Articles

Strategic Marketing: Step 1

Market Segmentation – A Quick Method

When time and resources are limited, businesses still need to understand their customers with enough clarity to segment effectively.…

Marketing Plan – Quick Evaluation Grid

Many marketing plans fail to deliver measurable value because they lack structure, clarity, or a focus on strategic impact.…

SWOT Analysis & Planning Assumptions

Once the marketing audit is complete, it must be summarised in a way that guides strategic decision-making. In this…

Market Segmentation: Foundation, Framework & Future

In this in-depth paper, Professor Malcolm McDonald explores the full journey of market segmentation — from its academic roots…

Market Segmentation – The Bedrock of Successful Marketing

In this foundational chapter from Market Segmentation: How to Do It, How to Profit From It, Professor Malcolm McDonald…

Market Segmentation & Market Mapping

In this foundational piece, Professor Malcolm McDonald explores one of the most critical — yet often misunderstood — pillars…

Strategic Marketing: Step 2

Value Propositions & Value-Based Pricing

What truly separates a winning marketing strategy from a mediocre one? According to Professor Malcolm McDonald, it’s a business’s…

A Step-by-Step Marketing Planning System

Effective marketing planning doesn’t happen by accident — it follows a structured process rooted in data, strategic alignment, and…

Market/Segment Attractiveness & Competitive Positioning

Once key market segments have been identified, the next challenge is deciding which to prioritise — and why. This…

Strategic Marketing: Step 3

Value Propositions – A White Paper

In overcrowded markets, companies cannot win on product or price alone. They must create and communicate customer-specific, financially-quantified value…

Market2Win Simulator – Strategic Marketing Game Overview

Bringing strategic marketing to life requires more than lectures and theory — it needs simulation, decision-making, and competitive thinking.…

Marketing Navigation – How to Keep Your Marketing Plan on Course

Even the best marketing plans can fail — not because they’re poorly written, but because they’re poorly implemented. In…

The Essential Elements of an Excellent Marketing Plan – Theory & Practice

What defines an excellent marketing plan? In this detailed chapter, Professor Malcolm McDonald breaks down the structure, thinking, and…

Strategic Marketing: Step 4

A Brief Review of Marketing Accountability & Research Agenda

In this seminal paper, Professor Malcolm McDonald tackles one of the most pressing challenges in modern marketing: proving impact.…

SAM/KAM Minicases

The Frustration of a “Basic” Relationship – A Mini-Case on Transactional Accounts

Not all customers are strategic — and not all accounts should be treated like key accounts. In this SAM/KAM…

Surviving Market Testing – A Mini-Case on Reverse Auctions and Value Defence

Even the strongest supplier relationships can be tested by procurement policy. In this SAM/KAM mini-case, Components GmbH — sole…

Pride Comes Before a Fall – A Mini-Case on Complacency and Competitive Wake-Up Calls

In this SAM/KAM mini-case, we’re introduced to 234 Services Europe — a market leader in office services that considers…

Practice What You Preach – A Mini-Case on Empowerment, Retention & Reputation

When internal values don’t match external messaging, even the best key account strategies can collapse. In this SAM/KAM mini-case,…

Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth – A Mini-Case on Strategic Fit vs. Opportunity

Not all opportunities are worth chasing. In this SAM/KAM mini-case, Jo Young — key account manager at Punch Financial…

Parochial Pains – A Mini-Case on Global Account Integration

Strategic account management isn’t just about building client trust — it’s also about overcoming internal resistance. This SAM/KAM mini-case…

Jealous Partners – A Mini-Case on Competition, Confidentiality & Customer Control

Strategic customers often want exclusivity — but in today’s competitive and legally regulated world, that’s not always realistic. In…

Healing Wounds – A Mini-Case on Trust Recovery and Change Resistance

Strategic account relationships don’t just face commercial risks — they’re also vulnerable to breakdowns in trust, training, and internal…

Going Global – A Mini-Case on Global Key Account Coordination

As global customers consolidate their supplier bases, the pressure on vendors to coordinate internationally has never been higher. In…

A Family Feud – A Mini-Case on Internal Alignment and Strategic Risk

Some of the biggest risks to key account relationships come not from the customer — but from internal misalignment.…

Taking a Key Account for Granted – A Mini-Case on Relationship Risk

Long-standing customer relationships often lull organisations into a false sense of security. This SAM/KAM mini-case explores how one company,…

Diversification Dilemma – A Key Account Mini-Case

Strategic account relationships often involve tough choices — especially when your customer’s needs evolve beyond your core capabilities. In…

SAM/KAM Downloads

Ten Key Principles for Effective Key Account Management

In this practical and structured guide, Professor Malcolm McDonald presents the “Ten Commandments” of Key Account Management (KAM) —…

Six Classic Mistakes in Key Account Management

Despite its critical importance in modern B2B markets, Key Account Management (KAM) remains one of the most misunderstood and…

An Overview of the Market2Win Simulator

The Market2Win Simulator is a powerful educational platform designed to teach strategic marketing and Key Account Management (KAM) through…

Expert View on Key Account Management

In this reflective yet sharply practical piece, Professor Malcolm McDonald and Diana Woodburn draw from over 14 years of…

Key Account Management – A Nascent Domain

This academic paper by Professor Malcolm McDonald provides one of the most comprehensive explorations of the history, evolution, and…

How to Write Good KAM Plans

This in-depth paper by Professor Malcolm McDonald and Diana Woodburn is the definitive guide to creating high-quality, strategic Key…

White Papers & Articles

The Tyranny of Forecasts, Targets and Budgets

In this powerful and unapologetic white paper, Professor Malcolm McDonald exposes the dangerous over-reliance on forecasts, targets and budgets…

Shareholder Value Measurement – Essential for Effective Key Account Management

In this sharp and strategic white paper, Professor Malcolm McDonald makes the case that Key Account Management (KAM) must…

Service Brands – Moving Beyond the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Model

In this powerful white paper, Professor Malcolm McDonald exposes the critical flaws in applying traditional fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG)…

A Very Practical Way to Begin Planning a Profitable Future

In this hands-on white paper, Professor Malcolm McDonald lays out a step-by-step process for turning business ambition into measurable…

Don’t Get Misled by All That Financial Information

In this provocative and insightful white paper, Professor Malcolm McDonald makes the case that most financial reporting is inadequate…

Market Segmentation and Market Mapping

In this comprehensive white paper, Professor Malcolm McDonald presents a clear, actionable process for executing market segmentation and market…

Market Segmentation – Still the Bedrock of Commercial Success

Despite endless buzz about data, digital and AI, market segmentation remains the single most critical factor in achieving profitable…

The Future of Marketing and Sales

In this hard-hitting white paper, Professor Malcolm McDonald delivers a sweeping diagnosis of the current state of marketing and…

Marketing Due Diligence & Risk Assessment – Will a Business Plan Deliver Shareholder Value?

In this strategic white paper, Professor Malcolm McDonald tackles a fundamental question that boards, CFOs, and marketing leaders must…

Marketing Viewpoints

The Tyranny of Forecasts, Targets and Budgets & Strategy Before Tactics

This dual Viewpoint by Professor Malcolm McDonald delivers a sharp warning to managers clinging to outdated budgeting processes —…

The Future of Marketing

In this insightful and deeply personal Viewpoint, Professor Malcolm McDonald delivers a direct challenge to marketers, academics, and business…

Market Segmentation – A Quick Method

Looking for a fast and visual way to bring segmentation to life? In this concise viewpoint, Professor Malcolm McDonald…

Needs-Based Market Segmentation & Service Brand Strategy

This two-in-one Viewpoint distils two of Professor Malcolm McDonald’s most critical marketing arguments: the continued necessity of needs-based market…

Marketing Plan – Quick Evaluation Grid

In this practical and widely adopted tool, Professor Malcolm McDonald presents a structured way to evaluate the quality and…

Why Companies Get KAM Hopelessly Wrong & The Marketer’s Dilemma

This double-feature viewpoint combines two strategic truths that most organisations ignore to their own detriment: Part 1 – Why…

The Ten Principles of World Class Profitable Marketing

Based on decades of real-world experience and global boardroom engagements, this viewpoint by Professor Malcolm McDonald distils the ten…