Levitt’s central thesis

The article by Levitt ’’marketing myopia’’ is one of the most intriguing and informative articles in the marketing field. In this article, Levitt was concerned with the way companies had a lot of emphasis in the production process with little or no attention to customer satisfaction. In his argument, he gives an example of the trains being overtaken by airplanes and motorcars due to its insistence on providing services rather than customer satisfaction.  According to Levitt, organizations should re-orient towards customer needs and should no longer define themselves regarding what they produce or services offered (Villarino & Font, 2015). The article is one of its kinds since no other author had such a perception in the marketing field and especially in customer satisfaction. Levitt’s ideas have been adopted in shaping marketing practices to date.

For many years, most organizations have based their success on the apparent superiority of their products. Nevertheless, these companies have later fallen under the shadow of mismanagement. Most company executives initially focused on selling rather than marketing. Levitt views this as a mistake, since selling focuses on the needs of the seller while marketing concentrates on customer satisfaction. It is nevertheless wise to note that this has changed since 1960 as many firm executives have adopted Levitt’s proposal. Most companies are putting place strategies aimed at customer satisfaction and thus opening opportunities for growth and development (Villarino & Font, 2015).

How is Levitt’s thesis consistent with a marketing orientation?

Market orientation is becoming increasingly significant in the modern dynamic and competitive business world. It is worth noting that consumers no longer buy products due to its distinctive features but rather due to its ability to offer satisfaction. This explains why Levitt’s thesis is consistent with the marketing orientation. Market orientation requires an organization to identify and meet the consumer needs (Villarino & Font, 2015).  Levitt insists on customer satisfaction as the best marketing approach and thus being consistent with the marketing orientation.

Marketing myopia

According to Theodore Levitt, marketing myopia refers to a situation whereby organizations incorrectly take a shortsighted approach to marketing and take it as a tool for selling products. Such companies are profit oriented, and little do they care the consumer plight. Levitt suggested that marketing should be from the consumer point of view rather from the sellers’ point of view (Villarino & Font, 2015).

Causes of marketing myopia

Marketing myopia arises when a company concentrates on its needs and foregoes the consumer needs.  Several causes lead to marketing myopia. For instance, there is a tendency for the companies to believe that there are no competitive substitutes. Other companies concentrate on mass production and fail to consider the customer needs. A tendency to think that growth is guaranteed in expanding population is another cause of marketing myopia in organizations (Villarino & Font, 2015).  It is also prudent to note that failure to consider the changing consumer lifestyle also leads to marketing myopia.

Is Levitt’s thesis still relevant for executives today?

Levitt’s thesis is still relevant for executives in the modern business set up. Most organizations are currently customer driven or market oriented. They have invested heavily in research and development to ensure that their products meet the consumer demands to remain competitive in the dynamic business world. Modern executives are substantially involved in the collection of market intelligence and using it to create a distinctive value for its customers. For instance, Coca cola has introduced new products such as diet coke and coke zero on the market to cater to the needs of diabetic and other lifestyle patients (Villarino & Font, 2015).

Product oriented and market oriented

The concepts of market-oriented and product oriented are popular with modern organizations and can help explain marketing myopia as defined by Levitt. A market-oriented organization is an organization that its activities, products, and services are customer driven. On the other hand, product-oriented organizations focus on production, skills, and systems that support the product (Villarino & Font, 2015).  Levitt advocated for market-oriented organizations where intensive research is needed to improve quality and meet consumer demands.

Contemporary brands suffering from marketing myopia

Consumers will always choose products and services that fulfill their needs and consume them until something more attuned to these requirements comes along.  As a result, many brands have suffered immensely from marketing myopia as more attuned products and services emerge in the market.  For instance, the modern technological advances have lead to ‘’death’’ of the old wire telephone and the use of old typewriters. People have made use of personal computers and mobile phones that are more attuned to consumer needs than these old gadgets.  Organizations are improving their products daily to ensure that they are changing with the change in consumer lifestyles.

Companies like Google and Microsoft are less likely to suffer from marketing myopia since they continue adding new features that meet the dynamic consumer world. ‘however, a company like  Yahoo! and other mailing companies may be affected by marketing myopia as there is an increased use of instant messengers and use of social connecting sites thus making emails obsolete (Villarino & Font, 2015). Also, New York Times and other print media may also suffer from marketing myopia. It is prudent to note that companies like CNN and other cable news networks have taken media and journalism a notch higher thus making others obsolete.

References

Villarino, J., & Font, X. (2015). Sustainability marketing myopia: The lack of persuasiveness in sustainability communication. Journal Of Vacation Marketing, 21(4), 326-335. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1356766715589428

 
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