Abstract
The cross-relationship between marketing functions ad other functions is still a matter of concern. Despite the strength and the importance of the linkages between the marketing and the rest of the functional areas of an enterprise, they are still not taken seriously and the interdependency not yet explored fully. There is an integrative view that should be taken into account when approaching the functions concerning marketing. Marketing activities relate closely with other functional areas and they all depend on one another to execute their roles and functions. The paper will explore the relationship between the functional areas and the interdependencies they exist among them. These functions include. Productions planning, procurement and branding.
Relationships and inter-dependencies between marketing and other functional areas.
Introduction
Marketing activities are hard to separate from other functional areas. These functional areas create a platform that gives marketing the base on approaching the market or the target market. They either relate or depend on one another. The choice of which marketing strategy to use, which segment to venture, the tools to use in the campaigns for the products or service is dictated by the relationship and interdependency that occur between marketing functional areas (Carlson,2020). It is important to understand the nature of these relationships and interrelations to effectively separate the two functions of the company and solve the conflict that might exist between the two areas of the organization. It helps to have the long-run planning that will drive the profit of the organization as well as minimizing the cost associated with the execution of the marketing activities and other functional activities with the company.
Regardless of the strong connection between the marketing and the rest of the functions, organizations are neglecting and failing to explore them fully. The focus of the paper will be to explore the relationships and the interdependencies existing between marketing and these functional areas. Marketing being the process of creating chances for the product or service to sell it cannot alone achieve the set objectives for profit generation without linking with other crucial organs of the organization. marketing takes consumer needs, wants, taste and preferences then link with the other production departments in designing services and products(Ashnai, el tal 2019). Marketing being sandwiched by the other functional activities it is important to clearly understand its activities and functional areas activities. These functions include market research, production planning. Procurement, and branding and packaging which interrelates with marketing.
Marketing and production planning
Production is a very crucial department in organizations. It dictates the number of items that will be delivered to the clients and what time the product is likely to get there. The relationship between the marketing and the production planning is that both focus on the area of coverage and all need to feedback from each other to execute their role. But both rely on each other to be able to know the coverage they should take. Production planning asks the marketing department to give the estimated number of customers who require a certain product and service (Carlson,2020). The production also needs to be informed about the feedback from the clients on the satisfaction level and the adjustment they would wish to see in the designing of the products. Since the marketers are interacting with the environment directly, they can be able to predict on uncertainties and fluctuations which is a very crucial component to the production planning. Lack of such information it would mean the production department will overproduce or underproduce which is not healthy to the organization and customers
The marketing department also depends on production to do its planning. For them to give good advice to the customers and live to the promise, they need the production to give them good synopsis of the products or the services they are designing. When developing new products, the marketing will need the producers to give samples that can be tested by the customer’s ad advice the production o the feedback (Franke and Foerstl, 2020). Production department also advises the marketing on the timing the availability of the products and gives descriptions that assist in marketing strategies. Such interdependency gives the organization a better flow of the production cycle.
Marketing and procurement function
Procurement and marketing to some point they are insuperable. They have a relationship I that marketing can participate in research for looking for the new market and suppliers of the raw materials for production as the procurement does. The two sectors are also interdepended in that, market research about the acceptance level of the products by the customers is done by the marketing to give the procurement department report on procurement planning (Ashnai, el tal 2019). If the report from marketing indicates what customers ask most or if they accept the product o taste then procurement department can take a chance to procure the materials for production. Marketing also depends on the procurement for planning to take new materials to the customers or to implement the anticipated changes in the designing activities due to change or seasonality of the raw materials (Martensen, and Mouritsen, 2017). For example, a chef in the restaurant will need feedback on options for deserts when some fruits are out of season which the marketing department should research on give feedback on whether clients want cakes or moose then the procurement department is reported to purchase based on the on-demand raw materials.
Marketing and branding
Marketing is the process of connecting with the customers and influence them to purchase the products and services. About branding, it is the marketing activities of shaping brand so that it can sell to the customers with the assist of marketing branding define the company. Marketing and branding are interdepended in that in the process of branding and rebranding marketing research are crucial to define the quality and the taste on what size and prices customer want. Customer may reject a certain brand because it does not match their values and believes. The information flow between the two functions is crucial to explain the demographic of the customer the brand want to venture.
Marketing also relies on branding to get the variety of packages that they will take to customers. Branding will design the product in a way that the marketing will be able to sell, it with ease. Branding should use the proper wording, theme colours and language that is easy for the customers to understand and the marketing explain (Franke and Foerstl, 2020). The brand speaks for the marketers and is crucial in creating perception and the image of the company. The marketing integrates by creating the impression to customers and acting as an ambassador of the brand.
Conclusion
No doubt that the organization’s activities must some point converge. Marketing function being at the centre relates and depended on other functions to execute its activities. The relationship and the interdependencies level the function areas so that the organization’s activities can move smoothly without interdepartmental conflicts and the delays in the process of attending the customers and feeding the market with the services and the products they need. The organizations should take time to explore and understand these dynamics and come up with clear guidelines to manage the relations and the interdependencies to say relevant, consisted and profitable.
References
Ashnai, B., Smirnova, M., Haneberg, S. C., & Naudé, P. (2019). Dyadic operationalization in business relationships: The empirical example of marketing-purchasing collaboration. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 26(1), 19-42.
Carlson, S. (2020). Strategy and marketing: Can Alignment be Measured?
Franke, H., & Foerstl, K. (2020). Goals, Conflict, Politics, and Performance of Cross‐Functional Sourcing Teams—Results from a Social Team Experiment. Journal of Business Logistics, 41(1), 6-30.
Martensen, A., & Mouritsen, J. (2017). Prioritising marketing activities in different types of marketing functions. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 28(11-12), 1264-1284.