The Marketing Mavens
Capon's well-researched and sophisticated foray into the best marketing practices might be relegated to the ho-hum category. After all, one could argue, the central theme—customers don't have to do business with you; everyone is responsible for helping to create and retain customers—is a given today. On the other hand, many corporations seem to lose their way and insight in the welter of mergers, acquisitions, and just plain internal and external change. Capon comes to the rescue, although he is quick to admit there are no silver bullets; even those companies featured, from Dell and UPS to Alcoa and Prudential Financial, stumble on occasion. Yet most have conquered his five challenges: picking markets that matter, selecting segments to dominate, designing the market offer to create customer value and secure differential advantage, integrating to serve the customer, and measuring what matters. Details are prolific, one indicator of painstaking research. Jacobs, BarbaraCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved