CEOs are more than frustrated by marketing's inability to deliver results. Has the profession lost its relevance?

Nirmalya Kumar argues that, while the function of marketing has lost ground, the importance of marketing as a mind-set-geared toward customer focus and market orientation-has gained momentum across the entire organization.

This book challenges marketers to change their role from tactical implementers of traditional marketing functions-like advertising and promotion-to orchestrating organization-wide, transformational initiatives aimed at profitably delivering value to customers. Marketing must escape from the tactical 4 P's (product, price, place, and promotion) orientation to thinking more broadly in terms of the 3 V's - valued customer, value proposition, and value network.

Kumar outlines seven strategy-focused, cross-functional, and bottom-line oriented initiatives that can put marketing back on the CEO's agenda-and elevate its role in shaping the destiny of the firm.

      1. From Market Segments to Strategic Segments
      2. From Selling Products to Providing Solutions
      3. From Declining to Growing Distribution Channels
      4. From Branded Bulldozers to Global Distribution Partners
      5. From Acquiring to Rationalizing Brands
      6. From Market-Driven to Market-Driving
      7. From SBU Marketing to the Corporate Marketing

Nirmalya Kumar is Professor of Marketing at London Business School where he is also the Director, Centre for Marketing and Co-Director, Aditya V Birla India Centre.

The book was published by Harvard Business School Press in 2004.