Customer-led and market-oriented: let’s not confuse the two
区分了两种常被混淆的客户导向：客户主导（关注已表达需求、短期被动）与市场导向（挖掘潜在需求、长期主动），并指出市场导向在任何市场条件下都是明智的。
Christensen and Bower (1996) report the results of a study of how customer power contributes to the failure of leading firms during a period of industry discontinuity. They conclude that developing a customer orientation appears not to be wise advice under these conditions. However, this conclusion is contradicted by long-standing theory and recent research in marketing. In this commentary we distinguish between two forms of ‘customer orientation’ that are frequently confused. The first, a customer-led philosophy, is primarily concerned with satisfying customers' expressed needs, and is typically short term in focus and reactive in nature. The second, a market-oriented philosophy, goes beyond satisfying expressed needs to understanding and satisfying customers' latent needs and, thus, is longer term in focus and proactive in nature. Based on theory and substantial evidence, the advice to become market-oriented appears sound regardless of the market conditions a business faces. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.