Theodore Levitt’s contribution to marketing is undoubtedly un-measurable in any quantity, un-describable in a matter of words and unfathomable to any one who did not have the chance to meet the legendary scholar. The German moved to America after serving in the Second World War, where he received a PhD from the Ohio State University in economics. He later acted as a Professor in Harvard Business School and went on to become an editor for the “Harvard Business Review” (1985-1989). Through the captivating articles he wrote for this, he changed the face and idea of marketing completely. What could have once been summed up in four Ps; price, product, place and promotion, now had depth, dimensions and true meaning. In a few short pages …show more content…
The vision of a business is too narrow and constricted by its understanding of what business they are in (Levitt 1960) and advised that they broaden their horizons and open there markets in a new way. He insisted that companies did not fail due to market saturation but due to a fault in management. He used the clever example of a train, describing how it had lost out to the airplane and the car because it thought it was in the business of running trains rather than that of providing customers with transport. Businesses do not start with a product, they begin with a consumer need, so why should their strategy be product based rather than customer orientated? A business can produce millions of products or provide endless services but all are useless without an audience to sell to. The scholar made his argument that consumers are king aggressively, practically and powerfully. People in business realised that they had missed opportunities because they were approaching the markets from the wrong end. Levitt’s article marked the beginning of a modern market movement. Rather than looking at a business in the short-term and the main focus being placed on making profits, Levitt looked at a business in the long-term and focused on building the success of a company which could only be achieved through customers and their degree of satisfaction. Levitt’s contributions to marketing, through the contents of
DIBB, S. SIMKIN L, L. PRIDE, W.M. and FERELL, O.C. Marketing: Concepts and Strategies. Fourth European ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001
Marketing dates back to 1450, when Gutenberg’s metal movable type production led to the mass-production of flyers and brochures. His invention revolutionized the consumer market. This brilliant idea advanced throughout the years. The marketing course was not offered until 1905, when the University of Pennsylvania allowed it and the course was known as The Marketing of Products. About three years later, Harvard’s Business School opened, which offered a variety of marketing and other business related fields. (“The History.”) A famous marketing manager, Phillip Kotler, who is an author, a consultant, and a Marketing Professor. He has based his entire life about marketing and Kotler once said “Marketing is not the art of finding clever ways to dispose of what you make. It is the art of creating genuine customer value.” (“Marketing.”) In 1975, Kotler was the first person to receive the Leader in Marketing Thought award, which is a prestigious award, voted by American Marketing Association. Recently, on February 16, 2013, he was the first recipient of the
How is marketing defined? What is its importance in a company’s success? This paper will discuss and explain different definitions of marketing along with a definition of author himself. In addition, this paper will elucidate the importance of marketing by giving three examples where marketing was adapted with few mistakes resulting in disaster.
As I reflect back over these last five weeks I now have a clearer view of marketing and how it affects not just the consumers of the world and the companies with their marketing managers, but how it affects me. Yes, I am a consumer who clips coupons, budgets my finances, and looks for sale items and this marketing class has taught me that marketing is more than selling or advertising. Marketing managers have a difficult job, as marketing involves identifying, meeting and satisfying the needs of customers or clients with goods and or services. Coming up with different strategies and marketing mixes is challenging because we live in a changing world with people who needs and financial situations are different. Yet still marketing engulfs every part of our daily lives. From what type of breakfast we eat, to where we shop, and even in our work environment. As I examine marketing, I will blend aspect to my career path as I make myself marketable for the future and aid my employer in the growth and survival in the economy.
In the article Marketing is Everything, the author Regis McKenna emphasizes the significant of managing strategic marketing. He also highlights that the transformation process of marketing and several important marketing elements that lead originations toward success. First and foremost, McKenna compares two periods of companies. Before technology developed, most companies concentrated on sale or product driven. In other words, during that time, products were displayed as the first priority in corporations rather than being customer oriented. Instead of researching customers’ desires and customizing new products for them, manufacturers and sellers did not pay attention to their customers’ needs and only tried to alter their minds to match products.
In The Prince, Machiavelli noted that the prince who wants to be more successful should depend on the people. Additionally, he wrote that the prince must not oppress the people that elected him if he hopes to remain powerful (Machiavelli 33). When translated for the business world the principle is comparable to customer satisfaction, a critical concept for businesses. Furthermore, the company resembles the prince, customers are parallel with the people, and marketing departments equal the nobles. In this case, marketing departments create advertisement to give the illusion that their company’s products are perfect. Moreover, the marketing department can fully praise the company in their advertisement, but this alone will not make them successful. Unless the advertisement convinces the customer to make the purchase, it adds no value to the company. However, customers do not need advertisements to purchase goods. If the customer is satisfied with the quality of the product, they will purchase regardless if there is an advertisement or not. Thus, companies exhibit more success when they satisfy the customer than they do by depending solely on
In this week readings, both authors demonstrate their views on the purpose and the methods of marketing. Marketing is an act used to promote and sell goods or services. Both Theodore Levitt and Naomi Klein do an exceptional job at presenting two separate claims that outline their views on marketing and the success of a business.
Professor Philip Kotler beigns his speach held in Bangladesh by desucssing just how important and life changing marketin has been through the past decade. He speaks about how our homes have improved to be safier, easier, higher standard of living. Creating better goods and sercives that are acompanied by forming a better image and easier access. Professor Kotler also touches on social marketing, which looks at how companies can help their customers to improve their lives by living healthier. He names examples such as; improving peoples diets, excerising, quitting drugs and smoking and helping the overall environment. Professor Kotlers last point of mention was noting how companies are transforming, no longer are they just economic machines,
First part is describing us a title, where the neediness of appropriate marketing is described. Also here is shown some problems which companies may face, such as insufficient customers engagement, because as all human beings are quickly getting used to a particular product, and they are very hard to convince to use alternative one. In the “evolution” part Authors shows us how the technological progress
In the USA, deep advertising trends established in the cultural and economic environment of 1950. Traditional media such as radio, newspapers and magazines remained vital ads conductors during the first years of the decade, but television quickly became the cornerstone of national programs many advertisers "media. But starting from the 1950s, businesses began to see that the old ways of selling were wearing thin with customers. As competition grew tougher in most industries, organizations looked to the side of the buyer of the transaction ways to improve. What I found was an emerging philosophy suggesting that the key to marketing success is the understanding of customer needs. This most famous concept of commercial strategy proposed marketing
The article discusses that “Marketing’s ultimate assignment is to serve customers’ real needs and to communicate the substance of the company—not to introduce the kinds of cosmetics that used to typify the auto industry’s
The fact is, marketing is changing, the way people doing business today is different, as the author says, those who don’t change their marketing strategies to meet the need of today’s consumer are not targeting for them at all.
The article of marketing myopia was written by the Theodore Levitt in 1960. He explained how different organizations had myopia towards understanding customer needs and completely forgot to put the customer at the forefront. Most of the organizations adapted themselves to become customer centric rather than product specific. I'll briefly explain how the different sectors behaved indifferently and my agreement and disagreement on it.
In today’s modern era, the world is moving faster than ever, every organization is running a race of gaining maximum market share, and so as the customers, for their organization’s long-term growth but only those companies who transform themselves according to the need and requirement of the customers are able to achieve success and profit they desire and that’s what exactly said by Theodore Levitt (Head of the Marketing area at the Harvard Business School) in his article “The Marketing Imagination”.
The concept of marketing has evolved over time. Whilst in today’s business world “the customer is king”. In the past this was not the case, some businesses put factors other than the customer first. Product focused companies define themselves by their products. For example Kodak originally defined its self as being in the photo processing business. This definition impact the culture of the company in a way that hamstrings thinking and creates impediments for action. When the shift to digital cam Kodak resisted this because of the impact on its “products photo processing”.