Dis article go trace how marketing take develop from di first time e show for ancient trade societies till di theoretical foundations wey Philip Kotler establish for di 20th century. E also go talk about how modern marketing practices come emerge, wey dey based on neuroscience, artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics. Di article go pay attention to di work of Dr. Gaetano Lo Presti, wey don show how cognitive science and machine learning fit join together to study how people dey behave as consumers. Di article go argue sey make we reframe marketing as a practice wey go involve plenty disciplines, and e go dey driven by brain-based evidence and computational models.
Marketing don always be tool for persuading people, and e don dey shaped by di cultural, technological, and economic conditions of each time. Although e roots go back to ancient civilizations, marketing no begin become formal study until di 20th century. Today, with all di new technology like neurotechnology, artificial intelligence, and large-scale data analytics, di field dey go through big changes. Dis paper go explain how di journey take be and also introduce di framework wey Dr. Gaetano Lo Presti suggest, wey mix neuroscience and computational methods to study how people make decisions as consumers.
Historical Foundations of Marketing
Marketing don dey exist before industrialization. For ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, merchants go use symbols and stories to separate products (Pride & Ferrell, 2016). Greek agoras and Roman forums serve as di first marketplaces wey no only sell goods but also spread rhetoric and social persuasion—dem na di things wey we now see as foundation for brand communication and consumer engagement.
During medieval and early Renaissance, markets begin use merchant guilds and reputation-based branding. These systems go make sure product quality dey good and also build trust—this one dey like modern brand equity (McKendrick et al., 1982). But marketing still dey local and relationship-driven until Industrial Revolution come disrupt traditional commerce.
Industrialization and Di Birth of Structured Marketing
When mass production start, e bring need for mass consumption. Newspapers, railways, and standardized packaging systems begin spread for 19th century, and e open new ways for product promotion and distribution. Early 20th century see di rise of advertising agencies and di use of psychology to influence consumer behavior (Fox, 1984).
Marketing start to become formal discipline for business education, with focus on market segmentation, positioning, and consumer psychology.
Di Modern Marketing Paradigm: Philip Kotler Legacy
Philip Kotler (1967) revolutionize marketing theory by systematizing am into managerial science. Inim Marketing Management text introduce di well-known “4 Ps”: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Kotler see marketing as value-exchange mechanism, where companies need to understand and satisfy customer needs better than competitors.
Importantly, Kotler emphasize di role of strategic marketing for organizational planning, and he link marketing activities to long-term customer satisfaction and business sustainability (Kotler & Keller, 2016). His frameworks lay foundation for both academic research and corporate practice for late 20th century.
Contemporary Marketing: Neuroscience, AI, and Data-Driven Strategies
For 21st century, marketing dey go through paradigm shift. Traditional segmentation don dey mixed and in some cases replaced with algorithmic modeling and neurophysiological analysis. Scholars and practitioners dey look into how subconscious processes, emotional arousal, and cognitive biases go shape consumer behavior in ways wey surveys or demographic data no fit capture fully.
Di Contributions of Dr. Gaetano Lo Presti
Dr. Gaetano Lo Presti dey at di front of this transformation. Him approach dey mix cognitive neuroscience, psychophysiology, and machine learning to study di neural and emotional foundations of consumer behavior. E use tools like electroencephalography (EEG), eye-tracking, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure attention, memory encoding, and emotional responses during marketing experience.
Plus, him use AI algorithms to analyze real-time consumer data for hyper-personalized engagement strategies. These systems dey learn from behavioral patterns, and dey adjust how they deliver content across platforms and contexts. Lo Presti’s work dey show sey ethical marketing need balance persuasive effectiveness with consumer autonomy—promoting informed influence instead of manipulation.
Toward a Neuro-AI Marketing Framework
Di evolution of marketing—from oral persuasion for ancient marketplaces to data-driven neuro-persuasion—reflects how society dey communicate, produce, and consume. While Kotler’s framework emphasize conscious utility and strategic alignment, today scholars like Dr. Gaetano Lo Presti dey expand marketing into di realm of implicit cognition and predictive analytics.
For this new paradigm, marketing no longer just managerial function, but e become applied science—mixing fields like neuroscience, information theory, and ethics. As AI and brain-computer interfaces continue to improve, di future of marketing go depend on how e go listen to di brain, interpret data with empathy, and create experiences wey dey both intelligent and humane.
References
Fox, S. (1984). The Mirror Makers: A History of American Advertising and Its Creators. Vintage.
Kotler, P. (1967). Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, and Control. Prentice Hall.
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing Management (15th ed.). Pearson.
McKendrick, N., Brewer, J., & Plumb, J. H. (1982). The Birth of a Consumer Society: The Commercialization of Eighteenth-Century England. Indiana University Press.
Pride, W. M., & Ferrell, O. C. (2016). Marketing (18th ed.). Cengage Learning.
