IMPORTANCE OF MARKETING ACTIVITIES IN A COMPANY: THE MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE

The article analyses how managers of companies see the importance of the overall marketing func-tion as the importance of certain types of marketing activities. These types include typical areas of 4 Ps as well as marketing planning and marketing research activities. The research is based on a survey of 205 managers of primarily manufacturing and trading companies that operate in Lithuania. Managers evaluated marketing planning and distribution as the most important marketing func-tions, while marketing research and price management appeared to be significantly less important. Some differences of evaluations were observed on the basis of characteristics of companies. Mana-gers of larger companies see the advantages of marketing planning and marketing research, mana-gers of subsidiaries of international corporations evaluated four types of marketing activities signi-ficantly higher than did managers of independent companies. A lot of differences in evaluations were observed, depending on the key priority of the company strategy. Data also showed a positive relationship between the evaluations of marketing activities and company growth. Though the growth is obviously influenced by numerous other factors, this rela-tionship proves the significance of the marketing function in achieving better business results