The face of marketing is changing. Manufacturers have less control of their marketing activities as retailers are becoming more and more powerful. Consumers have access to more information through the internet and can shop around for better value. In some industries, consumers are also able to participate in product design and specification.
National borders give producers and marketers less protection from competiton.
At the same time, access to international markets become easier for creative entrepreneurs. The new European market will include some 500 million consumers and new competitors from vastly different cultures at different levels of economic development. European marketers will gradually face the same regulatory environment. Most modern value creation includes firms and individuals in rich and poor countries alike. It is time to rethink marketing in general, and to rethink European marketing in particular.