Practices and problems in marketing technological innovations

There is increasing evidence that the driving force in the growth of an industrialized society is technological change. The implications of the accompanying low stability, low predictability, and sparse precedent are substantial for business management. Nowhere is this more true than for the field of marketing. Conventional wisdom suggests that marketing should be taking the lead in encouraging functional interaction, especially at the R & D/marketing interface, and ensuring a market-led rather than technology-push philosophy within the company. Market-place reality indicates a different profile with marketing's role often limited only to tactical product support, with little strategic or interface input. This paper outlines the barriers currently present to a stronger marketing contribution and suggests ways in which some of those difficulties can be overcome. It is concluded that marketing personnel must adapt and expand their skills in order to contribute fully to the management of high technology products.