Traditionally marketing as it is perceived all over the Western world is based on definitions agreed on in the US by the American Marketing Association and presented in American textbooks. This definition is, however, based on American conditions and, moreover, mainly geared to the customer relationships of manufacturers of consumer packaged goods and durables. More recent research in Europe on service marketing and industrial marketing suggests a somewhat different approach to defining marketing. Long‐term customer relationships are considered as the cornerstone of marketing, and a definition of marketing which is geared to this notion is suggested.