ABSTRACT
In “Marketing Myopia,” Theodore Levitt argues that a business does not begin with a product, a raw material, a patent, or a skill. It begins with the customer. Levitt constructs an argument that could apply to many sectors. Whether looking at challenges facing the dry cleaning industry, electric utilities, grocery stores, or Hollywood studios, Levitt’s analysis offers a widely effective remedy. Perhaps one reason Levitt’s message reached so many areas of the business world is that it could apply to so many disparate industries. The nearsightedness Levitt identified manifests itself whenever an organization neglects to prioritize its consumers’ needs. Levitt helped business leaders identify the disconnection between their product-centric practices and consumers’ changing needs. Levitt’s sophisticated marketing advice helped them focus more on consumers, which forever changed the ways in which products were marketed. The nearsightedness Levitt identified manifests itself whenever an organization neglects to prioritize its consumers’ needs.
