ABSTRACT
Asian scholars renewed interest in “Marketing Myopia.” In 2005, a Japanese researcher tested the validity of Theodore Levitt’s argument that a proper business definition sparks growth. Applauding Levitt’s original article and his notion of customer orientation, the article’s authors reiterate that companies should focus on building relationships with their consumers because marketing is more than just selling. When Levitt wrote “Marketing Myopia” scholars and businesspeople alike regarded its ideas as revolutionary. The work helped to establish marketing as an academic discipline and Levitt as “the father of modern marketing.” Levitt’s blunt and pointed analysis of the reasons business growth slowed or stopped appealed to management practitioners. Levitt specifically wrote his article as a manifesto because he wanted it to serve as a “wake-up call” for businesspeople. Levitt’s customer orientation developed into a broader market orientation. The postmodern marketing school took this notion even further, allowing the consumer actively to co-create products, enhancing their value.
