Download personal selling: choice against chance essentials of media

146 / Journal of Marketing, Juiy 1977
of the flow chart diagrams, localized
wordiness, inadequate highlighting of
some definitions, and locating the chapter
on Mis/Research in part five rather than
part two.
Overall, however, for those "intro" instructors who desire a comprehensive, contemporary managerial orientation, coupled
with a solid recognition of environmental
influences, this text will serve admirably. It
should carve out a significant niche in the
market, even possibly becoming the "new
McCarthy."
DOUGLASS K. HAWES
University of Wyoming
PERSONAL SELLING: CHOICE AGAINST CHANCE
by Edward M. Mazze
(New York: West Publishing Company, 1976. 331 pp. $12.95)
The author takes a broad perspective of
personal selling. Recommendations for the
salesperson are interspersed among much
material that typically is found in an introductory marketing text. This is beneficial in
that personal selling should be viewed in
the total marketing context. Even though
the reader should see personal selling as
part of a much larger scheme, relatively
few recommendations emerge for continuous attempts to coordinate this marketing
function with the other elements of the
marketing program. Some slight mention is
made, however, of personal selling as part
of a total promotional mix, but again more
stress might be placed on the integration of
this function with the other elements of the
mix, such as advertising and sales promotions.
Much worthwhile information is presented on important trends in the marketing environment. Those adopting this text
will be able to encourage students to
explore their relevance to the personal selling function. The marketing environment,
especially the section on behavior, is presented in regard to the ultimate consumer
with lesser stress placed on the industrial
buyer. In addition, the first half of the
book takes primarily the point of view of
the manufacturer or orginator as opposed
to examining the personal selling function
of distributors.
The second half of the book, after the
sales process is addressed, primarily concerns itself with selling in selective situations. This section is interesting in that it
familiarizes the student with selling under
various sets of circumstances. It also serves
to introduce some of the specific findings
that have been developed by researchers in
these areas. For example, the chapter on
selling to industrial markets introduces
much of the relevant work on industrial
buyer behavior.
The final section of the book deals
primarily with the legal implications involved in selling as well as some career
paths available to students who select it as
a career. The book concludes with a prognosis on the area of personal selling in the
future.
The specific recommendations for personal salespersons alluded to earlier, along
with the information on marketing and the
environment, provide a level of sophistication which makes this text appropriate for
a college level course on personal selling.
In conjunction with a knowledgeable instructor and class discussion to bring out
the important implications, it should prove
to be a worthwhile text.
J. MARC DeKORTE
JOHN F. MONOKY, JR.
The University of Toledo
ESSENTIALS OF MEDIA PLANNING: A MARKETING VIEWPOINT
by Arnold M. Barban, Stephen M. Cristol and Frank J. Kopec
(Chicago, IL: Crain Books, 1976. 86 pp.):)
Although a brief book, the authors do an
effective job of illustrating that media planning is not an advertising activity isolated
from the overall marketing mix. Conversely,
media planning is viewed in the perspective
of objectives, strategies and tactics of the
total marketing mix, and the authors describe and exemplify how media plans are
influenced by product characteristics, distribution channels, pricing policy and strategy, and promotional factors of advertising,
public relations, personal selling, and packaging. The reader will find some interesting
and informative examples provided by the
authors in their discussion of media plan-
ning and uncontrollable marketing system least one chapter given the impact of the
variables.
computer in media scheduling today and its
This is not a basic book about media; there potential for the future.
are few definitions and no discussion of the
Too often advertising and marketing are
pros and cons of the various media classes. It viewed as disjointed activities with media
is potentially useful as a supplementary being a support function to marketing. This
book to a marketing or advertising course book provides an effective framework for
where the professor wishes to look at media exemplifying that media planning is a vital,
planning from a management perspective. integrative problem-solving arm of marketThe book is written at a level that could serve ing and advertising management.
many audiences—undergraduate and graduate students as well as practitioners.
THOMAS E. BARRY
The authors fall short in the area of the
Southern Methodist University
computer in media planning. Only two
pages are devoted to a topic that deserves at X Price unavailable.