Marketing and the public sector

There has been considerable interest in marketing throughout the public sector in Australia, associated with a desire to improve management efficiency and effectiveness. Although a marketing approach to service delivery can be useful, public agencies need to reformulate business marketing principles to fit the uniqueness of the public sector. Especially important are the broad purposes government agencies serve. A marketing orientation not only plays a role at the operational level, it also affects the strategic level. It is concluded that a customer orientation in government is a useful and necessary concept, but that a marketing orientation is not essential.