Marketing Myopia 1
Marketing Myopia
Dexter Tyrone Cassell
School of Business, Liberty University
BUSI 745 – Marketing for Competitive Advantage
Dr. Bowery
November 14, 2021
Author Note
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to
Email:
Marketing Myopia 2
“Marketing Myopia” Article by Theodore LevittReport
Introduction
Theodore Levitt wrote the article Marketing Myopia in 1960. The author of this article
discusses the issues with big companies' short-sightedness and failure to adapt their corporate
strategies to external factors, such as not focusing on the needs and wants of consumers.
Furthermore this has resulted in the collapse of a lot of companies. He presents a variety of
examples from various industries to show why corporations spend too much time on their
products instead of focusing on customer wants and preferences. He mentions the railroad,
petroleum, automobile, film, and electronics industries, as well as grocery stores, dry cleaners,
and buggy whips.
Levitt covers some of the primary reasons why some great organizations experience
seasoned growth in his piece "Marketing Myopia." For many years, many businesses have
struggled to understand the truth about how to handle the marketing side of their business
(Levitt, 2008). According to the article, their primary focus has been on the continuing
development of advanced items while ignoring the slowing growth. According to Theodore
Levitt, most businesses have undergone marketing myopia, and the growth industry is non-
existent. According to a recent business perspective, one of the critical aspects examined by
prominent business investors that constantly support the decrease is business objective isolation
(Levitt, 2008). In contrast to customers, the essay makes an interesting thesis that senior
management in most firms focuses their resources and concentration on improving their existing
products.
Analysis
Marketing Myopia 3
The article demonstrates that modern businesses who are experiencing sustained growth
should alter their corporate objectives and marketing tactics (Levitt, 2008). This is accomplished
by incorporating features that assure a broadening of the company's reach and an emphasis on
meeting the aspirations and demands of potential customers. According to Theodore Levitt, a
considerable number of prominent corporations once had consistent growth but failed to consider
recognizing and utilizing growth prospects as a result of technology innovation (Levitt, 2008).
Because technology advancements in the marketing sector support industry expansion or ensure
that products are enhanced, the contemporary industry has expanded and merged with
technological breakthroughs in the marketing area (Mercer, 1996).
The majority of today's organizations that compete in a competitive market have been
able to develop strategies to aid in marketing requirements that fulfill consumer wants. In
contrast to the concept Levitt discusses, marketing has conjured up basic yet sophisticated ideas
such as promotional ideas, manipulation measures, and high-pressure approaches to combat
rising competition.
Levitt utilizes notable examples to illustrate similar cases, such as the train industry,
which was once seen to be the most reliable and efficient mode of transportation but had
dramatically reduced the degree of competition in the transportation industry (Levitt, 2008). He
goes on to explain why firms choose consumer-centric measurements over things like research,
development, and mass production (Levitt, 2008).
In essence, Theodore Levitt utilizes the article to warn current industries about the
importance of continuing to grow and the essential broader business scope they should consider.
This includes accepting more technological competence in order to create creative products that
Marketing Myopia 4
meet consumer needs (Sundbo, 1998). The industry's primary oversight is product focus, rather
than user happiness. Service adjustments in response to market demands are essential to maintain
progress. According to the article, today's marketing philosophy and practice comprises making
decisions based on the present state of the industry (Sheth, and Sisodia, 2015;2006). This
confirms that the unpredictable nature of the industry leaves corporations vulnerable to myopia.
The advancement of technology has increased the importance of a progressive marketing
strategy.
Population myth and production metrics are two important variables addressed in the
article that cause corporations to focus on the issue of potential in today's modern concept and
practice of marketing. The majority of businesses were motivated by the belief that profit was a
given and that the expansion of a market with a higher rate of consumers characterized the
industry's survival. If items successfully grow their market, there is no need to adopt a market
expansion strategy [ CITATION Kur14 \l 1033 ]. The petroleum sector is a good illustration of
this, with creative initiatives and critical improvement centered on fuel marketing and the goal of
influencing sales. There is no guarantee that the oil industry, which has never been considered a
growth industry, will not become obsolete.
In big industries, the feature of mass production is strengthened by a relative push to
ensure that production is raised. According to the paper, a continually decreasing unit cost with a
corresponding increase in output is a big promise. The consideration of mass production in the
manufacturing business assures that marketing objectives are under increasing strain. However,
the focus is primarily on the concept of selling rather than marketing [ CITATION Lev08 \l
1033 ]. One of the biggest factors to industry collapse, according to Levitt, is mass production
Marketing Myopia 5
(52). Companies that focus on cost-cutting through mass production frequently overlook the
needs of their customers. Companies should recognize that marketing efforts are required for a
product to sell, as earnings are based not only on cheap production costs, but also on volume of
sales.
Companies that focus on marketing strategy, customer-centric values, and predictive
measures can advance past myopia to a specified degree (Sundbo, 1998). The use of profit
objectives to define the industry in a competitive market segment is what this entails. Because
most firms claim that they rely more on products than on the marketing departments that present
their items, they tend to overlook the fact that markets that grow and expand swiftly give rise to
technological advancements (Kurtz & Boone, 2004). As a significant way of responding to
competition, modern markets are constantly reliant on new and more resourceful products.
Conclusion
When sales increase, current thoughts in respect to Levitt's ideas are that situations of
reduced prices and mass manufacturing occur. The article also validates the obvious aspects that
distinguish modern marketing from its predecessors. They include the level of competition
between companies offering similar products and companies aiming for cutting-edge technology.
Innovative techniques, such as those displayed by corporations, appear to pose a competitive
threat to already established enterprises in the market, whose products are unable to keep up with
market changes. For most large corporations, Levitt demonstrates that, in the long run, this has
been a disappointment because competition keeps business alive.
Marketing Myopia 6
References
Boone, L. E., & Kurtz, D. L. (2004). Contemporary marketing (Eleventh ed.). Thomson South-
Western.
Levitt, T. (2008). Marketing myopia. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business Press.
Mercer, D. (1996). Marketing. New York: : Wiley-Blackwell.
Sheth, J. N., & Sisodia, R. (2015;2006;). Does marketing need reform?: Fresh perspectives on
the future. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315705118
.
Sundbo, J. (1998). The Theory of Innovation: Enterpreneurs, Technology and Strategy. Edward
Elgar
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