At its most fundamental level, marketing is about influencing the decision making and behavior of customers. Profitable businesses are built on an understanding of their customers and the creation and delivery of products and services that meet the needs of these customers. This book is intended to provide a quick, highly accessible introduction to key issues and concepts necessary for understanding market demand, designing successful products and services, and for creating effective marketing programs.

The focus of the book is on information likely to be most useful to a practicing manager rather than the student or scholar who is seeking a deep understanding of consumer behavior. For this reason, the book includes “points to ponder” that link basic concepts to marketing practice. The final chapters of the book also point the reader to a variety of additional resources for learning more about consumer behavior in general and consumers in specific markets.