It’s time to set aside the old mantra of “consumer first.” Instead, let’s embrace the power to influence, to strategically guide the decisions of the end user.
A fundamental transformation is reshaping the discipline of marketing.
What was once centred on products, brands, and communication has evolved into a system capable of observing, predicting, and shaping human behaviour at scale.
In Contemporary Marketing, Gaetano Lo Presti presents a rigorous and original framework that captures this transformation and redefines the role of marketing in contemporary society.
The book advances a clear argument. Marketing is no longer limited to identifying needs and facilitating exchange. It has become a structured system of behavioural influence, grounded in data analysis, behavioural science, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. In this new context, organisations do not simply respond to demand. They actively participate in shaping it.
“Marketing is no longer about selling products,” Lo Presti told That's Business. “It is about understanding how decisions are formed and how they can be guided.”
Drawing on both academic research and professional experience, Contemporary Marketing traces the evolution of the discipline from its historical origins to its current form as a system of behavioural intelligence.
It examines how organisations operate across a range of sectors, including retail, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, defence, security, and political communication, where influencing perception and guiding decision-making have become central strategic concerns.
The work challenges the traditional assumption that the consumer is a passive endpoint of market activity. Instead, it presents the consumer as part of a dynamic system in which preferences, perceptions, and behaviours are continuously shaped through designed environments, data-driven insights, and strategic communication.
This shift reflects a broader transformation in economic and social systems. Markets are no longer defined solely by transactions. They are defined by the capacity to influence choices at scale. In this context, marketing becomes one of the primary mechanisms through which organisations manage complexity, reduce uncertainty, and shape outcomes.
More than a conventional marketing text, Contemporary Marketing offers a new conceptual framework for understanding influence in a data-driven and technologically mediated world. It is intended for scholars, professionals, policymakers, and decision-makers seeking to understand how behaviour is analysed, predicted, and shaped in contemporary society.
In Contemporary Marketing, Gaetano Lo Presti presents a rigorous and original redefinition of the discipline, arguing that marketing has evolved far beyond its classical foundations. No longer confined to products, brands, and communication, it has become a system of behavioural intelligence capable of observing, predicting, and shaping human decision-making.
Considered the father of contemporary marketing, Lo Presti develops a comprehensive theoretical framework grounded in data analysis, behavioural science, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. Through this lens, marketing is understood not simply as a response to demand, but as a strategic mechanism for influencing perception, structuring choice, and directing behaviour in complex environments.
The book traces the evolution of marketing from its early conceptual foundations to its current form as a pervasive and adaptive system of influence. It examines how modern organisations operate across multiple domains, including retail, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, defence, security, and political communication, where marketing functions as a tool for managing uncertainty and shaping outcomes.
Bringing together academic depth and practical insight, this work offers a new perspective on how influence is organised in contemporary society. It challenges established assumptions and proposes a shift from the traditional management of exchange to the strategic design of behavioural environments.
Contemporary Marketing is intended for scholars, professionals, policymakers, and decision-makers who seek to understand the forces shaping human behaviour in the twenty-first century.
At its core, the book advances a clear and compelling argument: marketing is no longer a function. It is a system.
The book will be distributed internationally and translated into multiple languages including English, Italian, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, reflecting its global relevance and its ambition to contribute to the evolution of marketing theory and practice worldwide.
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