Lateral Marketing: New Techniques for Finding Breakthrough Ideas

In today's developed markets, a strategy that relies heavily on vertical market segmentation can limit your possibilities. Enter the "lateral marketing mind set," developed by Philip Kotler, a pioneer in modern marketing, and Fernando Trias de Bes. While vertical marketing creates innovations within a market, lateral marketing does so outside of that market. It broadens and supplements the vertical thinking. Example: the cereal product category. A traditional approach might target dozens of subcategories and special groups, such as breakfast eaters who prefer cereal with fruit or those who need more fiber. Lateral marketing thinking leads to something new, the "concept of cereal bars that would be eaten as a snack in the morning instead of having cereal with milk." The book, intending to go beyond a manual, is basically theoretical and conceptual in nature but it is admirably supported by practical examples and makes easy reading.