Definitions of Marketing and an overall evaluation of concepts with direct application to Eden Leisure & Fitness Centre
There are many definitions of marketing which generally revolve around primacy of customers as part of an exchange process. Customer's needs are starting point for all marketing activity. Marketing managers try to identify these needs and develop products which will satisfy customer's needs through an exchange process. As the business philosophy, marketing puts customers at centre of all organisations considerations. This is reflected in basic values such as requirement to understand and respond to customer needs and necessity to search constantly for new market opportunities. I have set out some of definitions of marketing below;
1. Marketing is management process which identifies, anticipates and supplies customer requirements efficiently and profitably.
2. Marketing is about marshalling resources of an organisation so that they meet changing needs of customers on whom organisation depends.
Explanation of marketing concepts and some suggestions for measures / initiatives centre could introduce that would demonstrate the marketing orientation approach to its customers
Eden Leisure and Fitness center is operating under the competitor orientation. Competitor activity provides one of biggest threats to the business organisation. In market fitness center is operating in, some sectors clearly have intense rivalry, especially leisure and fitness center sector, competing on price and services. As well as focusing on its customers, Eden Leisure and Fitness center also tries to set itself apart from competitors of other fitness center that may offer only one or two types of services. (Kotler 1999:9)
Having come from such the fitness center, manager has realized, from talking with her clients, that they desire all of services that the lot of fitness center have, but they remain frustrated because they must get their massage done at one place, and nails done at another. Although focus of Eden Leisure and Fitness center is massage services, they offer their clients convenience of these other services in one location.
There are the numbers of fitness center like ours, but they are mainly in very high income parts of London and surrounding areas. They do not intend to compete with these so called "Day Spas" They simply offer the middle ground for those clients who can't quite afford those high-end luxury fitness center. The business atmosphere is the relaxing one where clients can kick back and be pampered. Soft drinks are suggested to clients as they go in for service. Televisions are also located in waiting area.
Competitor orientation is seated beside customer orientation. They are driving forces which constantly encourage firms to make sure that their offerings provide more value for money than those of rivals. Competitor orientation is in numerous ways another pattern of customer orientation. Rivals will provide the threat if they have the better understanding of customer wants and needs.
Developing causes of comparable Advantage
In seeking advantages that competitors cannot easily copy, Eden Leisure Fitness Center does not only examine competitors, but also organisation itself and its resources. Some of possible sources of advantage are: