The relationship of this second edition to the first edition is made clear in the introduction, as Weingand takes paragraphs from the first edition and points out why they still apply. She also points out how some concepts have developed, for example how the term “proactive” was just beginning to enter mainstream vocabulary when the first edition was written, but is now standard and no longer needs to be explained. The introduction also includes a section on “the structure of this second edition” and comments “Like the first edition, this book is designed to serve as a resource for information professionals in a variety of settings, both institutional and entrepreneurial. Students, as prospective professionals, will also find the contents useful in theoretical and practical terms” (p. xvii).
Some nice (although not new) analogies are interspersed. For example “Planning can be viewed as a road map. An old Chinese proverb says that if you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there” (p. 10); “When contemplating an automobile journey between Chicago and San Francisco, the wise motorist will gather appropriate maps and plot the route to be traveled … This planning activity is essential to a successful journey” (p. 57).
Each chapter (except the last) has a “scenario for further thought” giving a practical example related to the contents of the chapter and asking questions. Whilst this could be used for students, it has been designed to encourage the reader to reflect and to provoke thought. Chapter 5 has three of these scenarios.
The mission statement and the vision statement are each clearly specified and examples provided. Given that a vision statement is geared to the longer view (whereas a mission statement attends to the nearer future), and given that no‐one would want to be a prophet in such a fast moving environment, the example provided puts the vision statement into perspective. Vision is referred to again at the end of the book in the context of changes that may be just ahead and “the unknown”. Closing comments include “The proactive library will have a staff that views the unknown in a positive light, full of opportunities and promise. Marketing and planning tools will be used regularly to connect with stakeholders and to inform decision making” (pp. 167‐8).
Price, as one of the four Ps, is put into context with a discussion of “fee versus free”. Price is also related to both costing and budgeting, and cost versus demand.
The chapter on place and distribution has a useful section clarifying “positioning”, that is positioning the product within the market or in the minds of potential customers, which is more than simple promotion. Weingand comments that when it comes to the four Ps, place/distribution could be the most flexible and responsive to innovation.
The chapter title “Promotion – last, but not least” emphasises the importance of this message. Weingand says that the view of promotion needs to be updated and expanded to reflect its true purpose “communication” – although she does not put this in the context of Kotler’s four Cs. She includes a brief comment about “the development of tangible symbols”. This could have been expanded to reflect the importance of corporate identity.
Evaluation is a most important area and, as evaluation should inform future strategies, actions and service provision, it is good to see a chapter devoted to this!
Each chapter has “Notes” comprising references and footnotes. There is a bibliography at the end. The index is quite detailed. There is also a lengthy table of figures (29 figures in total). However, some of the figures are very basic, such as Figure 1.1 “Marketing, the exchange relationship”, 5.2 “The staircase concept in planning”, 6.6 “The product life cycle”, and it is debatable whether they are necessary given the intended audience. Others are adaptations of well‐known figures, for example Figure 1.3 “The combined planning and marketing systems” is a version of the control loop.
Overall, this book has a very structured approach, progressing through logical stages, incorporating the four Ps, and ending on the future. It is surprising that there is no detail of the role and use of the Internet in marketing, but perhaps that is because of the speed of change between the writing of the book and this review of it.
