Kotler on Marketing: How to Create, Win, and Dominate Markets

If you want to learn marketing, you have to come to Kotler. He is both a pioneer of modern marketing and the leading popularizer of the field. His Principles of Marketing is ubiquitous in business schools throughout the world and he has two other textbooks for advanced classes. Now he gives readers a new way to tap his vast knowledge. The book covers the full range of marketing management and, of course, addresses Internet marketing. Readers won't find the mathematical depth or theoretical rigor that make Kotler's textbook an unpleasant surprise to students expecting an easy course. In fact, this book assumes readers will have a good deal of business experience. It's a terrific capsule of Kotler's marketing savvy. The most significant drawback is that Kotler shows only positive models of successful marketing. This is fine for illustrating general principles and techniques, but it doesn't teach the judgment required to tell good applications from foolish ones. The upshot is that uncritical readers may discover that a little learning is a dangerous thing. Despite these qualifications, this is a fine book on marketing for a general audience. (Apr.)