Philip Kotler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Philip Kotler
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Kotler in 2009
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| Born | May 27, 1931 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | DePaul University University of Chicago (MA) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (PhD) |
| Occupation | Author, Marketing Professor, Economist and Consultant |
| Known for | marketing, economics |
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Philip Kotler (born May 27, 1931) is an American professor, author, and consultant who is often called "The Father of Modern Marketing." Marketing is the way companies promote and sell their products or services. Kotler is famous for his ideas on how to do this well.
He has written more than 80 books on the subject. His most famous book, Marketing Management, is used in business schools all over the world. Kotler believed that marketing should be about understanding and meeting people's needs.
He also helped create the idea of social marketing. This uses marketing tools to encourage healthy and safe behaviors, like quitting smoking or wearing a seatbelt. He also came up with the idea of "demarketing," which is used to lower demand for something when needed, like saving water during a drought.
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Early Life and Education
Philip Kotler was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 27, 1931. His parents had moved to the United States from Ukraine as teenagers. Philip was the oldest of three sons.
He was a very good student. After two years at DePaul University, he was accepted into a master's program at the University of Chicago without even finishing his bachelor's degree. He later earned his PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
During his studies, he learned from three Nobel Prize winners: Milton Friedman, Paul Samuelson, and Robert Solow. This strong background in economics helped shape his future ideas about marketing.
Kotler's Big Ideas on Marketing
In 1962, Kotler started teaching marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He saw marketing as a key part of economics. He taught that what people decide to buy isn't just about price. It's also influenced by advertising, sales, and how products are sold in stores.
Making Marketing More Important
Before Kotler, many people thought marketing was just a small part of business. He showed that it was very important. He helped shift the focus from just selling things to truly understanding and satisfying customer needs.
He also broadened the idea of what marketing could be used for. He argued that it wasn't just for businesses selling products. Charities, museums, political parties, and even cities could use marketing to achieve their goals. For example, a museum can use marketing to attract more visitors and supporters.
New Kinds of Marketing
Kotler and his colleagues developed several new marketing concepts:
- Social marketing: This uses marketing to help solve social problems. Instead of selling a product, it "sells" an idea or a behavior, like eating healthy food or recycling.
- Demarketing: This is the opposite of regular marketing. It's used to reduce demand for a product or service. For example, a power company might use demarketing to encourage people to use less electricity during a heatwave.
- Brand Activism: This is the idea that businesses should do more than just make money. They should also take a stand on important world issues and work to make a positive change.
Books and Other Work
In 1967, Kotler published his most famous book, Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, and Control. It became the most popular marketing textbook in the world. Unlike older books that just described marketing, Kotler's book used ideas from economics, psychology, and math to explain how marketing works.
He has written books on many other topics, including:
- How to market healthcare, tourism, and the arts
- How places like cities and countries can market themselves
- How to use marketing to help reduce poverty
- How businesses can be more responsible
In 2011, he co-founded the World Marketing Summit, a global conference where experts share the latest ideas in marketing. He also helped create the world's first Museum of Marketing in Bali, Indonesia.
Awards and Recognition
Philip Kotler has received many awards for his work. In 1975, he was the first person to win the "Leader in Marketing Thought" award from the American Marketing Association.
A 2005 survey in the Financial Times newspaper ranked him as the fourth most influential business thinker in the world, after Peter Drucker, Bill Gates, and Jack Welch.
He has also received 22 honorary degrees from universities all around the globe. These degrees recognize his huge contribution to the field of marketing.
Personal Life
Philip Kotler married his wife, Nancy, in 1955. They have three daughters. His two brothers, Milton and Neil, are deceased.
Kotler Awards
The Kotler Awards are special awards given to people and companies for great work in marketing and business. In 2024, the awards were given out in Poland for the first time in Europe.
Selected publications
- Kotler, Philip, Garcia-Garcia Manuel, & Cerf, Moran (2017). Consumer Neuroscience. MIT Press.
See also
In Spanish: Philip Kotler para niños
