Diffusion Theory and Marketing

As we saw earlier, a natural consequence of the marketing concept, with its emphasis upon the determination of consumer wants and the deployment of resources to match these wants, is that the marketing function places particular stress upon new-product development. In this chapter we will attempt to demonstrate that the problems associated with introducing new products into the market-place appear to be remarkably similar to those experienced in gaining acceptance for innovations in other areas of activity. This being so, one might reasonably anticipate that there are considerable benefits to be gained by studying the process by which other innovations appear to secure acceptance as a basis for enhancing consumer reaction to new products.