Cinema in Transition: Marketing Myopia, Technology, and the Shifting Cultural Core
The term Marketing Myopia was coined by Theodore Levitt in his seminal 1960 Harvard Business Review article. It refers to the short-sightedness and inward-looking approach of companies focusing on their products rather than the needs and wants of their customers. The case of American railroads is a classic example of marketing myopia, where companies focus narrowly on their products rather than the broader needs they serve. Railroads saw themselves in the railroad business instead of the transportation business, ignoring the rise of cars, trucks, and airplanes that better met customer needs for convenience and flexibility. As a result, they failed to adapt and lost market share. This same short-sightedness affected Kodak, which clung to film even as digital photography emerged, and Blockbuster, which stuck to physical rentals while streaming services like Netflix redefined home entertainment. These examples highlight how companies that define themselves by their product rather than ...