Empathetic Marketing [antikvár]

FOREWORD Dear Reader, For somé time now, there have been no significant new ideas or theories in marketing literature which might question the validity of the well-established paradigm. What recently published papers or books try at best is to rearrange the knowledge accumulated so far by key words, trying to 'sell' the new ideas that emerge from this process. This, of course, does not conflict with the trend which can be observed in the case of products, namely that 'novelties' on the markét are basically the products of a certain communicative differentiation. Why should the book markét be any different? This book is no exception either; it contains ideas which the reader may have read already, and provokes thoughts that may be quite familiar. The novelty lies in the approach, the arrangement and perhaps the unusually open scepticism the author expresses. Putting empathy into the focus, using an emotional approach in discussing factors which contribute to the success of marketing activities may inspire the reader to embark on a new way of thinking. If this book can trigger just a few new ideas, which prove useful in the future, we can say that it has fulfilled its mission. Marketing - just like an amoeba - can take a great variety of shapes and its inner structure is not very easy to grasp. Its survival can mainly be put down to its aggressive nature that has lead it to 'incorporate' other, related disciplines. Statistics, mathematics, sociology and, quite recently, information technology as well as psychology have all been used to enrich the methodology and contribute to the survival of marketing. Marketing, this sophisticated survivor, ready to adjust itself flexibly to changing conditions, has had an impressive career during which its valuation has experienced both ups and downs. The slogan stating that marketing can be really successful only if it permeates all the activities of the company, instead of having a separate life, has been pursued so efficiently, that authors have started to complain of a loss of prestige, and question the autonomy of marketing as a discipline. One important characteristic feature of marketing is the requirement to produce something new, to bring up fresh, stimulating ideas which puts great pressure on marketing and communication experts. This book can perhaps be of help by opening up somé new perspectives of renewal. In this post-modern age - or whatever it can be called - people are rather sceptical about being able to find new things, being constantly shocked by the recognition that 'somebody has thought of it before me!'. It would, however, be wrong to give up the