Customer‐focus, competitor‐focus and marketing performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the influence of customer focus and competitor focus on marketing performance of food and beverages organizations in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopted an exploratory design‐ six measures of marketing performance is used to capture the customer‐focus and competitive‐focus of food and beverages organizations in Nigeria. Data were collected from key informants using a research instrument. Returned instruments were analyzed using regression analysis through the use of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 16.FindingsThe paper validated the existing instruments for measuring customer focus, competitor focus and marketing performance. The paper also finds a strong positive relationship between the three constructs.Practical implicationsTwo major implications are identified in this paper, one to scholars on the investigation of the link between customer focus, competitor focus and marketing performance in two different organizations. The second is for managers to be aware of the need for effective assessment of marketing performance measure in line with customer focus and competitor focus. This will no doubt help to provide knowledge and understanding of the reason for and consequences of any particular marketing decision.Originality/valueThe paper significantly refines the body of knowledge concerning the impact of customer focus, competitor focus and marketing performance in the Nigerian context.