Marketing, and Marketing Communications in particular, has changed forever. And it has all happened since the last edition of this book - the 4th edition - written way back in 2005. What's changed? Two things essentially: first, Social Media arrived and changed the communications model, the budget allocation, workflows and even the defi- nition of media, communications and customer experience as they morphed together.

Second, marketing standards have slipped back- wards as customer service got sloppier; whether due to arduous automated telephone queuing systems, sloppy websites or de-motivated staff suffering in- cessant corporate culls.

The good news is that marketers are now effec- tively presented with a major opportunity to be outstanding by just doing the basics right. In fact, they can become world-class players if they layer on top some creativity, disciplined processes and constant improvement.

Marketers have also got the opportunity of getting back into the boardroom as social media positions marketing at the centre of the business; listening to customers, extending the brand ex- perience and reaching out and collaborating with stakeholders in previously entirely unimaginable ways, compared with just a few years ago. Social Media - if fully integrated - draws marketers into Product Portfolio Planning; New Product Development; Customer Engagement; Customer Relationship Management; Lifetime Values.