Marketing 3.0: From Products to Customers to the Human Spirit

FOREWORD

According to Alvin Toffler, human civilization can be divided into three waves of the economy. The first wave is the Agriculture Age, in which the most important capital is the land for agriculture. My country, Indonesia, is undoubtedly rich in this type of capital. The second is the Industrial Age following the Industrial Revolution in England and the rest of Europe. The essential kinds of capital in this age are machines and the factory. The third era is the Information Age, where mind, information, and high tech are the imperative types of capital to succeed. Today, as humanity embraces the challenge of global warming, we are moving toward the fourth wave, which is oriented to creativity, culture, heritage, and the environment. In leading Indonesia, this is my future direction.

When I read this book, I could see that marketing is also moving toward the same direction. Marketing 3.0 relies heavily on the marketers’ ability to sense human anxieties and desires, which are rooted in creativity, culture, heritage, and the environment. This is even more relevant for Indonesia because the country is known for its diversity in culture and heritage. Indonesia is also a very values-driven country. Spirituality has always been the central part of our lives.

I am happy with the examples in the book of successful multinational companies that support Millenium Development Goals for reducing poverty and unemployment in developing countries. I believe that public-private partnership ...