Success in marketing leads to success in business. An adequate strategy can facilitate the further growth and development of a company, while an inadequate strategy will drive the company into rapid decline. With so much at stake it's obviously important to choose the right marketing strategy, but which is the right one? Theodore Levitt published the acclaimed article “Marketing Myopia” in 1960 in which he outlined a consumer-focused strategy. “Marketing Warfare” by Al Ries and Jack Trout describes a very different method since marketing is like war, your opponents should be your target. Each perspective presents interesting facts and opinions about marketing strategies, which will be explored in comparison to the others and analyzed for their relevance in today's market environments. The two perspectives on marketing strategy are overall very dissimilar. Levitt proposes that to be successful in business you need to focus on the needs and wants of the consumer. This attention to the consumer leads to defining one's business in a broad sense, so as not to diminish one's growth opportunities. An example of this idea can be illustrated in the snow cone industry. Instead of defining your business as the sno-cone industry, Levitt would recommend defining it as the “treat” industry. This broader definition allows for expansion into cupcakes, various coffee desserts, smoothies, and numerous other treats to expand your business. Differently, for Ries/Trout the focus is on the competition. In war a group must face many adversaries and it takes a lot of thinking to understand the rivals' plans. To be successful in business, Ries/Trout argue that in marketing, as in warfare, you need to spend a lot of time outside... middle of paper... the marketing strategies outlined in Levitt's “Marketing Myopia” and “Marketing Warfare ” by Ries/Trout can help anyone develop their perspective on marketing. Both consumer-oriented and competitor-oriented methods have their advantages and disadvantages but in the end, at least for me, focusing on the consumer seems like the most logical thing for a manager to do. By proactively responding to consumers instead of reacting to your competitors, you can likely achieve success in your marketing efforts. However, just because you use one strategy over the other doesn't mean there isn't a time or situation where you can use the other strategy. As suggested earlier, the market environment is a constantly fluctuating unit. A consumer-focused strategy might deliver the desired results now, but a year from now it might tell a completely different story.