[paulmckeever]

Not according to the American Marketing Association. Their definition - which is used as the textbook definition of marketing - goes like this:

"Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large."

Marketing is _not_ simply about communicating the value of products. Advertising something that doesn't help a customer create or experience value is not marketing.

I think you'd find this article and the comments interesting:

http://avc.com/2011/02/marketing/

[blumkvist]

Oh my god! It's the same article and the same comments, just different words are used. Being Seth Goddin surely helps in getting the point across though...