If you want to explain a field, if you want to understand it, if you want to change it, you need to begin with the taxonomy of how it’s explained and understood. Here’s a link to how taxonomies work.

So if you’re a marketer, a director, entrepreneur, freelancer, or just the average Joe trying to understand how the various areas of marketing are connected. Here’s an example of a taxonomy for the field of marketing.

1. Traditional Marketing
   • Print Advertising: Includes newspapers, magazines, brochures, flyers, and billboards.
   • Broadcast Advertising: Covers television and radio commercials.
   • Direct Mail Marketing: Involves sending physical promotional materials directly to individuals or businesses.
   • Telemarketing: Involves reaching out to potential customers via phone calls.
   • Events and Sponsorships: Includes trade shows, conferences, and sponsoring events for brand exposure.
2. Digital Marketing
   • Search Engine Marketing (SEM): Involves paid advertising on search engines, such as Google Ads.
   • Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Focuses on optimizing website content to improve organic search engine rankings.
   • Social Media Marketing: Involves promoting products or services on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
   • Content Marketing: Involves creating and sharing valuable content to attract and engage a target audience.
   • Email Marketing: Utilizes email campaigns to communicate with customers and prospects.
   • Influencer Marketing: Involves partnering with influential individuals to promote products or services.
   • Affiliate Marketing: Involves earning a commission for promoting other companies’ products or services.
   • Mobile Marketing: Focuses on reaching and engaging audiences through mobile devices, including mobile apps and SMS marketing.
3. Relationship Marketing
   • Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Focuses on building and maintaining long-term relationships with customers through personalized interactions and data analysis.
   • Loyalty Programs: Involves offering rewards, discounts, or special incentives to encourage customer loyalty.
   • Referral Programs: Encourages customers to refer new customers to a business in exchange for rewards or incentives.
4. Branding and Positioning
   • Brand Strategy: Involves developing a clear brand identity, positioning, and messaging.
   • Brand Communication: Focuses on conveying the brand message through various channels and touchpoints.
   • Brand Identity Design: Includes the creation of logos, visual elements, and brand guidelines.
   • Brand Reputation Management: Involves monitoring and managing the perception of a brand in the market.
5. Market Research and Analysis
   • Consumer Behavior Analysis: Focuses on understanding consumer motivations, preferences, and buying patterns.
   • Market Segmentation: Involves dividing a target market into distinct groups based on demographic, psychographic, or behavioral characteristics.
   • Marketing Analytics: Utilizes data analysis techniques to measure and evaluate marketing efforts’ effectiveness.
   • Competitive Analysis: Involves studying and monitoring competitors’ strategies, products, and market positioning.
6. Product Development and Innovation
   • Product Research: Involves gathering insights and conducting market analysis to identify customer needs and preferences.
   • New Product Development: Involves the creation and introduction of new products or product variations.
   • Product Lifecycle Management: Focuses on managing a product’s entire lifecycle, from ideation to retirement.