Brand Strategy

Avoiding Marketing Myopia

A mental model to ensure you’re focusing on customer needs, not just your product.

What it is:

Avoiding Marketing Myopia is a mindset and framework that encourages companies to define their business based on customer needs rather than the products they sell. It originates from Theodore Levitt’s classic Harvard Business Review essay, which warns against short-term, product-centric thinking. After all, customers don’t buy a drill, they buy a hole in the wall.

This framework pushes brands to consider: What job is the customer hiring us to do? Are we solving a need or just pushing features? It reframes your strategy around long-term relevance instead of short-term sales.

Shifting focus from products to the customer’s true needs.

Brands that avoid marketing myopia are more adaptable and resilient. They stay close to their audience, evolve with the market, and build offerings that stand the test of time.

Use it when:

Developing a positioning strategy
Writing your value proposition
Rethinking business model or messaging

Why it works:

Keeps the focus on customer value
Encourages differentiation
Prevents obsolescence

Need help avoiding this trap?

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