Marketing function - Focus in communications or business development?

I know I should not write about his because I am swimming against the main stream and many of you will just judge me "you don't have experience from our special industry". I will anyway write about it even I think this topic is "those who get it have known it for years and those who does not will continue have glazed eyes if these ideas arise in conversation".

Yes as the topic states we are talking about the role of marketing function in corporate environment. Out of 30 companies/corporations I know pretty well (both from B2C and B2B segments, including a few very well known) only two have genuinely integrated marketing and business development - all the rest have decided to take the communications path.

Oh man how these two companies have delivered over the years - from the revenue, customer value and innovation standpoints. Rather soon they discovered that they leading competition when they didn't even focus on competitors but on creating customer value. All the pieces of the puzzle: customer segmentation, product development, innovation, marketing communications, customer relationships marketing, online business, subscription models, from products to services transformation, multi-channel marketing, CRM, social media, churn mgmt, customer profitability, loyalty development, share of wallet development, etc. ... all the stuff just fitted perfectly to the imagined and designed puzzle in coherent and consistent manner.

No issues with buzz words, one idea gurus or running after latest trends as many other companies tend to do. Yes these so called other companies have defined their marketing with communication as the central idea. Business development can be found either close to R&D, manufacturing or sales (in sales business development tends to equal with closing new deals with new customers). For these companies marketing is marketing communications and as I have seen in these "28" example they are not delivering - or if they are it is not because of marketing. Currently these functions are chasing glory from social media... as an isolated effort. Nothing wrong with social media - unfortunately it just cannot really fly in these cultures and how its being understood.

Why few companies get it and majority just bangs their heads while trying to figuring out "what to do with marketing and what the heck marketing actually means"? As I have explained to myself answer is rather simple - majority of companies still take the inside-out view to the business "pushing manufactured products to unknown customers" while these few winners take the outside-in view... and have integrated marketing and business development... and marketing strategy to business strategy.

Sounds simple.