ABSTRACT
Marketing is an approach to business which focuses on improving organisational performance by satisfying customer needs. As such, it is naturally externally focused. But marketing cannot just focus on consumers; good marketers must also be aware of and understand the activities of their competitors. And to deliver what the customer wants and do so more effectively than the competition, requires an understanding of what the organisation itself is good at; the resources and capabilities it possesses and the way in which they can be deployed to satisfy customers. While in very general terms, marketing processes and activities (such as environmental analysis, strategy and planning, advertising, branding, product development, channel management etc.) are relevant to all organisations, we should still note that services in general and fi nancial services in particular are rather different from many other physical goods. As a consequence, the focus of attention in the marketing process will be different, as will the implementation of marketing activities. The kind of advertising that works for Coca-Cola is probably not right for Aetna and the selling strategy used for Ford cars would not work for a Citi Unit Trust.
