Successful_Organizations_Are_a_Product_of_Successful_Marketing

Successful Organizations are a Product of Successful Marketing L. McTier Anderson’s 1987 article, “Charting a Smooth Course for Marketing’s Seven C’s,” provides a practical framework for marketing management. Anderson suggests that an appreciation of the significance of the 7Cs of the marketing discipline - customer orientation, change, competition, communication, credibility, creativity, and commitment - can help managers choose analytical tools and techniques and develop effective marketing strategies and plans.[i] As business professionals, one way we can better understand marketing principles, is to study the distinguishing characteristics of successful organizations and how they apply these principles. Customer Orientation Anderson suggested that perhaps the best expression of customer orientation is the “marketing concept,” which is beautifully explained in the quintessential Harvard Business Review article "Marketing Myopia" by Theodore Levitt (1960). Levitt illustrates the marketing concept with the story of Henry Ford, inventor of the manufacturing assembly line. Levitt postulates: “We habitually celebrate him for the wrong reason: for his production genius. His real genius was marketing.”[ii] While it is true that he developed a method of assembly that enabled him to cut costs and make millions of $500 cars, the method was a result of his conclusion that at $500 he could sell millions of cars. Ford first discovered a need in the market place (affordable motorized transportation) that he could satisfy, for a profit. Levitt suggested that “a truly marketing-minded firm tries to create value-satisfying goods and services that consumers will want to buy…The seller takes cues from the buyer in such a way that the product becomes a consequence of the marketing effort, not vice versa.”[iii] In order to achieve this deep understanding of the buyer (a businesses customer), management must strive to build deep -and lasting- relationships based on service and trust. “In Business Week’s first-ever ranking of the best providers of customer service, we set out to find the service champions, but also to dig into the techniques, strategies, and tools they use to make the customer king,” writes McGregor, Jesperson, Tucker and Foust (2007). The results crowned ‘service legend’ USAA as the No. 1 Customer Service Champ, “where great customer service is a founding, fundamental principle.” [iv] That was 2007 – and USAA has been on the list every year since. “Although few large companies have such a specialized focus, managers everywhere could learn plenty from USAA about coddling customers,” writes J. McGregor in the 2010 article detailing specifics of Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s annual Customer Service Champs top-ranking companies. “In almost everything it does, the financial-services outfit puts itself in the spit-shined shoes of its often highly mobile customers, many of whom face unique financial challenges.”(2010)[v] Karen Pauli, research director of consulting firm TowerGroup claims: "There is nobody on this earth who understands their customer better than USAA."[vi] So how do they do it' USAA knows how to serve its armed forces customers and the unique financial issues they face. The company was founded in 1922 by a group of 25 Army officers who got together to insure each other's vehicles. Today, the company continues to foster this level of identification with its customers beginning with employee training. New hires attend sessions where they dine on MREs (meals ready to eat), which troops consume in the field, try on gear such as Kevlar helmets and flak vests, and receive deployment letters to help illustrate the financial decisions customers face at such an emotional time. (para. McGregor p41). Another market leader in the customer orientation category (and a regular on Business Week’s Customer Service Champs list) is Nordstrom Inc., an apparel company known for its outstanding customer service and accomplishments in creating an outstanding ‘customer experience.’ From inviting atmospheres, huge inventories, and personal ‘thank you’ notes from sales staff, Nordstrom’s has “created a culture where customer service is singled out, honored and rewarded.” [vii] Perhaps that’s why 28% of 19,000 customers surveyed by a recent IBM pole (higher than any other store in its group) pledged their loyalty and recommendations for the retailer. It was Peter F. Drucker, commonly referred to as the father of modern management, who first asserted that: “There is only one valid definition of business purpose: To create a customer…”[viii] Drucker stressed that a firm understanding of customers’ ever-changing needs, wants, and preferences was the driving force for business success. He would no doubt agree that Southwest Airlines is an honorable mention with regards to customer orientation. In a 2010 Marketing Management article, Locander and Luechauer state “Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 30 years, you are no doubt aware of the many accolades Southwest Airlines has garnered for “luving” and taking exceptional care of both its customers and employees.”[ix] Change To effectively manage change, an organization must monitor market evolution and be willing and able to adjust in a changing environment. Levitt articulates a classic example of management’s failure to anticipate and adapt to change, even if that meant changing everything about their business operation and industry in order to satisfy the needs of their customer. “The railroads are in trouble today not because that need was filled by others (cars, trucks, airplanes, and even telephones) but because it was not filled by the railroads themselves. They let others take customers away from them because they assumed themselves to be in the railroad business rather than in the transportation business…they were product oriented instead of customer oriented.”[x] Levitt further proclaimed that “What the railroads lack is not opportunity but some of the managerial imaginativeness and audacity that made them great...[What is lacking is] the will of the companies to survive and to satisfy the public by inventiveness and skill.”[xi] Many would argue that no other company in the world satisfies its customers with ‘inventiveness and skill’ more than Apple, Inc. “It's called the Cult of Apple for a reason,” states Stone and Burrows of BusinessWeek, referring to the company as the master of loyalty for all its innovative gadgets and gizmos. [xii] In a 2004 BusinessWeek interview, Steve Jobs talks about innovation at Apple: “I get asked a lot why Apple's customers are so loyal. It's not because they belong to the Church of Mac! That's ridiculous. It's because when you buy our products, and three months later you get stuck on something, you quickly figure out [how to get past it]. And you think, "Wow, someone over there at Apple actually thought of this!" And then three months later you try to do something you hadn't tried before, and it works, and you think "Hey, they thought of that, too." And then six months later it happens again. There's almost no product in the world that you have that experience with, but you have it with a Mac. And you have it with an iPod…“I used to be the youngest guy in every meeting I was in, and now I'm usually the oldest. And the older I get, the more I'm convinced that motives make so much difference…Our primary goal here is to make the world's best PCs -- not to be the biggest or the richest.”[xiii] When it comes to the necessity of change, Apple’s top rival Microsoft is breathing down its neck. Apple is ahead of the game in the entertainment market, but “Windows operating system still runs on more than 90 percent of PCs, and the Office application suite rules the desktop.”[xiv] In a 2009 Newsweek article, D. Lyons begrudging admits that in the past decade (CEO Ballmer Decade), Microsoft's “revenues have nearly tripled, from $23 billion to $58 billion,” and that “the company has built a huge new business selling ‘enterprise’ software --programs that run corporate data centers.”[xv] Microsoft has also done well with the gamers and its Xbox game system. But now, with its hot new gaming addition, Kinect (the motion sensing control system for Xbox) Microsoft is hoping to spearhead its expansion into the hugely lucrative casual gaming market. The long term strategy is to establish Xbox 360 as the focal point of the modern living room.[xvi] GE Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt’s philosophy is that “you have to be willing to change when it makes sense.”[xvii] And necessity for change was just the situation GE found itself in. “Just 10 years ago General Electric had no substantial marketing organization,” writes GE insider, “For decades the company had been so confident in its technologies that it seemed to believe the products could market themselves.” But times began to change. “The businesses were maturing, and like other companies, GE was learning that it could not win simply by launching increasingly sophisticated technologies or by taking existing technologies to new markets.”[xviii] The massive conglomerate took action and completely restructured the marketing framework across all business, adopting a strategy fueled by technology, innovation, global markets, and stronger customer ties. They discovered innovative ways of serving customers based on existing investments and opportunities in new markets, new segments, and new products. Competition In our modern global business environment, competition is virtually limitless and diverse in nature. “While implementation of the marketing concept is essential to success, it's no longer sufficient to focus solely on customers' needs. Competitors can also do this,”[xix] states Anderson. He advises businesses to develop a unique and distinctive positioning strategy - and clearly communicate those advantages to the customer. In order to compete successfully in today’s global marketplace, marketers must look at trends and identify opportunities in new or expanded markets where their current expertise could "do it better" than the competition (competitive advantage). GE Aviation President of Systems, Lorraine Bolsinger exemplified this ability when she led the business into light jet engines – or ‘air taxis’ in 2004. Up until then, GE Aviation concentrated on large commercial and military jet engine development. Bolsinger and her team believed that the small jet engine market would be increasingly important to GE, especially as the commercial airline industry steadily moved toward a ‘point-to-point’ system of smaller regional jets. “GE’s engine-design expertise, greater than its competitors’, could add significant value by lowering operating costs and increasing asset utilization, making the economics work for air taxi operators. The new sector allowed GE to market its engines based on operational efficiency and resource productivity, not just on thrust and other quantitative metrics.[xx] In “Marketing Myopia,” Levitt wrote that “…individual companies have sought to outdo their competitors by improving on what they are already doing. This makes sense, of course, if one assumes that sales are tied to the country's population strings…”[xxi] If any company has embraced this philosophy on change and creatively outmaneuvering the competition, its Apple. “Apple has become the second most highly valued company in the world, behind only Exxon Mobile and well ahead of tech nemesis Microsoft.”[xxii] The staffers on the 2010 Advertising Age “Marketer of the Year” panel decided to take Apple out of the running…and “instead crown the tech whiz as Ad Age's first Marketer of the Decade.”[xxiii] From the release of the iPod in 2001, “an electronic device that went on to disrupt and forever change the music industry,” the iPhone in mid-decade, “a mobile device that changed the mobile-phone industry and added the word "apps" to the English vocabulary,” and finally, in 2010 the début of the iPad, already well on its way to “disrupting the media, publishing, entertainment and computing industries.”[xxiv] While it is No. 56 on the list of Fortune 500 by revenue, no other company has even come close to “Apple's influence on business models across industries from music and computing to entertainment.”[xxv] One final example on leading the competition is what Anderson would argue as “an organization’s only sustainable competitive advantage.” Human capital. Likely, he would embrace both Nordstrom’s and Southwest’s high regard for human resources and corporate culture. No. 53 on Fortune Magazine’s 2010 ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ list, Nordstrom’s prides their company not only on it’s top notch customer service but on its top treatment of employees. From cash incentives and annual profit-sharing bonuses, stock options, discounts on merchandise, and a general tendency to “promote from within,” Nordstrom’s firmly believes that its people are one of its most valuable resources. Vice President and Regional Manager Gemma Lionello told Fortune: "I came to Nordstrom because I wanted a career, not just a job. It's a great company to realize your goals. We're given the power to run our own business. We're encouraged to try new ideas."[xxvi] Southwest has “created close-knit, high performing cultures by combining high expectations with a sense of caring that is unique in business…By holding their managers accountable for creating a culture that features trust, respect, and accountability, they drive results and create a culture where people feel cared for.”[xxvii] Leadership Excellence columnist David Witt attributes Southwest’s success to their commitment to practicing The Golden Rule. “Southwest treats employees with respect and loves people for who they are. In return, the company asks employees to treat customers in a similar manner.”[xxviii] Creativity In the 7C’s, Anderson states that “The successful marketer must be a combination of artist, scientist, and manager,” suggesting that organizational leaders must be creative in every aspect of their business – from advertising, product development, management, distribution, and business model. Back in 1960, Levitt prophesized: “If a company's own research does not make a product obsolete, another's will.”[xxix] Though CEO and co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, may not be familiar with the Harvard Business Review legend, he has certainly led his company in a manner that would have made Levitt proud. As discussed earlier in the commentary on Competition, the innovations at Apple have profoundly influenced business models in the music, computing, and entertainment industries. When asked about the process of product innovation at Apple, Jobs replied: “…Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we've been thinking about a problem. Its ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.”[xxx] Jobs concentrates on hiring the best people in their given discipline, resulting in a team of highly skilled specialists “who operate in a system that still resembles a startup.”[xxxi] While creativity sometimes runs rampant at Apple, Jobs says staying focused “comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don't get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We're always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it's only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.”[xxxii] Also notable for its creative spin on the traditional bookstore, is Barnes & Noble. The retailer is known for its large, upscale stores, many of which contain a café serving Starbucks Coffee, and providing comfy seating to make customers feel cozy. Books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs, graphic novels, gifts, games, and music – they sell it all – in store, online at B&N.com, via mobile apps eReader and Bookstore, and perhaps most excitingly innovative, through instant download onto their eReader tablet Nook. 2010 even brought a critical alliance with rival retailer Books-A-Million for the exclusive on Nook. As for other alliances in the pursuit of digital domination, CEO William Lynch says "we've spoken with the American Booksellers Association about things we can do together, because digital is so prohibitively expensive for a lot of independents. Could we put together a 'white label' à la carte service for an independent store brand' Nothing is coming within the next six months. But for us to have had these conversations eight years ago would have been inconceivable. “Now [with alliances and the digital expansion largely under its belt] the threat to the bookstore model from the tech companies is such that we'd embrace such an opportunity."[xxxiii] Credibility “A company perceived as an expert in its field and as trustworthy in its dealings with customers,” says Anderson, “lasting credibility is built on a company’s reputation for outstanding quality and service.”[xxxiv] Credibility has three key components: trustworthiness, expertise, and dynamism. It can’t be bought, but it can be earned. Speaking of credibility, at the (2009) British Marketing Society’s 50th Anniversary gala, the society honored those brands that have made the greatest impact on society during the past half century since its inception. “Microsoft was voted the brand that most changes our lives and few could argue with that,” writes Marketing Week UK’s ‘Secret Marketer.’(Though Apple was also acknowledged by the society – as the brand most loved by consumers!)[xxxv] Throughout the world, Microsoft is nearly synonymous with software. Microsoft rose to dominate the home computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, and continues its reign today – even without visionary founder Bill Gates. Another fine example of an organization that has earned its credibility (arguably the epitome of dynamism) is the National Football League (NFL). The sports organization has roots as far back as the early 1920’s, but by 1958, when that season's NFL championship game became known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played," the NFL was on its way to becoming the most popular sports league in the United States. It is by far the most attended domestic sports league in the world by average attendance per game, with 67,509 fans per game in the 2009-10 regular season[xxxvi] and 66,960 fans per game in 2010-11.[xxxvii] In an age of constant change, particularly in the past few years since ‘The Great Recession,’ America’s, indeed the global, business environment seems to be in a dizzying state of constant flux. Great corporations have risen and many have fallen, but there are a few that have mastered the art of enduring greatness. Now that’s credibility. From the origination of ‘most significant business innovation of the past 200 years’- systematic management development - to the more than a 100 years of sustained success, GE has been a pillar of corporate leadership. “These companies trained leaders who could evolve and create a portfolio of flywheels-from candles to Pringles, from medical plasters to Tylenol, from light bulbs to jet engines-yet they also held tight to core values that have remained fixed for 100 years or more.”[xxxviii] Commitment “Success depends on a total organizational commitment to the customer. Each member must believe in corporate goals and be deeply committed to excellence and high ethical principles in the implementation of marketing plans,” writes Anderson in The 7C’s.[xxxix] “Not many American businesses can boast that they are members of the 100-year-old club. To make it requires vision, discipline and an ability to navigate turbulent times and meet ever-changing market demands,”[xl] all of which are qualities that can be translated as a commitment to excellence. Nordstrom’s has created a culture with this commitment to excellence in customer service as its foundation. Patrick McCarthy, top Nordstrom salesperson with 30-year tenure, relays his most valued career lessons: “Remember people’s names; if you say you’re going to do something, do it; always be available to customers; and go the extra distance to make sure they’re cared for. McCarthy further states “A relationship is everything. It can be life-long and it can be short-circuited. You choose whether you want the lifelong or not, and you do that by the degree of commitment.”[xli] Robert Spector, Coauthor of “The Nordstrom Way,” recalls a story of a woman with one leg who jokingly bet that the store didn’t sell just one shoe. “She lost the bet and Nordstrom lived up to its reputation, gaining a life-long customer advocate in the process.” Nordstrom spokeswoman Deniz Anders feels that it’s stories like these that ultimately allow Nordstrom to spend much less on advertising than its competitors: “We believe that word of mouth is extremely important. If [the customers] have a good experience, they will tell their friends.”[xlii] Another excellent example of corporate commitment to excellence comes from USAA, who has upheld its firm commitment to serving the men, women, and family members of the US military for over 80 years. “Its decision to forgo the traditional agent-model of selling products and services and its commitment not to become a publicly owned company has differentiated it from most of its competitors.”[xliii] President, Chairman, and CEO Robert G. Davis stands firm in the company’s business model. “Becoming a publicly owned company could potentially be one of the things that would hurt us as a company because we would have to shift our emphasis from our members to Wall Street,”[xliv] says Davis. Communication “Effective communication begins with effective listening,” Says Anderson, “If we're to develop tailored products and to communicate effectively with customers about these products, we must understand our audience.”[xlv] An important role in marketing management is to ensure that every communication from the company conveys a consistent, compelling, and complete message. And “communication must be a continuous loop to insure that customers remain satisfied.”[xlvi] Perhaps the most exemplary display of effective communication in recent business history is that of Microsoft and its new operating system, Windows 7. And it landed them on AdWeek’s 2010 Marketer of the Year list. The opening line of the article: “How do you improve on a product half the world already owns' Ask 8 million people to help!”[xlvii] That’s exactly what world renowned tech innovator Microsoft did in the design phase of its new operating system Windows 7. “One of the key messages was that ‘Windows 7 reflects us listening to our customers,” says David Webster, general manager and chief strategy officer for Microsoft’s central marketing group. “The most unique thing about this product isn’t feature A, B or C. It’s that our customers really played a very active role in helping us design the whole thing…Our customers are, in fact, our colleagues.”[xlviii] As for conveying a consistent, compelling, and complete message with everything they do, Southwest Airlines ensures this ideal in the foundation of their business model. “For nearly four decades, Southwest Airlines had been in a perpetual state of growth, entering new markets, undercutting network carrier pricing and steadily spreading its brand across the United States” writes J. Bohmer of Business Travel News.[xlix] Southwest has a simple mantra of being the low-cost airline carrier for domestic US travel – and everything they do reflects this strategy. “When Herb Kelleher (former CEO) was onboard, his decision making guidance was simple. If someone came to him recommending that Southwest Airlines develop a program to recognize the birthdays of its customers he would retort that if the initiative would support making Southwest the lowest-priced competitor on the market that logic would decide whether to pursue the idea.”[l] While the airline does tout its excellent customer service and friendly, caring employees, executive management has always remained focused on carrying out the strategy that has made them what they are today. To conclude, a reflection on the words of Levitt: “The view that an industry is a customer-satisfying process, not a goods-producing process, is vital for all businesspeople to understand. An industry begins with the customer and his or her needs, not with a patent, a raw material, or a selling skill…[and] in order to produce these customers, the entire corporation must be viewed as a customer-creating and customer-satisfying organism.”[li] Management must continuously impound these ideals “with the kind of flair that excites and stimulates the people in it. Otherwise, the company will be merely a series of pigeonholed parts, with no consolidating sense of purpose or direction.”[lii] ----------------------- [i] Anderson, L. McTier. “Charting a Smooth Course for Marketing’s Seven C’s.” [ii] Levitt, Theodore. “Marketing Myopia,” p.7 [iii] Levitt, p.6 [iv] McGregor, J., Jespersen, F. F., Tucker, M., & Foust, D. (2007). Customer Service Champs. (cover story). BusinessWeek, (4024), 52-64. [v] McGregor, J. (2010). USAA'S BATTLE PLAN. BusinessWeek, (4168), 40-43. [vi] McGregor, J. (2010). USAA'S BATTLE PLAN. BusinessWeek, (4168), 40-43. [vii] WWD, S. (2008). 5. Deliver Customer Service. WWD: Women's Wear Daily, 196(19), 20-1NULL. [viii] Webster, Jr., Frederick E. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science; Spring2009, Vol. 37 Issue 1, p20-27, 8p. [ix] Locander, William. And David Luechauer. “Do What You Love, Love What You Do.” Marketing Management, Spring 2010 (14-15). [x] Levitt, Theodore. “Marketing Myopia,” p.1 [xi] Levitt, p2 [xii] Stone, B., Burrows, P., & Satariano, A. (2011). The Essence of Apple. Bloomberg Businessweek, (4213), 6-8. Retrieved [xiii] Interview Transcript, BusinessWeek.com “The Seed of Apple’s Innovation.” October 12, 2004. (1-2). [xiv] Lyons, D. (2009). The Lost Decade. Newsweek, 154(19), 27. [xv] Lyons, D. (2009). The Lost Decade. Newsweek, 154(19), 27. [xvi] Jones, Garreth. (2009). Microsoft’s Controlling Interest. Haymarket Business Publications Ltd. (p25) [xvii] Brady, D. (2010). CAN GE STILL MANAGE' (cover story). BusinessWeek, (4175), 26-32. [xviii] Comstock, Beth, Ranjay Gulati, Stephen Liguori. “Unleashing the Power of Marketing,” Harvard Business Review, 2010 (90-100). [xix] McTier [xx] Comstock, Beth, Ranjay Gulati, Stephen Liguori. “Unleashing the Power of Marketing,” Harvard Business Review, 2010 (97). [xxi] Levitt, Theodore. “Marketing Myopia,” p.4 [xxii] Bulik, B. (2010). MARKETER OF THE DECADE: APPLE. Advertising Age, 81(37), 14. [xxiii] Bulik, B. (2010). MARKETER OF THE DECADE: APPLE. Advertising Age, 81(37), 14. [xxiv] Bulik, B. (2010). MARKETER OF THE DECADE: APPLE. Advertising Age, 81(37), 14. [xxv] Ibid. [xxvi] Tkaczyk, C. (2010). NORDSTROM. Fortune, 162(6), 37. [xxvii] Witt, David. “Respect & Trust: Build a Culture of Accountability,” Leadership Excellence, July 2010 (1). [xxviii] Witt, David. “Respect & Trust: Build a Culture of Accountability,” Leadership Excellence, July 2010 (1). [xxix] Levitt, p6 [xxx] Interview Transcript, BusinessWeek.com “The Seed of Apple’s Innovation.” October 12, 2004. (1-2). [xxxi] Stone, B., Burrows, P., & Satariano, A. (2011). The Essence of Apple. Bloomberg Businessweek, (4213), 6-8. [xxxii] Interview Transcript, BusinessWeek.com “The Seed of Apple’s Innovation.” October 12, 2004. (1-2). [xxxiii] Feldman, G. (2010). The lynchpin to B&N's future. Bookseller, (5458), 22. [xxxiv] Anderson, L. McTier. p1. [xxxv] Secret Marketer (2009). The Secret Marketer [editorial]. Marketing Week UK, (01419285), 46. [xxxvi] "NFL maintains massive lead in attendance” Sporting Intelligence. Sportingintelligence.com. 2010-01-04. http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2010/01/04/nfl-maintains-massive-lead-in-attendance. Retrieved 2011-03-02 [xxxvii] "ANALYSIS: Super Bowl’s record TV audience follows optimistic NFL attendances". Sporting Intelligence. http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2011/02/08/analysis-super-bowl-record-tv-audience-follows-optimistic-nfl-attendances-080101. Retrieved 2011-03-02. [xxxviii] Collins, J. (2008). THE SECRET OF ENDURING GREATNESS. Fortune International (Europe), 157 (9), 36-40. [xxxix] Anderson, L. McTier. [xl] DeFelice, Alexandra. “A Century of Love.” Customer Relationship Management, June 2005. (42-49) [xli] DeFelice, 48. [xlii] DeFelice, 44. [xliii] Chordas, Lori. “The Ultimate Niche” Best’s Review, November 2002. (30-42) p31. [xliv] Chordas, Lori. “The Ultimate Niche” Best’s Review, November 2002. (30-42) p32. [xlv] Anderson, L. McTier. [xlvi] Ibid. [xlvii] Stilson, J. (2010). OPEN UP THAT WINDOW. Adweek, 51(32), 32-34. [xlviii] Stilson, J. (2010). OPEN UP THAT WINDOW. Adweek, 51(32), 32-34. [xlix] Boehmer, J. (2010). Southwest Lands AirTran. Business Travel News, 27(13), 3-25. [l] Editorial. “Managing brand performance: Aligning positioning, execution and experience,” Journal of Brand Management (2010) 17, 465 – 471. doi: 10.1057/bm.2010.11 [li] Levitt, p11. [lii] Levitt, p12 References Anderson, L. McTier. “Charting a Smooth Course for Marketing’s Seven C’s.” Boehmer, J. (2010). Southwest Lands AirTran. Business Travel News, 27(13), 3-25. Brady, D. (2010). CAN GE STILL MANAGE' (cover story). BusinessWeek, (4175), 26-32. Bulik, B. (2010). MARKETER OF THE DECADE: APPLE. Advertising Age, 81(37), 14. BusinessWeek.com Interview Transcript “The Seed of Apple’s Innovation.” October 12, 2004. (1-2). Comstock, Beth, Ranjay Gulati, Stephen Liguori. “Unleashing the Power of Marketing,” Harvard Business Review, 2010 (90-100). Chordas, Lori. “The Ultimate Niche” Best’s Review, November 2002. (30-42) p32. Collins, J. (2008). THE SECRET OF ENDURING GREATNESS. Fortune International (Europe), 157 (9), 36-40. DeFelice, Alexandra. “A Century of Love.” Customer Relationship Management, June 2005. (42-49) Feldman, G. (2010). The lynchpin to B&N's future. Bookseller, (5458), 22. Levitt, Theodore. “Marketing Myopia,” Harvard Business Review. Reprint 2004 (138-149). Locander, William. And David Luechauer. “Do What You Love, Love What You Do.” Marketing Management, Spring 2010 (14-15). Lyons, D. (2009). The Lost Decade. Newsweek, 154(19), 27. Jones, Garreth. (2009). Microsoft’s Controlling Interest. Haymarket Business Publications Ltd. (25) Journal of Brand Management. Editorial. “Managing brand performance: Aligning positioning, execution and experience,” (2010) 17, 465 – 471. McGregor, J., Jespersen, F. F., Tucker, M., & Foust, D. (2007). Customer Service Champs. (cover story). BusinessWeek, (4024), 52-64. McGregor, J. (2010). USAA'S BATTLE PLAN. BusinessWeek, (4168), 40-43. Stilson, J. (2010). OPEN UP THAT WINDOW. Adweek, 51(32), 32-34. Stone, B., Burrows, P., & Satariano, A. (2011). The Essence of Apple. Bloomberg Businessweek, (4213), 6-8. Tkaczyk, C. (2010). NORDSTROM. Fortune, 162(6), 37. Witt, David. “Respect & Trust: Build a Culture of Accountability,” Leadership Excellence, July 2010 (1). Secret Marketer (2009). The Secret Marketer [editorial]. Marketing Week UK, (01419285), 46. Sporting Intelligence. "NFL maintains massive lead in attendance” sportingintelligence.com. 2011-03-02. http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2010/01/04/nfl-maintains-massive-lead-in-attendance. Retrieved 2011-03-02 Sporting Intelligence. "ANALYSIS: Super Bowl’s record TV audience follows optimistic NFL attendances" sportingintelligence.com. 2011-03-02. http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2011/02/08/analysis-super-bowl-record-tv-audience-follows-optimistic-nfl-attendances-080101. Retrieved 2011-03-02. Webster, Jr., Frederick E. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Spring2009, Vol. 37 Issue 1, (20-27). WWD, S. (2008). 5. Deliver Customer Service. WWD: Women's Wear Daily, 196(19), 20.