The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent to which marketing orientation influences the formation of unique value propositions of food processing companies in Southwest, Nigeria. The descriptive research design of the survey type was adopted in the study. Purposive sampling technique was adopted to select two hundred and four (204) operation and marketing managers of food processing companies in selected states in Southwest, Nigeria. The study adopted the interview method of data gathering. The data collected for the study was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that the key components of marketing orientation that influence the formation of unique value propositions of food processing companies in Southwest, Nigeria are customer orientation, competitors’ orientation, innovation and market segmentation; there is a significant relationship between the key components of marketing orientation and the identification & understanding of customers’ needs & preferences of food processing companies in Southwest, Nigeria, also, marketing-oriented food processing companies in Southwest, Nigeria utilize customer feedback and market data to continuously enhance their value propositions at a high extent. Based on the findings, it was recommended that food processing companies in Southwest, Nigeria should always conduct thorough market research to gain a deep understanding of the local consumer preferences, cultural nuances, and emerging trends and implement robust customer engagement strategies, such as surveys, focus groups, and social media interactions to gather continuous feedback from consumers.
Keywords: Marketing Orientation, competitors’ orientation, customers’ orientation, market research, unique value proposition
