Never mistake selling for marketing

Marketing, definitely, is a disparate discipline from selling. There are (at least) four implicit characteristics of marketing, rarely observed, but nevertheless of great importance in practice: 1) Branded products only (communication needs a name to refer to), 2) Price/value relation (not supply and demand) decide sales, 3) Positive price elasticity possible (value-enhancing activities can increase sales), 4) Audience, not market (full value in a limited audience only) is the primary target. Companies unaware of the difference may get into trouble with sales people in charge of their marketing department. To get the full story, read it all!   

Evolutionary Marketing: different origins

For 30 years I have developed, worked with, and employed a practical concept of marketing in my consultancy. I did not know that others were on the same track, until I came across Spent by Geoffrey Miller a couple of years ago, and The Consuming Instinct by Gad Saad more recently. Apparently, the same idea has dawned to us simultaneously in different parts of the World unknown to each other. The Americans developed the idea in academic environments, whereas I did it in the practice of my consultancy, writing books about it, lecturing and teaching. Consequently, it was rather recently, when I realized that this marketing theory of the future would be called evolutionary marketing. The difference between our parallel efforts is that the professors have had better resources to verify their ideas and theories, whereas I have been more inclined to develop a system of practical models for people active in business. Read it and discover the useful and practical models you can use in everyday marketing.

Late praise

After many years i found, by coincidence, two short reviews of my American book Brand Dynamics from 1998 on the web:
"A nice approach in a conservative field
It's my opinon that more authors should find inspiration in knowledge sources outside their own field (in this case of marketing, and branding). I love the way Mr. Linn combines thoughts from biology and evolution theories with branding. By his contribution a deeper level of understanding might be reached!"
"Excellent interpretation
It is not often an author allows himselt that in such a brief and vigorous way explain an issue or concept.
I have been searching information about brand management and consider that Brand Dynamics has given me an additional approach and angle in this topic.
I consider that Mr Linn in an excellent way makes this topic clear and let me understand a new approach of buyer appreciated values. An understanding that is of great importance for every organisation that wants to be successful."

Nice to read, and to see that the reviewers even then reacted positively to the biologic angle of approach.