Relationship between information work in industrial companies and marketing activities

Abstract

Intensive demand for information arose already at the initial stage of the development of marketing activities. These demands urged the information offices resp. the special libraries of the individual companies to adjust themselves to the emerging new needs and in addition to their technical and economic information services to include the fulfilment of complex “technical-economic-marketing” information requirements in their program.

Since in a good part of such information offices the capacities and resources necessary to meet the new needs are not yet available and the company’s marketing organization is not adequately prepared for the operative utilization of information, the tentative solutions or rather compromises may give some help and encouragement only for the start.

Market analysis, market research, and drawing up development trends are all organic parts of marketing activities. To meet these requirements it is necessary to set up an appropriate organization. In places where such an organization is not yet existing, the information unit or the special library may extend the scope of its activity to meet the information needs of marketing.

To bridge the gap, a medium-sized industrial company in the motor-car industry follows a practice which can thus be outlined: relying on a survey of information needs In the marketing organization, the company seeks to meet the needs by thematic information services and SDI-system, occasionally by highly specialized literature compilations or reviews destined to help the decision-making process, and by editing and issuing publications which are containing newsmaterial and short notices on the market or in other cases rich and comprehensive materials as regards their contents. At the same time, changes taking place in the special library’s acquisition policy, genera activities, and services – reference work, making the documents available for the users in a “poste restante” system, etc. – also add to the practice which may well be considered as an information basis for market research and analysis.

The effectiveness of the method outlined here may encourage the companies to look upon this initiative as a basis for further action and secure the necessary conditions to build up an up-to-date information system within their organizations.