Abstract:

Here we are reminded again that technical expertise in conducting research is not the criterion by which its usefulness is judged. Research alone may not indicate the correct action and it is not just interpretation which must be added, or even a choice of emphasis. Profitable marketing requires sound forecasting and a sense of strategy which does not emerge from printouts. Having made this point, Yankelovich discusses the understanding of market sectors and the choice of an advertising theme - the same points as Devrient (1949). He explains with convincing examples just how important these strategic decisions are. He also shows, without going into techniques, that good research is a way to he well informed. Nothing as grand as a ‘theory’ emerges, though the title promises one, but the experience of watching a master strategist at work is much more useful.