Operational Marketing
a process approach

This book and accompanying software program is designed to learn how to organize an effective market approach based on real-life business success stories. The method is laid out in 7 easy-to-follow steps that together comprise a work methodology. 

• Taking as its point of departure the concept of strategic marketing, Operational Marketing examines ways in which to successfully put this type of marketing into practice.

• This textbook serves as an excellent handbook for students undertaking internships or carrying out independent research at companies. 

• The book contains numerous practical examples that support the theory. Every chapter concludes with a detailed business case study gathered from real-life (international) business experiences.

• Targeted questions and assignments enable students to apply and practice what they have learned. 

The book is deliberately written in simple language without technical jargon in order to be easily understood by all readers. 

Within the field of marketing, there is a growing need for a comparable methodology, as can be found in the ICT field (examples include ASL, CMM and Prince2). This process approach (7-step plan) has a similar objective and structure. 
Each of the 7 steps consists of three targeted assignments that together provide you with a blueprint for an effective market approach plan when completed. Operational Marketing describes a work methodology. Professionals who have used the book in recent years have achieved striking results. 

• The book does not focus on subsectors but rather provides an integral approach to marketing. By repeatedly applying this methodology while conducting research and internships, the results obtained can be compared. 

• The instructor can “benchmark” the results and conduct his or her own study (and subsequently give lectures, write articles, provide training and consultancy services to business professionals, and so on, based on the findings).

• Three large-scale business case studies are available in addition to the textbook, as well as PowerPoint sheets, articles and a website in support of the syllabus. 

The methodology is described on the basis of a single model. Every chapter begins with this model. The structure of the book is analogous to that of Structures in Five by H. Mintzberg. As far as the level of the textbook, it is comparable to the book The Marketing Plan by Marian Burk Wood, published by Prentice Hall/Pearson. 


Before the book was published, it was tested extensively at higher educational institutions. In the four years prior to publication, many instructors provided suggestions and feedback after using the book in their classrooms. Numerous students have successfully applied this working method and the large numbers of responses and questions sent to the author by e-mail provided him with a rich source of feedback for improving the text by simplifying the language and providing more examples and detailed explanations.