Preface for the World Marketing Summit
Philip Kotler

Welcome to the Third Annual World Marketing Summit (WMS). The first WMS was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh and the second in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Both WMSs featured many speakers and drew large audiences. Topics were chosen that would be of great interest and relevance to the largely business audiences.

Because Japan is a highly developed world power, we chose speakers and topics that could help Japan’s companies move their businesses forward. Today’s world economy is characterized by slower growth, especially in the more mature economies. Slower growth inevitably means more intense competition to win the markets that exist. Too often companies lower their price to win a larger share of the market, only to be clobbered by their competitors who also cut their prices. We know that the answer lies elsewhere.

The companies that succeed are those that have not only created real value but know how to continuously create new customer value. Continuous value creation is the key to company longevity. Just doing the same thing in the same way all the time is business suicide. Albert Einstein noted that “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.”

Companies that survive and prosper built their future on a mix of innovation and marketing. As Peter Drucker observed, “These two produce results, all the others are costs.” The firm that knows how to use marketing to produce a long-lasting and globally admired brand will win in the long run.

We invited thirty eight of the world’s best thinkers and practitioners in innovation and marketing to share their ideas and experiences in recharging companies with new energy. We invited leading CEOs, professors and consultants from different countries of the world. They are well-known and respected in their countries and most of our speakers have worldwide reputations in their respective fields of specialization. They are excellent speakers and continuously involved in creating new ideas. Please read their biographies where you were learn about their organizational and consulting experiences, their speaking engagements, and the many books that they have authored.

Our speakers are knowledgeable about Japan and its history and past successes. They have been asked to share ideas that would help energize or re-energize companies. Japan is now deeply engaged in pursuing strong economic growth and our speakers are hoping to throw light on the steps that companies must take to compete successfully in the 21st century.

This WMS is an event not to miss. Your competitors will be here. It is wise for you to be here too.

Philip Kotler