Strategic marketing and operational marketing are different but complementary levels of marketing, the first is thought about, the second is executed.
Strategic marketing
Its performance covers the medium-long term, and is aimed at satisfying the needs (of the client) that constitute attractive economic opportunities for the company. It could be associated with what is the mind of the company. It is more transcendent in that it sets the course, consolidating or changing it - it takes care of what needs to be done. (Sainz de Vicuña, p.39)
Munuera and Rodríguez (p.56) make it known that:
Operational marketing descends to the plane of action to deal with the implementation of marketing strategies. From the perspective of strategic marketing, the importance of actions aimed at conquering existing markets is not denied, but it is emphasized that to be effective, any specific action must be preceded by a thorough analysis of the market and rigorous strategic reflection..
Mainly corresponds to the operational dimension, on the one hand, to translate the marketing strategy into a series of tactical decisions or a marketing plan, which includes the product, price, distribution and communication policies that are going to be followed to stimulate demand. and favor the acceptance and purchase of the product by the market segment or segments that constitute the company's target market and, on the other hand, assign a budget to each of the commercial actions. Broadly speaking, it is a matter of specifying the characteristics of the product or service offered, of selecting the intermediaries through which it is to be distributed, of setting an appropriate price and of specifying the means of communication that will be used. company to make it known and to show its distinctive qualities.
Once the most appropriate commercial policy has been established, the next step is to execute or implement the marketing plan. The execution process requires the coordination of the organizational structure, human resources, management processes and business culture. Once the marketing plan has been executed, it is necessary to control its fulfillment and check if the objectives are being achieved. The control process involves measuring the results of the actions undertaken, diagnosing the degree of compliance with the planned objectives and, where appropriate, the adoption of the appropriate corrective measures.
Through the following video-course (7 videos, 1 hour and 7 minutes), you will be able to learn more about the tasks that articulate operational marketing and what is its importance as a component of marketing.
Differences between strategic marketing and operational marketing
The following table summarizes the main differences between the two levels of marketing (Source: Munuera and Rodríguez, p.57):
| Variables | Strategic marketing | Operational Marketing |
| Main activities | Market analysis and choice of marketing strategy | Design, execution and control of a marketing plan in which the chosen strategy is specified |
| Organizational level of work | Business (product-market) | Functional |
| Temporal horizon | Long and medium term | Medium and short term |
| Nature of the activity | Little structured | Structured |
| Risk | High | Less |
| Uncertainty | high | Less |
Bibliography
- Munuera Alemán, José Luis and Rodríguez Escudero, Ana Isabel. Marketing strategies: an approach based on the management process. ESIC Editorial, 2007, Sainz de Vicuña Ancín, José María. The marketing plan in practice. ESIC Editorial, 2008.
