McKinsey Quarterly published an article titled The changing face of marketing written in 1966 by John D. Louth, a principal in McKinsey’s San Francisco office. Louth discusses six trends he believes “will be felt by almost every business.”
#1. The dominance of the customer
« Another important result of this growing consumer dominance is that today nearly all sales potentials are segmented. Typically, a total market now comprises a series of submarkets, each with its own characteristics and each demanding a different sales approach. For most companies, it is a gross error to develop a marketing program aimed at the “average customer.” Today such a consumer, or such a company, hardly exists. In short, the company that is not alert to the customers’ needs and the changing complexities of marketplaces is inviting disaster. »
#2. The spread of marketing research
#3. The rise of the computer
#4. Expanded use of test marketing
#5. Metamorphosis of field selling
« The fifth trend I foresee is a shift in the nature of the field-selling job toward a more integrated, profit-oriented marketing effort. »
#6. Global market planning
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