Marketing Strategy (Revised)

By Steven P. Schnaars

Book Overview

Marketing Strategy has become a classic centrist marketing text. Now, Steven Schnaars has updated and revised this clearly written, classroom-tested, and essential text to accommodate rapid changes in the business world. Combining his centrist approach to basic theory with practical real-world examples, this updated edition includes new and expanded chapters on price as a competitive weapon (with a discussion on "everyday low pricing" versus hi-low promotional pricing"), speed as a strategy (including the strategic uses of computers), globalization (including the customization-standardization debate), and customer satisfaction. Throughout, Schnaars focuses on the three Cs: customers, competition, and changing market trends.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684831910
• ISBN13: 9780684831916
• Release Date: November 1997
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

15-30,000 Foot View of Marketing

Professor Schnaars provides a high-level overview of marketing. This book reviews major concepts, with an emphasis on economic models and the history of marketing. Dr. Schnaars traces the marketing concept to Peter Drucker, Ted Levitt and John McKittrick, all of who agreed in the 1950s that the purpose of business is to create satisfied customers while earning a profit. This customer orientation led to American dominance in consumer products in the 1960s, and then gave way to competitive strategy as the focus in the 1970s. Criticisms of the marketing concept include the fact that people cannot articulate or imagine unknown products, and the fact that technology innovations often leads to new markets and large profitable firms (e.g., Microsoft, Google). Today, teamwork, speed and flexibility are seen as keys to marketing success. The book covers many standard marketing models, including Environmental Analysis; Porter's 5 Forces and Generic Strategies; the Experience Curve; Boston Consultant's Growth-Share Matrix; and Treacy and Wiersema's Three Value Disciplines. Marketing Strategy also covers standard marketing topics such as segmentation, differentiation, branding, market share strategies, market timing, strategies for the product lifecycle, incumbent inertia, first-mover advantages, customization, customer satisfaction, and the explosion of choice. And I have found Schnaar's set of ten differentiation strategies to be very useful: - Superior Performance - Superior Design & Styling - A Product for Every Purpose - On-The-Edge" Product Innovations - Luxury Goods and Services - Popular Mass-Market Brand Names - Exceptional Service - Greater Reliability and Durability - Convenience - Unique Distribution Channels - Price as Point of Differentiation If you are looking for a high level overview of marketing, Marketing Strategy is a great place to start. The book is well written, compact, and free of any consulting agenda. In addition to this option, investigage these books: Kotler on Marketing Marketing Myopia (Harvard Business Review Classics) (Harvard Business Review Classics)

EXCELLENT Introductory Book

This book was great as an introduction to marketing strategy. It was assigned for a class I took as part of my company's supplemental learning program and it gave me everything I needed. The complaints of two reviewers below are idiotic: if you're even slightly interested in the topic and have half a brain it will prove a definite page-turner. And who would expect advanced and analytic expositions in an INTRODUCTORY textbook? Only morons, I say. Chock full of useful facts to supplement the more abstract sections. I would recommend it to anyone!

EXCELLENT introduction to marketing strategy

Schnaars book is very well written, and as such, is easy to read and comprehend. Not to be confused with simplistic, the book covers most of the major themes in marketing strategy, and places them in historical perspective. It does, however, neglect the analytical aspects of market analysis and strategy formulation.