Marketing model for a metropolitan local council

Abstract

English: Marketing has traditionally only been used in the private sector as a process to identify, anticipate and supply customer needs and requirements. However, when marketing is defined as the social and managerial process by which individuals and groups can obtain those services and products that satisfy their needs and wants, the concept could be broadened to also include public sector organizations such as municipalities. Marketing is a process consisting of a number of steps that has to be completed in order to reach its goal. This includes researching the target markets and environments of the organization where marketing activities are to be undertaken. In this dissertation research was done for the purpose of developing a marketing plan that can be implemented in the Western Metropolitan Local Council (WMLC) to suit the specific needs and requirements of its customers but that will also serve as a framework for other municipalities to develop marketing plans that are driven towards satisfying the needs of their customers. Organizations getting involved in the marketing game should ensure that they do not concentrate solely on external marketing but that they should also invest in marketing to their internal customers (employees). Employees are important internal customers to any organization and to each other. In service delivering organizations such as municipalities, it is the employees of the organizations who deliver the services to the customers and therefore their perceptions, attitudes and actions could have a positive or negative effect on customers' impressions of an organization and the services it delivers. In an effort to develop a marketing plan for the WMLC attention is paid to the policy documents that affect the structures, powers and functions of municipalities and as such may have an impact on the marketing plan that can be developed for the WMLC. It was also necessary to undertake a survey of the internal and external environments of the WMLC in order to acquire knowledge about all the factors that should be considered in the development of a marketing plan. The questionnaires that were distributed to the three target markets (employees, residents and the business sector) were analyzed to provide the necessary information about the perceptions and attitudes of the customers (internal and external) of the WMLC. The aim of this research was not only to develop a marketing plan for the WMLC, but also to create a model according to which all other municipalities will be able to develop their marketing plans suited specifically for their target markets and to achieve their marketing and ultimately strategic objectives. The marketing model and marketing plan developed where done so on the basis that municipalities are service-delivering organizations. This means that it was necessary to use the extended marketing mix for the development of the marketing plan. Other municipalities, therefore, only need to use the suggested framework of the WMLC marketing plan and work through the suggested marketing model in order to develop their own marketing plans. The marketing plan developed for the WMLC is an effort to not only market all the services delivered by the WMLC but also to address the perceptions of the customers in an effort to change negative perceptions moving the attitudes of customers from apathy to active participation and attracting new investments for the local economic development of the area.

Afrikaans: Bemarking was tradisioneel slegs gebruik in die privaat sektor as 'n proses om the behoeftes en vereistes van kliënte te identifiseer, antisipeer en bevredig. Nietemin, wanneer bemarking gedefinieer word as die sosiale en bestuursproses waardeur individue en groepe daardie dienste en produkte ontvang wat hul behoeftes kan bevredig, sal die konsep wyd genoeg wees om openbare sektor organisasies soos munisipaliteite in te sluit. Bemarking is 'n proses wat bestaan uit 'n aantal stappe wat voltooi moet word om die doelwit te bereik. Dit sluit navorsing van die teikenmarkte en die omgewings van die organisasie waarvoor die bemarkingsaktiwiteite onderneem word in. Die navorsing wat gedoen is vir die doel van die verhandeling verskaf inligting wat die Westelike Metropolitaanse Plaaslike Raad in staat sal stel om 'n bemarkingsplan te ontwikkel en in te stel wat die spesifieke behoeftes en vereistes van die kliente sal bevredig. Organisasies wat betrokke raak in die bemarkingsspel, behoort seker te maak dat daar nie net op eksterne bemarking gekonsentreer word nie. Daar is 'n tendens dat organisasies nie intern bemarking onderneem nie. Werknemers is belangrike interne kliënte van enige organisasie asook van mekaar. In diensleweringsorganisasies, soos munisipaliteite, is dit juis die werknemers van die organisasie wat die dienste aan die kliente lewer en dus kan hulle persepsies, houdings en aksies ófn positiewe óf 'n negatiewe effek hê op die indrukke wat kliënte van die organisasie en die dienste wat die organisasie lewer, vorm. In 'n poging om 'n bemarkingsplan vir die WMPR te ontwikkel, is aandag geskenk aan die beleidsdokumente wat die strukture, magte en funksies van munisipaliteite affekteer en dus 'n effek mag hê op die bemarkingsplan wat ontwikkel kan word vir die WMPR. Dit was ook noodsaaklik om 'n opname te doen van die interne en eksterne omgewings van die WMPR om sodoende die nodige kennis te bekom oor al die faktore wat in ag geneem moet word tydens die ontwikkeling van die bemarkingsplan. Die vraelyste wat aan die drie teikenmarkte (werknemers, inwoners en die besigheidsektor) versprei is, is geanaliseer om die noodsaaklike inligting in verband met die persepsies en houdings van die kliënte (intern en ekstern) van die WMPR, te bekom. Die doel van die navorsing was nie slegs om 'n bemarkingsplan vir die WMPR te ontwikkel nie, maar ook om 'n model daar te stel wat deur ander munisipaliteite benut kan word in die ontwikkeling van hul eie bemarkingsplanne. Die bemarkingsplan wat ontwikkel is vir die WMPR is 'n poging om nie net die dienste wat deur die WMPR gelewer word te bemark nie, maar ook om die negatiewe persepsies van die kliente te verander en om die houdings van kliente te verskuif van apaties tot aktiewe deelname. Dit poog ook om nuwe beleggers aan te trek vir die plaaslike ekonomiese ontwikkeling van die munisipale area.