THE CHANGING ROLE OF MARKETING ORGANISATION

THE CHANGING ROLE OF MARKETING ORGANISATION

          Over the years, the structure of marketing organisation have been changing from a situation from a simple sales department to a complex marketing department. These distinct phase have been described below:

       Simple Sales Department: Till early twentieth century, production was considered as a prime activity and was given maximum attention. The sale function was treated as an adjunct to the production whose responsibility was to sell whatever the factory produced. The department was headed by sales manager with supporting staff.

      Sales Department with Some Marketing Functions: With the increasing size of the firm more selling was not enough to sustain the growth momentum. Hence, the sales department also undertook functions like market research, new product development, advertising and sales promotion.

       Separate Marketing Department: This is the stage where the need for complete marketing function is felt and a full-fledged marketing department is established. The sales activity still continues to dominate but as compared to other activities, its importance is reduced.

       Integrated Marketing Department: This is the stage where the sales and marketing are integrated and organised in a single department. The department is headed by marketing director and sales manager reports to him. The other activities such as marketing research, new product development, advertising and sales promotion, and distribution and customer service are also organised under the marketing director.