Japan Marketing Association Revises Marketing Definition After 34 Years

The Japan Marketing Association has revised the definition of marketing, established in 1990 and widely accepted domestically, for the first time in 34 years.

The association cited the following reasons for the update:

・In recent years, society as a whole has rapidly advanced toward digitalization. Marketing initiatives leveraging DX (Digital Transformation) using digital technologies such as AI, IoT, and big data have expanded. Through the implementation of digital technologies, vast amounts of customer data are accumulated, and the utilization of technology for customer analysis has also become more sophisticated.

・The rise of new business models leveraging digital technology, such as sharing services and crowdfunding, has transformed the relationship between companies and customers into one of co-creation of value. Marketing must now incorporate this perspective.

・With the 2030 deadline for the SDGs approaching, companies must undertake initiatives that consider the global environment. We have entered an era where stakeholders evaluate organizations based on whether they contribute to society's long-term sustainability.

In 2023, coinciding with the appointment of Professor Naoto Onzou (Waseda University) as its new Chairman, the Association established a committee to formulate a new definition of marketing. The committee has held multiple discussions since July.

■Definition of Marketing (Established 2024)
(Marketing is) a concept and process for realizing a more prosperous and sustainable society by creating value together with customers and society, widely disseminating that value, and thereby cultivating relationships with stakeholders.

Note 1) The subject can be not only companies but also individuals, non-profit organizations, etc.
Note 2) Relationship cultivation includes the process of creating new value.
Note 3) The concept envisions initiative and encompasses strategy, systems, and activities.

 

■Japan Marketing Association
Since its founding in 1957, the Japan Marketing Association has dedicated itself to the research, education, and dissemination of marketing theory and techniques through industry-academia collaboration, contributing to the modernization of Japanese management and industrial development. Today, it expands its activities with a global perspective while achieving nationwide organization from Hokkaido to Kyushu, functioning as a national center for marketing.