Creating the Marketing‐Receptive Environment: Overcoming the Two‐Year Hatchet Limit for a Firm’s First Marketing Director

Discusses the reasons for the high number of failures of first marketing directors within organizations. Analyses the problems involved in hiring first‐time marketing directors and offers solutions that increase both the chances of survival of the marketing director, and the firm′s marketing effort. Concludes that survival depends on the creation of a marketing‐receptive environment through training, recruitment,management structure, and well‐defined marketing expectations.