Book excerpt: This book, written by a senior marketer with over thirty years experience of using marketing techniques and concepts, sets out to describe, contextualize and rate them. Its prime emphasis is on understanding their status so that they can be used to direct the use of shareholder funds effectively. Its conclusion is that seasoned professionals must use their judgement about when and how to use them, but they also need to understand them in depth if they are going to make well-rounded, effective investment decisions. Above all it asks: “how useful and relevant is this concept? Will it improve decision making? Does the damn thing have any credibility and does it work?” “This book combines a rigorous review of a wide range of marketing concepts with many practical examples and case studies. It can be read or dipped into both by seasoned professionals and by those just embarking on their marketing career.” Sir Paul Judge, President, Chartered Institute of Marketing “Laurie Young casts an experienced and skeptical eye on many cherished marketing concepts and techniques. He provides an antidote to the tendency to adopt them without understanding their limitations and possibilities.” Professor George Day, The Wharton School, Chairman of the American Marketing Association “Laurie Young has produced nothing less than the A-Z of marketing. He has journeyed far and wide mapping out hundreds of business, marketing and communications models to produce an extremely useful industry atlas. Certainly it will find a well-thumbed home on my bookshelf.” Hamish Pringle, Director General, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising “This book is much needed by marketing. Its value is in challenging concepts, some of which have been the accepted norm for a long time. But as this book shows, some of these may no longer be relevant and appropriate for marketers in today’s consumer environment.” Mike Johnston, CEO, Dairy Council of Northern Ireland and former Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Marketing “Senior marketers, like those who make up the membership of the Marketing Society, hone the methods and techniques they favour as their career develops. Laurie Young clearly did that and an experienced voice shines through this critique. It is heartening to find that so many concepts have a long history of producing real value for businesses but alarming to find so many of the theorists’ favourites to be so groundless.” Hugh Burkitt, CEO, The Marketing Society