Why smart managers don't think straight

This is a shortened version of a prize winning paper presented at the ESOMAR Congress 2002. Omar Mahmoud asks why so many new products fail.

Why Smart Managers Don't Think Straight

Omar MahmoudProctor & Gamble

'Everyone complains about the badness of his memory, nobody about his judgment.'
La Rochefoucauld.

This article provides an alternative to the traditional explanations of new product failure and questions the role of market researchers.

The majority of new products fail. Estimates vary depending on the category, country and definition. The rate of success is not getting better, despite the development of new and improved research and sales-forecasting techniques. Shouldn't...

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