By Upendra Mishra
BOSTON–In an era of rapid technological disruption, endless data streams, artificial intelligence, and accelerated business development cycles, it can feel like everything in marketing has changed.
New platforms emerge daily, customer expectations evolve by the hour, and the very definition of what it means to be a brand is in flux. Yet, amid this relentless transformation, I often return to one foundational idea — one timeless piece of business wisdom that has aged better than most trends: Theodore Levitt’s seminal 1960 essay Marketing Myopia, published in the Harvard Business Review.
The first time I encountered this article; it permanently reshaped the way I viewed marketing. Years later, it remains my intellectual touchstone. The reason is simple: while tools, channels, and technologies come and go, the core purpose of marketing — understanding and satisfying customer needs — hasn’t changed one bit.
Growth Isn’t Inevitable — It’s Earned
Levitt’s argument is a piercing critique of the complacency that kills once-thriving industries. Railroads, he reminds us, didn’t decline because people no longer needed transportation. They failed because they defined themselves narrowly — as being in the railroad business rather than the transportation business. Their collapse wasn’t about declining demand; it was about management’s inability to see the bigger picture.
The same myopia plagued Hollywood when it viewed television as a threat instead of an opportunity. Levitt’s point: industries don’t die because the market disappears — they die because they fail to understand what business they’re really in.
This principle is evergreen. The industries of today — whether AI, fintech, edtech, or clean energy — are no more immune to stagnation than the railroads were. Assuming that technological novelty guarantees long-term success is not just naive — it’s dangerous.
Product-Oriented Thinking vs. Customer-Oriented Strategy
Levitt makes a clear distinction between selling and marketing. Selling, he writes, is concerned with persuading customers to buy what you’ve already decided to produce. Marketing, in contrast, is about understanding what people truly need — and building your business backwards from that point.
Too many companies, especially those driven by technical excellence, fall in love with their product. They focus their energy on optimization, cost efficiency, and scientific R&D — often blind to the fact that customers don’t buy technology; they buy solutions to their problems.
In fact, Levitt points out that even technologically advanced companies (like those in oil and electronics) routinely fail in marketing. They don’t see the customer as the beginning of their process. Instead, they treat marketing as an afterthought — a necessary step to push finished goods out the door.
But that’s not how great businesses are built. The true starting point is always the customer’s need — not the factory, not the patent, not the feature set.
Marketing Is Not a Department. It’s the Business.
One of the most provocative insights in Marketing Myopia is that marketing isn’t just a function — it’s the central purpose of a business. Companies should not see themselves as producers of goods or services, but as creators of customers. “An industry begins with the customer and their needs,” Levitt writes. “It does not begin with a patent, a raw material, or a selling skill.”
The job of a company, then, is to buy customers — to do the things that make people want to engage, buy, and come back. This mindset doesn’t belong just in the marketing department; it should live in every corner of the organization, from product development to logistics, from leadership to customer service.
Leadership and Vision: The Cure for Myopia
Avoiding marketing myopia requires more than good market research or slick branding. It requires visionary leadership. Levitt argues that only a leader with a bold, customer-obsessed vision can rally an organization around the pursuit of real, sustained growth. Without that vision, companies drift, trapped in the comfort of their past successes.
As he puts it: “If an organization does not know or care where it is going, it does not need to advertise that fact with a ceremonial figurehead. Everybody will notice it soon enough.”
In today’s language, that vision might look like being experience-first, user-centric, or purpose-driven. But the core remains the same: understanding who your customer is, what they truly need — and organizing your entire business to meet those needs better than anyone else.
Relevance in the Digital Age
So how does Marketing Myopia resonate in today’s AI-augmented, algorithmic marketplace? More than ever.
- Big data can tell us what people are doing — but not always why.
- Machine learning can predict behavior — but not always the emotional or human drivers behind it.
- Automation can streamline campaigns — but not create real relationships.
In an age when everyone has access to the same tools, customer insight — the kind Levitt champions — becomes the true differentiator. The companies that win will be those who view technology not as a solution, but to better serve their customers.
Final Thought: The Enduring Role of Marketing
Everything around marketing has changed: the platforms, the expectations, the pace. But the essence of marketing — deeply understanding and serving the customer — is as vital now as it was when Levitt first penned his essay over 60 years ago.
In fact, in a world of overwhelming choice, the need for clarity, empathy, and customer orientation has only become more critical. When I think about marketing, I think about that Harvard Business Review article — and the reminder that, no matter how advanced our tools become, the fundamentals still matter most. Because marketing, done right, doesn’t just sell products. It builds relationships, creates customers, and ensures businesses don’t just survive — but thrive.
Key Insights to Remember
- Marketing is not selling.
- Selling focuses on persuading customers to buy what you’ve already made. Marketing begins with the customers’ needs and works backwards to create solutions they truly value.
- Define your business by the customer need it satisfies — not by the product you make.
- Avoid narrow definitions like “we’re in the railroad business.” Instead, think: “we’re in the transportation business.” This mindset keeps you adaptable and relevant.
- Customer needs are the starting point of any business.
- Your business begins not at the factory, lab, or office — but with the problem your customer is trying to solve. Everything else is secondary.
- Technology is not a guarantee of success.
- No amount of innovation matters if it doesn’t align with customer value. Obsession with products or R&D often leads companies to ignore shifts in market demand.
- Marketing is the whole business — seen from the customer’s point of view.
- It’s not a department; it’s a philosophy that should guide every function of your company.
- Leadership must drive a customer-centric vision.
- A company’s purpose, strategy, and internal culture must all revolve around creating and keeping customers. This vision must be instilled from the top down.
- Short-term sales don’t equal long-term growth.
- Real growth comes from deeply understanding the customer and continuously evolving to meet their changing needs — not from clever promotions or one-time wins.
- Survival isn’t enough — strive for greatness.
- As Levitt put it, the goal isn’t just to survive like a “skid row bum.” The goal is to thrive with purpose, vision, and a relentless focus on customer satisfaction.
- Myopia is always a threat no matter what your industry.
- Past success is no defense against future irrelevance. Constantly re-evaluate what business you’re really
(Upendra Mishra is the author of the forthcoming book Precise Marketing: The Proven System for Growing Revenue in a Noisy World, set to release on Amazon in July. He is also the author of the acclaimed novel After the Fall: How Owen Lost Everything and Found What Truly Matters. A seasoned entrepreneur and marketing strategist, Mishra is the founder of Precise Marketing and The Mishra Group, a diversified media and communications company. Through his work, he helps businesses cut through the noise, align strategy with execution, and achieve sustainable growth.)
