What is Market Orientation? Market orientation is an academic concept which is at the forefront of marketing related academic research. The concept essentially argues that in order for marketing activities to succeed it they must be highly market orientated. The true definition on market orientation has come under a large amount of debate in recent times, however, for the purpose of this site, we will define market orientation as the ability of an organisation to recognise and relate to all of the stakeholders within their industry and to use collected information in a manner which nurtures the management concept of continuous improvement. Effectively market orientation is about collecting information about your market place, sharing that information across the business spectrum and using the infromation to develop strategies and marketing tactics that answer recognised needs or issues of contention. Marketing orientation exists when a business has: A desire to meet customer needs. A desire to grow. Engaged in Market research to identify customer perceptions and current problems, needs and wants. Developed marketing strategies to identify and resolve issues identified and to better meet the needs and wants of consumers. Informed the entire organisation of the research findings and strategies. Carry out and evaluate the strategies effectiveness. Repeat the process. This is a brief summary of a very complicated marketing theory. Click here for a detailed explanation of marketing orientation. For information on how your organisation can become more market orientated by using market research, branding and marketing, visit our main site.