The IMC Handbook

A collection of essay and cases on customer-centered marketing by educators and practitioners in the field. "As long as there have been buyers, makers and sellers, there have been marketing challenges and opportunities. Historically ... the seller had immediate and personal contact with the buyer in the market [or] the bazaar ... While the system was personal, it wasn't very efficient ... As the marketplace evolved, it became more complex, [and] the makers and sellers invented what we now call "marketing" to solve the lack of maker/buyer closeness. In its simplest form, marketing is ... a number of activities makers/sellers use in an attempt to close the gap between themselves and the buyer. For example, the maker/seller now uses tools such as customer research, logistics, and distribution, marketing communication, and the like." From Part I, Reading 1.