 widely recognized as the most important

marketing theorist of the twentieth century

 “father of modern marketing”
 academic training at MIT and the University of
Pennsylvania
 served as president of AMA
 was highly active in The Institute of
Management Sciences
 began his business career at the U.S.
department of Commerce
 founded the internationally prominent
marketing consulting firm of Alderson
Associates
 served as a professor at Wharton
University of Pennsylvania
 he believed that theory and practice go
hand in hand
 insistence upon an interdisciplinary approach
 argued that firms are ecological systems that grow
and adapt to change; each seeks its own niche based
on organized behavior systems
 also argued for heterogeneity of both supply and
demand
 introduced the ideas of market segmentation and
niche marketing and the status of the brand