Abstract
Marketing is a discipline that has a lot of contentions due to the varying views of what the role should entail in organisations and how it should be measured. The aim of the study is to explore the similarities and differences between senior marketing professionals and non-marketing executive's perceptions and understanding of the role and how it should be measured within organisations in the construction and concrete industries in Gauteng. The study took a qualitative approach following Mayring’s (2014:80) eight step inductive category development model. A non-probability purpose sampling method was adopted entailing senior marketing professionals and nonmarketing executives within the mentioned industries being interviewed. The study revealed a similarity in the perceptions of both senior marketing professionals and non-marketing executives with regards to what the marketing role should entail. The major differences came about in how the role should be measured. Majority of the nonmarketing executives felt marketing could not be measured against anything tangible, yet the marketing professionals strongly believed marketing could be measured, especially with the digital platforms that are now available which are unfortunately not understood by some of the non-marketing executives. Issues relating to measurement contributed to how senior management perceived the marketing role. The study also revealed that an organisation’s orientation plays a crucial role in how marketing’s role is viewed. It revealed how organisations that are product-oriented view the marketing role as a sales support function as opposed to organisations that are customer-oriented that regard marketing as a strategic function and driver of corporate strategy.
M.Com. (Business Management)