Marketing is the process of communicating the value of a product or service to customers(Wikipedia). Are you effectively communicating value to your employers,customers,partners,stakeholders?

That's not 100% correct. Marketing could also be letting people know you have a product without communicating it's value. E.g. When a matatu stops and the condi calls you (that's marketing) but he doesn't promise you great seats, an enjoyable ride or that he'll take you to your destination.

For that I like the CIM definition: Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.

I think the definition you've given describes advertising and not marketing. Marketing is about filling a gap. If I put up a kiosk near your home and sell milk to you at 40/- while you can get it at 33/- at the supermarket, I will be hoping that it would be an expensive inconvenience for you to burn fuel or take a matatu to the super to buy milk. I will not have to advertise and you may even complain but you will/might buy. That's marketing.

On profit, your business will not survive unless it's making a profit. If you are a monopoly like KPLC you don't have to run a customer focused system because the customer doesn't have real choice but things might turn around like they did for Telkom and your customers ditch you.

Remember the 4/7 Ps of marketing?

The next thing ChessMaster will say is, "I have a marketing consulting business, I can help you increase sales by 600% in a a month".

@Drunkard - No,I'm not starting a consulting business.I personally think marketing in Kenya is not well understood or effective as it should be.I'm just sharing my thoughts and hoping others will share their thoughts too.

@2012 - Yes I do remember the 4Ps of marketing.I agree perceived value must always be higher than the price value and for me marketing is the main way an organization achieves this. Can we start by differentiating between marketing and advertising? Let's go with your definition of marketing which I find is better, at the heart of which lies value for both customer and company.For now lets exclude NGO's and other similar organizations. When it comes to advertising,I see it as one of the most dominant methods by which organizations communicate to their customers.What role do you think it plays and how effective do you think it is in Kenya and possibly why?