MARKETING: AN INTRODUCTION, fifth edition, takes an exciting new direction in its quest to guide new marketing students down the intriguing, discovery-laden road to learning marketing. As in previous editions, the goal remains to help students master the basic concepts and practices of modern marketing in an enjoyable and practical way. And, as before, achieving this goal involves a constant search for the best balance among the "three pillars" that support the text-theories and concepts, practices and applications, and pedagogy. In the fifth edition, however, we swing that balance whole-heartedly toward pedagogy-toward improving the effectiveness of Marketing: An Introduction as a teaching and learning tool.

This exciting new teaching and learning thrust comes to life through a shorter, livelier design that features a new set of Road to Marketing learning aids that help to guide beginning students in their marketing journey. These new "road map" learning tools appear at the beginning, within, and at the end of each chapter, helping students to learn, link, and apply important marketing concepts more effectively. Students are challenged to stop and think at important junctures in their journey, to review and link key chapter concepts, and to apply newly-learned marketing concepts in practical Internet and in realistic situations.

Our goal with the fifth edition of Marketing: An Introduction is to create an even more effective teaching and learning environment. Most students learning marketing want a broad picture of marketing's basics. They want to know about important marketing principles and concepts and how these concepts are applied in actual marketing management practice. However, they don't want to drown in a sea of details, or to be overwhelmed by marketing's nuances and complexities. Instead, they want a text that guides them effectively and efficiently down the road to learning marketing in an easy to grasp, lively, and enjoyable way.

Marketing: An Introduction, fifth edition, serves all of these important needs of beginning marketing students. The book is complete, covering all of the important principles and concepts that the marketer and consumer need to know. Moreover, it takes a practical, marketing-management approach—concepts are applied through countless examples of situations in which well-known and little-known companies assess and solve their marketing problems.

Marketing: An Introduction, fifth edition, tells the stories that reveal the drama of modern marketing: Ritz-Carlton's zeal for taking care of customers; Home Depot's penchant for taking care of those who take care of customers; Nike's fight to redefine its relationships by learning how to be both big and beautiful; Harley-Davidson's success in selling to "Rubbies" (rich urban bikers) rather than rebels; Pillsbury's use of the Internet to build customer relationships; Caterpillar's and its dealers' promise to customers to "buy the iron, get the company;" the National Basketball Association's global marketing prowess; Ben & Jerry's difficulties in pursuing "caring capitalism" as it aims to do good while also doing well; Dell Computer's stunning direct selling formula, which has made Michael Dell one of the world's richest people; and Volkswagen's attempt to surf today's massive nostalgia wave by introducing the New Beetle, a car that "represents our romantic past but reinvented for our hectic here-and-now." These and dozens of other examples and illustrations throughout each chapter reinforce key concepts and bring marketing to life.

The fifth edition's shorter length makes it more manageable for beginning marketing students to cover during a given quarter or semester. Its approachable writing style and level are well suited to the beginning marketing student. A livelier design and the abundant use of illustrations, Marketing at Work exhibits, and video cases help bring life to the marketing journey.

Together, this focus on basic concepts, lively and realistic examples and applications, and innovative learning aids makes Marketing: An Introduction the most effective teaching and learning tool available today.