What is a marketing information system? A marketing information system can be defined as a set of procedures and methods for the regular planning, collection, analyses and presentation of information for use in making marketing decision. It is a structure of people, equipment, and procedures used to gather, analyze, and distribute information needed by an organization.
The information is part of on-going data-gathering process involving initial data collection as well as routine and systematic data collection procedures. This requirement distinguishes marketing information system database activities from ad-hoc, one time project-oriented data gathering characteristic of traditional forms or market research.
Philip Kotler has identified three types of marketing information:
*Marketing intelligence: information comes from the environment
*Internal marketing information: information flows within the firm
*Marketing communications: information flows from the firm outward to the environment
Marketing information system
