The era of anti-marketing

Abstract

A strange and curious phenomenon is unfolding around us without the knowledge of most of us, but with profound significance for the way we under-stand and do business. A small but influential group of firms are doing things and implementing ideas that are daring to defy the norms and conventions which traditional marketing theory considers as articles of faith. They seem to flout every known precept, every bedrock axiom of the traditional theory, which a businessperson knows by rote — that a firm should publicize its offerings, reach out to customers, cater to their needs, and maintain close relation-ships with them. Instead, these new ventures actively shun publicity, make it harder for people to find their establishments, then unilaterally dictate what they can have, and offer very little choice or flexibility overall. Yet, they manage to sell a lot of their products at exceptionally high margins. How do they do it? Viewed from these developments, one may think that a new contrarian age is dawning.