something to toot my marketing horn...

“Marketing is greatly misunderstood. It’s the most important discipline in business today. It’s the core essence of what a company is all about. The overriding concern of top management should be what a company stands for in the minds of customers and prospects.

But it’s not. Top management is focused on products and services and especially on expanding the line to increase sales and profits. What consumers care about is what a company or brand stands for. Perception is the key issue for consumers.

Yet to many management types, reality is the key issue. They think all you have to do is change the reality and you change the perception. But to marketing types, changing perception is the most difficult issue in business...

…Above all, the primary mission of top management is to build powerful brands, which is what marketing is all about.”

-Ken Wheaton (AdAge)