Book profile

Marketing 4.0: Moving from Traditional to Digital

Philip Kotler, Hermawan Kartajaya, Iwan Setiawan

Marketing 4.0 shows how marketers can blend traditional and digital approaches to guide connected customers along a new path from awareness to advocacy in the digital economy.

Marketing 4.0 is Philip Kotler, Hermawan Kartajaya, and Iwan Setiawan's blueprint for marketing in an age of connectivity, where power has shifted from companies to socially connected customers who trust their friends, families, and online communities more than advertising. Building on the human-centric philosophy of Marketing 3.0, the book argues that digital and traditional marketing must coexist rather than compete, and it equips marketers with concrete frameworks: a redefined customer path (the Five A's—aware, appeal, ask, act, advocate), new productivity metrics (PAR and BAR), industry archetypes, and tactical playbooks for human-centric branding, content marketing, omnichannel marketing, and engagement marketing. With vivid case studies from Macy's, Zappos, Tesla, Walgreens, and many more, it teaches how to win customer advocacy, design 'WOW' moments, and measure marketing productivity in a high-tech, high-touch world.

The model

A causal model in which digital-era marketing levers and conditions drive psychological and behavioral states across the Five A's customer path, ultimately producing brand advocacy and marketing productivity outcomes.

Frameworks you can use

Marketing should adapt to the changing nature of customer paths in the digital economy.
Guide customers from awareness all the way to advocacy.
Blend online with offline, style with substance, machine-to-machine with human-to-human.
Treat customers as friends and peers, not targets.
Authenticity and human character are the most valuable brand assets.
Create WOW moments by design, not by chance.

Key terms

Market Connectivity Context: The extent to which a market is digitally connected, making customer relationships horizontal, inclusive, and social.
Human-Centric Branding: The degree to which a brand exhibits authentic human attributes that attract customers as friends.
Content Marketing: The marketing practice of creating and distributing relevant, useful content that sparks curiosity and conversation about a brand.
Omnichannel Marketing: The integration of online and offline channels into a seamless, consistent customer experience.
Engagement Marketing: The use of mobile apps, social CRM, and gamification to deepen post-purchase customer engagement.
Others' Influence: Social influence from friends, family, communities, and online reviews shaping customer decisions.
Brand Attraction (Appeal): The extent to which customers find a brand appealing enough to short-list it.
Brand Curiosity (Ask): Customer curiosity that drives active research and questioning about a brand.