Introduction

Abstract

Marketing decision makers are responsible for the design and execution of marketing programs for products or brands. They operate under different names, such as product manager, brand manager, marketing manager, marketing director, or commercial director. Regardless of the specific job title used in a particular company, in this book we are interested in the decision-making and problem-solving processes of persons in organizations who carry out marketing management tasks. They choose the target markets and segments for their products and services, and develop and implement marketing mixes. Because of the proliferation of products and brands, the fragmentation of markets in an ever growing number of different segments, the fierceness of competition, and the overall acceleration of change, marketing decisions are becoming increasingly complex. Furthermore, decisions have to be made under increasing time pressure. Product life cycles are getting shorter, and competition occurs not only within countries but increasingly at an international and even global level. New markets are opening up in Asia and central Europe, existing markets are being deregulated, and new distribution channels like the Internet are developing. The questions we wish to address in this book are (1) how do marketing decision makers deal with the complexities and dynamics of the environments they are operating in, and (2) how can they be supported to become more effective?