Who could have anticipated the incredible changes the
past several years have brought to business and marketing? Every aspect of our
business lives—from the economy, to government’s role, to consumers’ attitudes and lifestyles—have changed recently. While many of the changes have been
disruptive, they create a unique challenge and opportunity for our discipline.
Marketing, more than any other discipline, is a field
that embraces the changes and facilitates the development of new products,
services, and ideas to respond to the new environment and improve our
marketplace. You’ve
certainly noticed the new focus on issues such as global economic growth,
regulation, consumer spending, and employment. The future promises to bring
many additional issues to our attention and to be an extraordinarily exciting time
for marketing students. Welcome to what will surely be viewed as one of our
most dramatic periods of business history. We are excited to be part of the
educational journey you are undertaking!
You’ll soon discover that your past experiences as a consumer
provide you with a rich source of important information that will become part
of your business perspective. As a student of marketing you will learn how the
dynamic changes taking place change business practices. In the future, as a
marketing manager, you will use your experiences and knowledge to become a true
business professional. This text is our effort to help you begin the transition.
We appreciate the opportunity to share our own managerial and educational
expertise with you. From our perspective, your career starts here.
This edition of Marketing represents
a milestone for us for several reasons. First, it is
the 10th edition—a symbolic achievement, but more
importantly it is an indication of the need for keeping up with the changes in
business and marketing. Second, it is the result of more than 25 years of
writing—we began writing in 1983! Finally, this edition
represents our most advanced offering as an educational resource. We are
committed to (1) building on our past experiences as authors, (2) continuing
our leadership role in bringing new topics and perspectives to the classroom,
and (3) focusing on pedagogical innovation that truly responds to new teaching
and learning styles. We believe our efforts have created the most comprehensive,
up-to-date, engaging, and technically advanced textbook available today. We hope
you’ll
agree.
As you begin reading Marketing you
will find that it uses an active-learning approach to bring marketing theories
and concepts to life. Each chapter offers a balance of traditional and
contemporary perspectives presented in an easy-to-read style using familiar
examples of companies, products and services, and business strategies. This
approach has been a “perfect
Match” for
today’s
practical, visual, connected learners. The response from students and instructors
has been extraordinary. Marketing, and its
translations into 11 other languages, is now the No. 1 marketing text in the
world! Our 10th edition strives to continue the tradition of past success.
Thank you for the opportunity to share our
passion for marketing with you. We hope we succeed in making your studies fun
and interesting and that they will become the foundation of an enlightened and
productive career!
Roger A. Kerin
Steven W. Hartley
William Rudelius
