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marketing

/ˈmɑːr.kɪ.tɪŋ/
noun★Intermediate— business activity of promoting products
💼Business
formal

The activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

Digital marketing has transformed how brands reach their audiences.

Using online platforms like social media and email to advertise products.

The marketing team launched a campaign to increase brand awareness.

The group responsible for advertising worked on a project to make more people know the brand.

💡

Marketing is broader than just advertising; it includes market research, product development, pricing, and distribution strategies.

informal

The promotion of products or services, including advertising, sales, and public relations.

She works in marketing and designs social media ads.

Her job involves creating advertisements for online platforms.

The new product failed because the marketing was weak.

The item didn’t sell well due to poor advertising and promotion.

💡

In everyday speech, 'marketing' often refers specifically to promotional activities.

Collocations

digital marketingonline promotional strategiesmarketing strategya plan for promoting a product or servicetarget marketingfocusing on specific groups of customersword-of-mouth marketingpromotion through customer recommendations

Synonyms

advertisingpromotionbrandingsales

Antonyms

ignoringneglecting

Related Phrases

marketing mixphrase
the set of controllable marketing tools (product, price, place, promotion) used to produce the response desired by the target market
inbound marketingphrase
a strategy focused on attracting customers through content and interactions that are valuable and helpful

💡Pro Tip

Avoid overusing 'marketing' as a verb

While 'market' can be a verb (e.g., 'They are marketing a new product'), avoid phrases like 'do marketing' or 'make marketing.' Instead, use 'conduct a marketing campaign' or 'handle marketing activities.'

⚡Gold Rule

Marketing is not just advertising

Marketing encompasses research, product development, pricing, distribution, and promotion. Advertising is only one part of the process.

📖Word Origin

From Middle English 'market' (a place of trade) + '-ing' (suffix denoting action), first recorded in the 16th century. The term evolved from the concept of buying and selling in a market to the broader process of promoting and selling products.

📝Usage Notes

Marketing can refer to both the strategic planning (e.g., 'She studied marketing in college') and the execution (e.g., 'The marketing team works on social media campaigns'). In business contexts, it is a formal discipline, while in casual speech, it often refers to advertising or promotion.

Word Breakdown

market
a place or group where goods are sold
root
+
-ing
denotes the action or process of
suffix
English Dictionary

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