The wisdom of two sages: Sun tzu and confucius on marketing strategy

This paper presents the theories of the ancient military strategist, Sun Tzu and illustrates how they have long been applied to marketing strategy. It calls for a reassessment of the appropriateness of the war metaphor for contemporary business practice, and proposes a new model that incorporates Confucian doctrines for a more ethical balance—one that eschews the emphasis on short‐term profit, in favour of long‐term growth and the development of brand loyalty.