Marketing Definitions

These marketing and brand management definitions include our thoughts, together with the best definitions we have found from both academic and business sources.
Vision and Mission The Vision and Mission of a company should be a driving force, setting the strategic direction of the business. But many are ignored at best, and ridiculed at worst. Find out more about their real roles, and how they can make a difference… »» Go
Loyalty marketing Loyalty is a very attractive idea, in marketing as it is in daily life. To cultivate loyalty is seen as a worthwhile and profitable activity. As marketers we read about it, talk about it, even plan for it, but what does 'loyalty' really mean, and how can we be sure we're getting it… »» Go
Creativity What is creativity, and what does it mean to be creative? We can all recognize it when we see it, and we know it's important. Now you can develop your understanding and take the first step to being more creative yourself... »» Go
Are you a manager or a leader? We provide insights from the experts that will help you understand your personal traits and find out whether you're a manager or a leader, and the implications... »» Go
Public Relations Public relations, more than most terms in marketing and brand management, is vague and often misused. How do you think about public relations? Take a moment to consider this; it could affect the way you do business. »» Go
Market Leadership What does 'market leadership' actually mean? Is your company a market leader? Take a moment to stop and think; you'll find some interesting issues that go beyond just size. »» Go
Positioning The idea of 'positioning' a product or service emerged in the early 1970s, when Al Ries and Jack Trout wrote a series of articles called 'The Positioning Era' for Advertising Age. Since then the clear, simple, and breakthrough thinking they originated has been hard to improve upon. »» Go
Insight 'Insight' is one of those words that goes in and out of style. This is particularly true amongst advertising agencies, where having an 'insight' means having an edge. And any process that generates insights, wow, that's even better! But just what is an insight? How do you find them? How can you be sure you've got one? »» Go
Strategy 'Strategy' is a word that gets misused more than most. It's easy to label almost any intention or recommendation as a strategy. Unfortunately the word can be used to give weight and authority to the most trivial of suggestions. So just how do you recognize a strategy? »» Go
Brand Too often, even marketing professionals haven't bothered to sit down and consider 'What is a brand?'. But if you're not clear what a brand is, how can you hope to build one? We'll take you through some of the good definitions, then tell you the best, and the implications. »» Go
Marketing Have you ever stopped to define 'marketing'? You should: it could change the way you think about your job, and your organization. We look at a number of definitions, and pick the best. »» Go
Brand Management All these 'Definitions' articles are intended to bring new insight into a subject, by exploring the meaning of key words. For insight into the process of brand management you need 'Managing Your Total Brand', our brand management Manual. »» Go