Marketing decisions often misfire when driven more by beliefs than knowledge. Make Better Marketing Decisions: Lessons from the Philosophy of Science, guides readers on how to think more clearly and correctly when making these decisions, thereby increasing organizational success. The book is based on the field of epistemology--the study of how knowledge is created--within the philosophy of science. Epistemology is a difficult subject with its own vocabulary and concepts that are often esoteric and considered too academic for marketing decision makers and researchers to apply. Consequently, the first sections of the book disabuse this notion by explaining why incorporating a scientific way of viewing the world and the scientific method is actually a practical way to make better decisions. These introductory chapters transition into a more formal discussion of philosophy of science, epistemology, and why marketing is a social science as opposed to merely an art or a practice, like medicine or engineering. The main body of the book then guides the reader through selected lessons from the philosophy of science to improve decision making. Example topics are (1) applying scientific reasoning to decision making, (2) differentiating between symptoms vs. causes of consumer behavior, and (3) understanding the importance of theory development in translating information into understanding. The book concludes by identifying the necessary conditions for applying philosophy of science's lessons to decision making and how to strike the proper balance between (1) allocating resources for knowledge creation, and (2) managing the day-to-day realities of running a business.

All marketing actions, whether preceded by formal or informal decision-making processes, are based on what philosophers call ""arguments."" An argument is a set of related statements comprising premises and a conclusion. Ideally, premises give an audience good reasons for accepting your argument's conclusion. In marketing, these ""conclusions"" are normative decisions about what an organization should do, for example, raise prices by five percent, add a new sales territory or, perhaps, change the marketing communications mix to invest more in digital and less in print. The premises are the rationale behind why the organization should take such actions. Critical Thinking for Marketers: Learn How to Think, Not What to Think provides information and guidelines on not only how to develop good arguments, but also what it means to develop a good argument. For example, the book describes two basic kinds of arguments-deductive and inductive-and how to examine whether such arguments are ""good"" or not. To do this, the book explains 60 logical fallacies-or errors in reasoning-that marketers should avoid. Additionally, the authors' several ""Think Better"" discussions examine how fields such as philosophy, behavioral economics, and marketing theory have informed the principles of critical thinking in marketing.

This second volume of Critical Thinking for Marketers expands your background knowledge of other areas of critical thinking that are making major contributions to both marketing as a social science and marketing as an applied science. Section I, ""Think Better,"" provides introductory discussions of - marketing as a science; the difference between correlation and causation; the meaning of what a "concept" is and why it is critical for marketers to develop good concept definitions (e.g., "What is customer satisfaction?"); why the 18th century Scottish philosopher David Hume is relevant to marketers today; and the impact that behavioral economics is having on how marketers do their job. Section II, ""Cognitive Biases and Their Importance,"" talks about recent discoveries in cognitive psychology and neuroscience that have relevance to marketers. You'll learn that marketers need to be aware of their own cognitive biases and irrational thinking processes, which often lead to making bad decisions, and that the retail and business customers we market to are not as rational as we may think and hope they are. Finally, Section III, ""Conclusions,"" draws on both Volumes I and II to summarize the book's primary messages with helpful hints on applying your new tools and making better marketing decisions.