Art of War and Its Implications on Marketing Strategies: Thinking like a Warrior

Abstract

Throughout the evolution of marketing, as a result of increasing competition, there has been a shift from a production oriented approach to a marketing oriented approach. Strategic thinking that gives companies an advantage over their competitors gained importance. By the end of the 1980s, experts studying strategy looked back into rich military literature to find some basic principles to help them define strategies for today’s business environment. In this period warfare and its similarities with the business world were a great inspiration for marketers. The aim of this study is to show the relation between marketing strategies and military strategies. This exploratory research used secondary data. It is expected that, in the twenty-first century’s highly competitive conditions, this study will give marketers a different point of strategic view and contribute to marketing literature.