This surname and name - Philip Kotler - do not say much to the general public. This is not a popular film actor, not a TV presenter, whose personal life details are known to any gossip at the entrance. Philip Kotler is "just" an American scientist, one of the thousands, if not millions, of the scientific field. And yet he is worth knowing about him not only colleagues.
From biography
So what is he famous for, Philip Kotler? The biography of this person, set out in official sources, is very concise. Son of emigrants from Russia, born in the USA in 1931, married, father of three daughters. Well, and also various details of a career, positions, - in a word, information that is interesting only to a small circle of people. But here's something that should interest others: Philip Kotler is rightfully considered the founding father of modern marketing theory.
What is marketing and why is it important?
The concept of "marketing" is borrowed from the English lexicon (marketing -market trading). To date, there are many definitions and interpretations of this word. This is how Philip Kotler interprets the term "marketing". He calls it a kind of human activity aimed at satisfying needs and requirements through exchange. That is, two grandmothers in the market, one of whom sells dill, and the second buys it, are also, in fact, engaged in marketing. Grandmothers just do not need to explain how important it is to buy and sell wisely. But, unfortunately, this obvious fact is not always realized by leaders and managers, businessmen and civil servants.
Often, the activity of these persons, instead of profit, brings continuous losses to their structures. And the merit of Philip Kotler lies precisely in the fact that he is trying to teach humanity to trade correctly. However, not only trade. If we summarize everything that Kotler has done, the following conclusion will also seem logical: he is trying to teach people how to live.
Marketing in Russia and worldwide
Due to historical circumstances, marketing was not considered a science for a long time. It was only in the 70s that the marketing sector (Chamber of Commerce and Industry) was created in the USSR. In Russia, the Marketing Association appeared in 1990.
But in the world this concept became known much earlier. In the US, the first marketing courses were taught as early as 1902 at the Universities of Michigan and Illinois, as well as at the University of Berkeley. True, all kinds of organizations related to marketing began to appear in the United States, Western European countries andJapan, Canada and Australia much later - also in the 70s. This subject was studied, it was studied, and yet the knowledge was rather loose and scattered, the terminology was vague. It was he, Philip Kotler, who managed to systematize and summarize the available information, to create a single whole from scraps. "The Fundamentals of Marketing", the most famous work of this author, has become a kind of bible for many marketers.
Kotler and science
Many experts are sure that without the work of this person there would be no marketing as a science in its modern sense. From 1962 to the present day, Kotler Philipp is a professor of marketing, his permanent place of work is the Graduate School of Management at the University of Illinois. But Kotler began to engage in science long before that, strenuously building up his potential in various fields. He was interested in economics and mathematics, studied management, psychology, behaviorism (personal behavior). All this helped him then in his main work. Important knowledge gleaned from other sciences, Kotler managed to put together and develop, link into an independent concept of "marketing". Philip Kotler is still the most recognized authority, a real "guru" in this matter.
Philip Kotler, Fundamentals of Marketing
Kotler's book "Fundamentals of Marketing" is a kind of scientific bestseller. First published in Russia in 1990, it became a real revelation for many citizens of the former Soviet Union. The publication is especially valuable because it tells about complex socio-economic phenomenaextremely accessible. The scientific work is published for the inexperienced reader, who first encountered the need to study this problem. To appreciate the significance of this book, it is necessary to recall the political and economic situation in Russia in those years. The collapse of socialism, "wild" capitalism, a complete lack of understanding of how to live and what to do. It was necessary to fill in the gaping gaps in economic knowledge as soon as possible, to try to understand the mechanism of commodity-money relations, to understand the peculiarities of the market. In fact, it was from Kotler's book that the acquaintance of former Soviet citizens with a completely new concept for them began - the theory of marketing. What is more remarkable, Philip Kotler wrote his "Fundamentals …" after he had published a lot of works that explored the particular aspects of this issue. That is, the author's goal was to generalize, it was important for him to systematize and bring into one logical whole everything that has even the slightest relation to marketing.
The book "Fundamentals of Marketing" has already gone through dozens of editions. This is an excellent textbook for future economists, a true classic of the genre. In addition, it was appreciated not only by students, but also by a wide range of readers due to the fact that the theoretical provisions set forth in it are illustrated with examples of their practical application.
Books by Philip Kotler
Of course, "Principles of Marketing" is far from Kotler's only work. The author has many books, more than a hundred articles written for the most famous scientific journals and covering all the intricacies of management and marketing. The titles of the works say a lot:"Attracting Investors: A Marketing Approach to Raising Funding", "Marketing from A to Z: 80 Concepts Every Manager Should Know". The author has a lot of similar works. Their mere enumeration testifies to the outstanding contribution that this scientist made to world science.
300 questions
Unfortunately, not all Kotler's works were translated and published in Russia. And yet there are many of them on the shelves of Russian bookstores. In addition to the already familiar "Basics …", there are such books here: Philip Kotler, "Marketing Management" (this is the author's first book); "300 Key Marketing Questions: Philip Kotler Answers". The last book deserves a special mention. "300 key questions …" is a kind of quintessence of Kotler's vast experience, an excellent guide for students of specialized universities. But this thing is also addressed to executives and marketers, theorists and practitioners, teachers and managers. The material is presented in the form of questions and answers, and gives a complete picture of everything that will help to achieve the highest efficiency and success in the chosen case.
Conclusion
The activities of Professor Philip Kotler are far from being limited to his teaching and literary activities. At various times, he held the most responsible positions in American scientific and business structures. The most famous giants of the American industry, such as IBM and General Electric, resorted to Kotler's services in marketing consulting; the scientist's advice was used by a number of other companies, wellknown outside the country. Kotler advised and directed the power structures of many states in order to competently manage the resources of their country. Philip Kotler has traveled half the world giving lectures and consulting. By the way, he estimates an hour of his work at $50,000.
However, Kotler is not only concerned about business. The scientist travels a lot, is interested in art. He teaches others, but he also learns himself. This man called such business geniuses as Richard Branson and Steve Jobs as his ideological inspirers.
Philip Kotler is still full of energy and is not going to rest. I would like to wish him good he alth and new creative achievements.
