There are a number of misconceptions about marketing. Many assume that it focuses on simply communicating the product or service the organisation offers through activities like advertising. Marketing is far more complex than this. It is a vital activity for the success of any organisation. How do consumers become aware of products and services? How do they know which product or service is right for them? How do organisations know which products and services their consumers would like to buy? The answer is through the organisation's marketing efforts. This means that if the marketing activity is not included at the beginning of the process, the organisation may end up developing a product or service and communicating about it in a way that does not resonate with its target audience. This will have a serious impact on the organisation's success. The marketing world is continuously changing and Introduction to marketing addresses these changes by discussing core concepts like understanding the environment that the organisation operates in, analysing their competition, understanding how consumers make decisions, conducting marketing research, applying segmentation, targeting and positioning, the process of developing and making decisions around products, managing services, marketing channels, retailing, pricing, promotions, branding, integrating communication efforts, business-to-business marketing, marketing metrics, international marketing and ethical considerations. These topics are fundamental to any marketing professional or academic. The second edition of this textbook provides updated discussions, examples and scenarios that marketers are currently facing.

The all-new Applied Marketing Cases is an engaging collection of case studies written by owners, entrepreneurs and corporates (from SMMEs to larger companies). They share their frustrations, successes and challenges on starting and running successful businesses. The stories are unique and inspiring to students, practitioners and would-be entrepreneurs.

Contents Include:

• 1st for Women Insurance
• 8ta2StrokeAfrica Media Online
• Bella Donna Finishing Classes
• Bio-Strath
• Blue Apple
• BulkSMS.com
• Clover Danao
• Clover Tropika
• Engen
• Europcar
• Gary Rom Hairdressing
• Hippo.co.za
• Jenna Clifford Designs (Pty) Ltd
• John Deere
• Ocean Baskey
• Studentnotes.co.za
• Suzuki Auto South Africa
• Vega
• Vital Health Foods

Simple, relevant and practical, Applied Marketing Cases is a must-read for entrepreneurs and business students alike.

This text maintains its position as the best-selling and original text in the field, continuing to direct students to a better understanding of the theoretical backbone that makes sport marketing such a unique and vibrant subject to study.

The first academic textbook covering European retail fashion buying and merchandising. It provides a unique insight into best practice across the fashion industry.

Covering design, marketing, sourcing, negotiation, range planning, supply chain and stock management, it clearly integrates current operational practice with theory.

This, combined with a thorough explanation of careers, makes it a key text as it provides an important reference source for existing practitioners, as well as being vital for students, new entrants and those seeking a career change into buying and merchandising.

Prepare for a successful career in social media marketing or a related field with the unique emphasis found only in SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: A STRATEGIC APPROACH, 2E. Each chapter in this popular book includes a section on creating a personal brand, which is useful to current or future professionals at any stage of career development. This edition emphasizes how to use social media techniques, detailed in the book, to develop and maintain a strong personal brand. Helpful discussions also address a full range of online and offline elements you can use to create a viable personal branding strategy. You learn how to use graphical concepts to structure and strategize within what is otherwise a chaotic social media milieu. This edition summarizes many of today's best practices for marketing activities on social media platforms to assist you in functioning most effectively and dealing with the rapid change that is a hallmark of social media.