Marketing Effectiveness and Business Performance: The Study of Hospitality and Tourism Organizations in Nigeria

The concept of marketing effectiveness has been extensively discussed because of its strong association with many valuable organizational outcomes such as stable, long-term growth, enhanced customer satisfaction, a competitive advantage and a strong marketing orientation (Nwokah and Ahiauzu, 2009). Despite the avalanches of studies on marketing effectiveness, there seems to exist a scarce literature on its conceptual measures. Kotler (1977, 1997) operationalised marketing effectiveness as Amalgam of five components, notably: customer philosophy, integrated marketing organization; adequate marketing information, strategic orientation; and operational efficiency. Later, Appiah-Adu et al (2001), Nwokah and Ahiauzu (2008,2009) adopted the earlier measures but further argued that, the basis of studying marketing effectiveness is to first identify the importance of studying the market, recognize its numerous opportunities, then selecting the most appropriate segments of the market to operate in and endeavoring to offer superior value to meet the selected customer’s needs and wants. Nwokah (2008) in his study on Marketing in governance: leader-managerial practices for efficiency in competency-based administration and transformational marketing model argue that marketing effectiveness of a firm is achievable if the firm has suitable staff to enable it perform marketing analysis, planning and implementation. Sequentially, marketing effectiveness calls for management to have sufficient information for the purpose of planning and effective resource allocation to varying markets, products and territories (Nwokah and Ahiauzu, 2008, 2009). Marketing effectiveness is also contingent upon the adeptness of managers to deliver profitable strategies from its philosophy, organization and information resources