(3.1) The History of the Marketing Concept

The History of the Marketing Concept

Click on each of the plus signs below to learn about how the marketing concept has evolved through many different definitions over time.

Production Orientation Era

Until 1950s

Product Orientation Era

Until 1960s

Sales Orientation Era

1950s-1960s

Marketing Orientation Era

1970s-Present

Marketing Orientation Era1970s-Present Day

Customer Orientation

• Focus: Meet the needs and wants of customers.

• Strategy: Use market research and R&D to develop products aligned with consumer preferences, then promote them.

• When Used: Contemporary markets where consumer tastes change and competition is high.

• Key Point: Customer needs drive product development and marketing decisions.

Relationship Orientation

Social/Mobile Marketing Orientation

Product Orientation EraUntil the 1960s

• Focus: Emphasize the quality of the product.

• Strategy: Invest in improving product features and standards.

• When Used: When firms believe consumers will buy a product as long as it is high quality.

• Key Point: Assumes product excellence alone will drive consumer demand.

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Sales Orientation Era1950s-1960s

• Focus: Sell and promote existing products.

• Strategy: Use aggressive selling and promotional techniques to increase sales.

• When Used: When firms hold dead stock or sell products in high demand with little expected change in consumer tastes.

• Key Point: Prioritizes selling over understanding consumer needs.

Production Orientation EraUntil the 1950s

• Focus: Make as much as possible of a product or service.

• Strategy: Exploit economies of scale until the most efficient production level is reached.

• When Used: High demand products where consumer tastes are stable.

• Key Point: The goal is maximizing output rather than marketing or customer research.

“Workers in an industrial factory working on a long piece of paper” by Saranyoo Chantawong on Vecteezy.com