IIST JOHN 5. WRIGHT, Editor United States International University By ROBERT J. HOLLOWAY Robert J. Keith School of Business Administration University of Minnesota 35), and a chapter on "Product Innovation" for Lee HE CONSUMERS' world is accelerating with Adler's recently published Plotting Marketing Straideas and changes. Our mission is to produce tegy. He serves on the board of directors of the as many ideas as possible to keep in step with and Grocery Manufacturers of America, Inc., the Dayton ahead of the changes. In this spirit, your new manCorporation, and other firms. agement will dedicate its energies." With these words, Robert J. Keith concluded his talk to the Perhaps as important as Keith's public accomBoard of Directors of the Pillsbury Company when plishments are his insights into marketing. He has he became Chairman of the applied these to the activities Board last year. These words of Pillsbury and contributed in many ways describe Robert to making this firm a truly Keith's philosophy and his market-oriented company. activities as an active marketThe improvement of the deing person. cision-making process has alBob Keith began his marways been one of Keith's chief keting career with the Pillsconcerns. As Chief Executive bury Company in 1935 as a Officer, he wants to "further dismantle decision making: desales merchandiser. He procisions can be made 'by the gressed through a series of proper people at the proper sales and marketing assigntime.'" ments which culminated in his election as Vice President in To facilitate this goal, 1950. He became a Director Keith's company is progresin 1953, Executive Vice Presising toward the development dent in 1956, President in of an advanced information 1965, and Chairman of the system. At the present time, Board and Chief Executive the President of Pillsburj^ is Officer in September of 1967. working toward bringing the Through his contributions computer into high level corto marketing over a period of porate planning. This will more than 30 years. Bob Keith ROBERT J. KEITH allow executives to examine has earned the title of "Leader data which reflect the present in Marketing." Keith's publications include the state of business. It will enable them to withdraw often quoted Journal of Marketing article "The from operations to a point where they can observe Marketing Revolution" (Vol. 24, January, 1960, p. in true perspective the workings of the entire enterprise. Journal of Marketing. Vol. 32 (Jtily^, 1968), pp. 74-75. The computer has made significant contributions 74 Leaders In Marketing toward increasing managerial effectiveness at operating levels in Pillsbury. It has substantially reduced the burden of administrative duties which had previously required a large proportion of managers' time. They are now able to concentrate more fully on the productive side of their work—also aided by the computer by providing more timely information in a more usable form. Bob Keith recognizes, however, that information is not the only ingredient of decision making. An effective decision-maker must not be overly cautious or inflexible. For this reason, be places a great emphasis on youth in his organization. The young people are encouraged to move directly into important roles as task force members. He believes they make decisions more easily than older people: "Change comes easier for them," and it is the ability to adapt to the changing environment that will mean the ultimate growth of the firm. Teaching the value of understanding change has perhaps been Keith's greatest contribution to marketing. Bob Keith thinks constantly about change and its meaning to his business today and tomorrow. He follows in the tradition of Philip Pillsbury, a man "who dared to change," and who "brought food research to the company." The same was true for another predecessor, Paul Gerot, who introduced a number of new products and brought the consumer concept and consumerism to Pillsbury. In his fine Journal of Marketing article on "The Marketing Revolution," Keith spelled out four eras of marketing as he saw them with Pillsbury: (1) production oriented, (2) sales oriented, (3) marketing oriented, and (4) marketing control. The fourth era—marketing control—will exist "when marketing will become the basic motivating force for the entire corporation. Soon it will be true that every activity of the corporation—from finance to sales to production—is aimed at satisfying the needs and desires of the consumer. When that stage of development is reached, the marketing revolution will be complete." Last year, Keith spoke to one of the marketing classes at the University of Minnesota. He was asked to speak on the "Fifth Era of Marketing" which not surprisingly turned out to be—change! Keith's understanding of change is not a superficial one. He does not stop with acknowledging its presence. He sees change as the essence of business, moving at an accelerating pace, fueled by our ex- 75 panding technologies, whipped along and channeled by the growing demands of the consumer. To him, the biggest single change in business is change itself —the evolvement of the need to create instead of waiting for change to come to business. Management must have as much devotion to the implementation of change as it gives to the idea of what to change. Keith fully appreciates the necessity of knowing one's customers. He speaks of understanding and sharing the customer's values, something which is difficult to do today as the customer, too, is changing. Keith believes that people want professional advice in their buying and that companies should develop better rapport with their customers. Pillsbury approaches this problem through the extensive use of marketing research, with the goal of developing a more effective dialogue with the many housewives who are searching for new food preparation ideas. In conjunction with this effort, Keith feels that the housewife should be afforded a higher status than she is presently receiving. His company's attempts in this area are reflected in its advertising and also are found in its other promotional events. Perhaps the most visible effort is Pillsbury's Annual Bake Off, when one hundred finalists from a field of many thousands who have submitted recipe ideas compete for prizes. Keith is concerned with a concept he calls "quality of life" which he sees as a new dimension of marketing. Keith explains that the acquisition age is over and the increasing amount of discretionary income held by the consumer permits him to examine his purchases carefully. It is no longer the question "Can we afford it?" but rather "Do we want it?" Quality in the traditional "premium" sense continues to be one of the dimensions that people will seek. Other dimensions will be the ways in which the use of the product or service provides an opportunity for personal self expression or creativity, the ways in which it frees time, or the ways in which it minimizes or eliminates unpleasant or difficult aspects of living in this complex world. Keith believes that it is possible to effect some of the change which is suggested by this "quality of life" concept. As Chairman of the Pillsbury Company, Bob Keith will continue as a Leader in Marketing to make his contributions to the firm, to societj', and to marketing.