ABSTRACT
The greatest difficulty in writing an academic book about marketing is that people already know much about the subject. The rather dry academic text can seem a poor substitute for the excitement of shopping, or working out what a particular advertisement is saying, telling friends about the latest new product you have bought. Even complaining about the poor level of service received from a shop, the local transport company or perhaps the bank can seem more relevant. Typically, people associate marketing with advertising or selling but while there is no doubt that marketing practice definitely encompasses both, there is much more to the subject than a narrow focus on either advertising or selling might suggest. The true scope of the subject is astonishing and a central aim of this book is to provide a flavour of the diverse nature of marketing. Another key aim is to ensure that your knowledge of marketing is built on solid foundations. For this reason, the approach generally follows the traditional managerialist focus on the ‘4 Ps’ (product, price, promotion and place). Additionally, there is an overview of other perspectives, including social marketing, green marketing and relationship marketing.
