Written by CIM's Director of Marketing, Ray Perry, in a very accessible, sometimes amusing manner, the book outlines the evolution of marketing basics in the 20th century before swiftly moving on to the issues that face the 21st century marketer. These range from the proliferation of media and the choices this now presents the marketer, to consumers' concerns over privacy and data protection. These and other key themes are outlined, demonstrating how they will impact and shape the marketing function. What becomes clear is that in order to succeed in the future, "marketers will need to be flexible, adaptable and multi-skilled". Pan-marketing, measuring metrics, knowledge management, CRM and integrated supply chain management will all be important, and it is likely many of them will become specialist marketing roles in their own right.