What is marketing?

Marketing is a term used in the field of business. It is a broad term; it describes a profession, a department of employees within a company, and even a college major area of study. It is also a term used to describe activities that bring together businesses and customers.

Oftentimes people confuse marketing with advertising. Advertising, however, is one function within the discipline of marketing.

An easy way to differentiate between advertising and marketing is to think of marketing as a wheel with spokes. Each spoke is a function of marketing: advertising, sales, pricing, market research, communications, public relations, product distribution, and community participation. All of these functions work together to support the goal of effective marketing.