ABSTRACT
In "Marketing Myopia," Theodore Levitt explores what he considered myths surrounding the business culture. If managers believe in them, those myths will ultimately harm and threaten the continued success of their business. He advises managers to focus on their consumers instead of on their products– whether goods or services. Levitt analyses how a customer orientation could help formerly thriving companies return to health. He saw that companies get into trouble when they ignore customer needs. Levitt begins his analysis with the problem of obsolescence– the states in which companies find them when consumers desert them. That notion seems inconceivable to managers focused on the presumed superiority of their product. "Marketing Myopia" had a profound impact on American business. It grabbed the attention of managers in general and marketing practitioners in particular. But then, Levitt had targeted "Marketing Myopia" at professionals rather than scholars.
