MM Presentation

Marketing Myopia – A case Study by Theodore Levitt
Submitted By –
1) Aanshu (PGP26001)
2) Kushagra Srivastava (PGP26179)
2) Anjali Patel (PGP26051)
4) Rajkumar Das Adhikary (PGP26259)
5) Muskan Tomar (PGP26207)
6) Soumalya Poddar (PGP26342)
What is Marketing Myopia ?
• It was introduced by Theodore Levitt in 1960.
• Missing the “big picture” of what consumers really want.
• Marketing Myopia is a short-sighed inward approach to marketing that
focuses on needs of the business rather than the needs of the customer.
It refers to the tendency of businesses to define their market so narrowly
as to miss opportunities for growth.
• It suggests that businesses will do better in the long term if they concentrate
on improving the profitability, usefulness of a product or service rather than
just trying to sell their products.
• Examples - Nokia, Kodak, Hindustan Motors, Blackberry.
Examples of Marketing Myopia
1) Kodak: Kodak dominated the photographic film market in the
1970s and controlled 90% of the market but failed to adapt to
the digital revolution. The company was focused on selling
film and cameras rather than recognizing the growing need
for digital photography, ultimately leading to its decline.
2) Nokia: Nokia was a leader in mobile phones but concentrated

t
much on hardware, missing the importance of smartphone
operating system and apps. This allowed companies like Apple
and Samsung to outplace them in innovation.
When does it occurs
• Marketing Myopia strikes in when the short term marketing
goals are given more importance than the long term goals.
Symptoms of Marketing Myopia

• More focus on selling rather than building relationships with the
customers.
• Not changing with the dynamic consumer environment.
• Mass production without knowing the demand.
• Predicting growth without conducting proper research.
Fateful Purposes
According to Levitt, Fateful purposes are the fundamental
assumptions that companies have, which usually lead them
in the direction of Obsolescence. These ideas are fateful
because they apply limitations on businesses, leading them
to concentrate merely on their operations, goods rather than
recognizing broader customer needs and market
opportunities.
Examples -
• Railroads believed they were in the railroad business
rather than transportation business.
• Hollywood industry believed they were in the business
of making movies rather than entertainment industry.
Shadow of Obsolescence
The term ‘Shadow of Obsolescence’ describes the
growing risks that businesses face when they get
too focused on their products and lose sight of the
long term trends that could eventually make their
products, services, or even industry as a whole
rebundant.
Examples
1) Dry cleaning wool industry replaced by synthetic fibres.
2) Grocery stores replaced by large supermarkets.
Self – Deceiving Cycle
Self deceiving cycle is a kind of trap where the businesses are likely to get trapped easily
when they lack the vision or don’t assess their own capabilities, competitors, customers’
needs, and changing trends.
1.Growth is
assured
Self- 2. No Competitive
4. Preoccupation
with the product
deceiving substitute
cycle
3. Too much faith

in the production
and unit cost
The Four Myths
Myth 1 Myth 2
Belief Result Belief Result
An ever-expanding There is no
We focus on competitive
and more affluent products, not substitute for our We fail to innovate.
population will customers’ needs. industry’s major
guarantee our product.
growth.
Ex: Petroleum
Ex: Petroleum industry
industry
Myth 3 Myth 4
Belief Result Belief Result

Technical research
We can protect We focus on selling and development We think our
ourselves through instead of will ensure our products will sell
mass production. marketing. growth. by themselves.
Ex: Ford , Detroit Ex: Buggy whip

industry
Step Child Treatment
• Companies treats product as their own child and Marketing of that product as their
stepchild.
• Customers needs are not focused significantly.
• Vast spending of resources and technologies is done by the companies only for the
development of their product.
• Must focus more on “Marketing” than “Selling”.
• Example : Oil industry as it only studied consumer for the improvement purpose, instead
of probing deeply into the human needs that the industry might be trying to satisfy.
Selling V/s Marketing
1. Selling focuses on the needs 1. Marketing focuses on the

of customers. needs of buyers.
2. Selling is getting people to 2. Marketing is satisfying the
exchange their cash for your needs of customers by means
offering. of a product or service.
3. Selling is a part of marketing. 3. Marketing is more
sophisticated and complex
process.
DANGERS OF R&D
• This illustrates the risks that businesses, particularly those in the electronics and oil
industries, face when they get too obsessed with research and development (R&D) at the
cost of customer needs.
• For eg - Rapid expansion in the electronics industry has caused businesses to believe that
excellent products will sell themselves, which has led to a lack of marketing attention.
• The passage argues that businesses should put their customers' needs ahead of their own
production needs. Businesses can better satisfy market demands if they start with the
needs of their customers and modify production accordingly. In the end, it warns against
the dangers of an R&D-centered strategy that ignores the crucial role of marketing.
Conclusion
Problem of short sightedness -
• Marketing Myopia leads to decline in the business gradually.
• Good customer engagement with the product lags somewhere as company focuses only on
the product not on the customer expectations with the product.
• Leads to inadaptability with the changing environment.
Steps can be taken to remove this short sightedness -
• To think widely about the business, have a vision that can produce eager customers in
vast.
• Businesses should focus on the larger customer needs they hope to satisfy.
• Continuous innovation is key to staying relevant and competitive in a rapidly changing
market landscape.
Thank You !
Presented To – Prof. Hitesh Manocha

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Marketing Myopia – A case Study by Theodore Levitt

2) Nokia: Nokia was a leader in mobile phones but concentrated

Symptoms of Marketing Myopia

3. Too much faith

Belief Result Belief Result

Ex: Ford , Detroit Ex: Buggy whip

1. Selling focuses on the needs 1. Marketing focuses on the

Steps can be taken to remove this short sightedness -

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