Professor Kotler, recognized as one of the world’s leading marketing thinkers, has been called The Father of Modern Marketing.
When in 1967 Professor Kotler published his groundbreaking book Marketing Management, now in its 16th edition, he changed the perception of marketing forever. He elevated the field of marketing, adding flesh and blood to what economists started, and turned it into a serious discipline. Ninety books later, Professor Kotler continues to impress and educate. Anyone who has studied marketing has read him, and some very lucky few have been able to attend his classes at the Kellogg School of Management.
In our conversation with this Marketing Legend, Professor Kotler explained his view that business exists primarily to serve. Making money is only a secondary factor. He also explores the evolution of the 4 P’s into the 7 P’s, about which he will be publishing soon. In our stimulating conversation, he told us that it was his early exploration of equity and wealth distribution that led him to the field of marketing. We also discovered his mentors, including Peter Drucker, his hero. Take a listen to Kotler’s definition of the “Wicked Seven” problems that face us today, and hear why he believes there are “many rooms in the Mansion of Marketing.”
"You should feel comfortable about serving your product. It shouldn't make you feel superior or inferior, but it comes out of a compassion to make life better for more people." Philip Kotler
About Marketing Legends
Marketing Legends, a series in the WVU Marketing Communications Today podcast, features marketing thinkers, innovators, practitioners and founders — legends of the marketing world — who will talk about their careers and share their wisdom with the marketers of today.
About our Guest
Philip Kotler
The Father of Modern Marketing
Philip Kotler is known around the world as the “father of modern marketing.” For over 50 years he has taught at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Kotler’s book Marketing Management is the most widely used textbook in marketing around the world. This is his story – How a Ph.D. economist from M.I.T. became the world’s leading marketing authority, the Father of Modern Marketing.
Philip Kotler is the S. C. Johnson Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the J. L. Kellogg School of Management. He has been honored as one of the world’s leading marketing thinkers. He received his M.A. degree in economics (1953) from the University of Chicago and his Ph.D. degree in economics (1956) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), and has received honorary degrees from 22 universities including Stockholm University, the University of Zurich, Athens University of Economics and Business, Budapest School of Economics and Administrative Science, the Kracow School of Business and Economics, and DePaul University.
He is author of over one hundred and fifty articles and 90 books, including Principles of Marketing, Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism, Strategic Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations, Social Marketing, Marketing Places, The Marketing of Nations, Confronting Capitalism, Democracy in Decline, and Advancing the Common Good. His research covers strategic marketing, consumer marketing, business marketing, professional services marketing, and e-marketing. He has been a consultant to IBM, General Electric, AT&T, Bank of America, Merck, Motorola, Ford, and others. He has lectured several times in Italy, Sweden, China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and many other countries.
Meet the Hosts
Cyndi W. Greenglass is a founding partner and president at Livingston Strategies, a data-informed, strategic consulting firm that helps clients develop, execute, and measure their customer communications with a close focus on results. Cyndi has razor-sharp strategic skills matched by impeccable on-the-ground savvy and tactical abilities. She is an Adjunct Instructor in the Data Marketing Communications online master's degree program from West Virginia University.
Greenglass has twice been named into the Top 100 Influential BTB Marketers by Crain’s BtoB Magazine and was the 2012 CADM Chicago Direct Marketer of the Year. She is a member of the Board of Advisors for BRAND United and has taught, trained and presented at over 50 conferences throughout the world.
Ruth P. Stevens consults on customer acquisition and retention, for business-to-business clients. Ruth serves on the boards of directors of the HIMMS Media Group, and the Business Information Industry Association. She is a trustee of Princeton-In-Asia, past chair of the Business-to-Business Council of the DMA, and past president of the Direct Marketing Club of New York.
Ruth was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Marketing by Crain’s BtoB magazine, and one of 20 Women to Watch by the Sales Lead Management Association. She serves as a mentor to fledgling companies at the ERA business accelerator in New York City.
WVU Marketing Communications Today: Marketing Legends is presented by the West Virginia University Reed School of Media and Communications, which offers renowned online master’s degree programs in Marketing Communications. Interested in growing your career with a master's degree in Data, Digital or Integrated Marketing Communications? Request more information today!