Organizing for High-Tech Marketing

For many established companies, becoming more effective marketers is a matter of fine tuning—increasing expenditures on promotion and advertising or reorganizing the sales force. For high-technology companies, becoming effective marketers is often a matter of starting from scratch. Such companies typically derive their initial strength from the innovations provided by the research and development function. […]

by

William L. Shanklin

and

John K. Ryans, Jr.

by

William L. Shanklin

and

John K. Ryans, Jr.

From the Magazine (November 1984)

High-technology companies often have research and development capabilities superior to those of competitors, yet achieve only mediocre commercial success or fail completely. Are such companies simply in need of improved marketing skills? Not necessarily. Rather, they need to link R&D with marketing.

A version of this article appeared in the November 1984 issue of Harvard Business Review.

WS

William L. Shanklin is professor of marketing at the Graduate School of Management at Kent State University. This article is based on a recent book written by him, Marketing High Technology (Lexington Books, 1984).
JR

John K. Ryans, Jr. is professor of marketing and international business at Kent State. This article is based on a recent book written by the two, Marketing High Technology (Lexington Books, 1984).

Organizing for High-Tech Marketing

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