What is marketing? Many people assume marketing is just advertising or selling products and services to people. Marketing is, however, much more complex than this. It involves foreseeing customers’ needs and satisfying those needs better than competitors do. Introduction to marketing covers the core marketing management functions that are vital to the success of any business.

Introduction to marketing addresses concepts such as consumer behaviour, marketing research, segmentation, targeting and positioning. It also focuses on contemporary marketing topics such as marketing metrics, international marketing, business-to-business (B2B) marketing versus business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing, and ethical considerations.

Ms Nicole Cunningham works as a lecturer in the Department of Marketing Management at the University of Johannesburg. She is actively involved in academic research and is currently in the process of completing her PhD in marketing.