane driving’. Consumer Affairs Ministry ad says ‘Grahak jago’. Ads of National Aids Control Society create awareness about HIV/AIDS. Tata Beverages’ ad is not only for tea, but about voters’ awareness of their rights. Idea marketing may lead to cause-marketing.
People or Persons:
Person marketing involves efforts to cultivate the attention, interest, and performance of a target market toward a celebrity or authority figure. Political candidates engage in person marketing. In the recent auto exhibition Amitabh Bachchan, John Abraham, Kareena Kapoor, Mallika sehrawat and others have been seen standing along with new models of cars.
Shahrukh Khan endorses Hyundai Centro car, Aamir Khan endorses Samsung Phones, Ravi Kishan endorses Dabar Chyavanprash, and so on and so forth. Celebrities help not only companies, but also the professionals. Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Jagjit Singh (late),
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Salman Khan and Abhishek Bachchan et al are brands in themselves. Most of the political parties market persons only, though philosophy too is marketed by them.
Organisations:
Organisations market themselves to create image. Kotak Mahindra Bank’s full page ad on Diwali is a proof of marketing itself. Cry, Helpage India, World Wildlife Fund, Universities, Delhi Public School, and DAV Schools are all trying to market themselves and are brands in themselves.
Places:
Cities States Regions and Countries publicise their tourist attractions to lure vacation trawlers. Incredible India (Atulya Bharat), the God’s own country (Kerala), Sethon ki Jagah (Shekhawati), and eternal Jaisalmer are examples of marketing India, state, region, and city.
Malaysia is marketing itself. Many other organizations market on the basis of place. Bank branches, reality developers, et al market themselves on the basis of place. Place is equally important for commodities – Darjeeling tea, Kashmir’s apples, Sambhar’s phini, Bengalure, the silicon valley of India, Jaipur-the pink city of India, Udaipur-the city of lakes – to market on the basis of place.
Properties:
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Marketing of properties is a reality. Global subprime crisis was caused by property. Many tour-operators market places on the basis of properties. Places are known with the properties like hawelis of shekhawati, ‘Pili Haweli of Jaisalmer, Khajuraho temples of Madhya Pradesh, Ajanta and Elora caves of Aurangabad, Qutub Minar of Delhi, Hawa Mahal of Jaipur and so on and so forth.
Information:
Information is a big business. Newspaper industry is well developed in India. The information is well known that India has best of doctors and hospitals and that the rates are very reasonable. This has given birth to medical tourism. Lai’s pathology lab or Religare’s lab facilities generate information and they have India wide franchise operations. India is world leader in information technology services.
Events:
Event marketing refers to the marketing of sporting, Cultural and Charitable activities to selected target markets. Event marketing refers to the marketing of sporting cultural and charitable activities to re-elected target markets. Most of the events are marketed. Sports events like Olympics, Winter Olympics, Wimbledon, World Cup of Cricket, India’s first car racing are all events whose tickets are sold and broadcasting rights are sold like hotcakes. Most of the college annual day events are sponsored.
Experiences:
Chokhi Dhani of Rajasthan, a heritage styled star rated restaurant serving authentic Rajasthani delicacies provides you an experience of a village and its culture. Water Parks around Delhi and Bombay provide experience. Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and the poolside dinner at India International Centre are experiences in themselves. These organisations market them on the basis of experience. Richard Branson has booked people for flights to space to provide experience in the outer space.