Globalization and information technology have radically changed the ways companies interact with their customers. In today's world where similar products can easily be found around the world and competitors are capable of delivering value to customers wherever they may be, it is customer demand which is in short supply. Professor Noel Capon insists that, in order to be successful in today's marketplace, all managers must identify and form an intimate bond with their raison d'etre, namely the customer. In The Marketing Mavens, Capon argues that advantage is acquired not by controlling resources but by doing a better job of amassing and deploying knowledge resources, especially strategic insights into changing customer needs.

Only those companies focused on serving current and future customer needs will succeed in this era of intense competition. Marketing should be the guiding principle of all companies and the inspiration for every function of their internal organization; employees need to be aligned with customer needs from the beginning. Only with this connection to the customer will companies be able to execute their strategies of connecting to meaningful markets. Based on in depth interviews with marketing executives and CEOs at the world's leading companies, Capon identifies the five imperatives that successful companies follow. These imperatives allow them to have the flexibility to anticipate customer needs and develop new products that will continue to keep their businesses running successfully throughout the 21st century.

Professor Noel Capon is the R.C. Kopf Professor of International Marketing at Columbia Business School. The Marketing Mavens is available in bookstores starting in June 2007.

Read an interview with Professor Capon about the book.
Click here for more information on the book.