Most of the marketing theories out there are developed by academics (many of us have little knowledge of the real world and far prefer reading to talking to real people) or consulting firms (who need to develop a quick way to make money by simplifying complex business/consumer experiences).

As a result, all concepts are a simplification of life that leads to them being unusable for someone out there - what bad marketers do is rely solely on the concepts and don't critique the applications, their use or the target audience of the concepts - A university professor spends years teaching students the theories, then take the best students to study and show them why concepts are mostly unreliable and critical thinking is at the heart of real problem solving and being a good marketer.

Unfortunately, MBA classes don't, on the whole, do this - they teach the concepts designed by consultants because that's what is expected by industry - mentors teach students to think, to critique, to challenge the norm and develop creative solutions to difficult problems.

Marketing/business is not a science - if it was, then we'd work out the formula and we'd all be successful - it is a mix of science (there are rules that work better than others) and an art (creativity and innovation is needed to keep ahead of your competitors and keep in touch with customers).

This is exactly why we must tell people:

1.) The worst thing you can do is get your MBA straight out of your undergrad degree - you need real world experience to build a BS filter and to interpret what you learn in your MBA critically

2.) An MBA is not a cookbook. It a set of tools that have to be applied wisely and sometimes you have to through them all out and come up with something new that situation appropriate.

A very practical thing to do is to handle your own marketing strategy based on your own data gathered. A good way to complement this is to get a professional marketing automation solution.

Note that not every product can be sold the same way. As an example, the success of most Apple products is not from their performance, they aren't quantifiably better than their direct competitors. Apple sold perceived value, status, and luxury. The hardware is over-priced when you look at the performance numbers, but not when you look at the target market. It is why Lexus is able to sell a $50k Camry.

Now, let's do a little thought experiment. You're given a limited budget, a limited time frame and a choice between two products to sell. Whatever money you make over your budget you get to keep.

Product A is a lightweight electromagnet that immediately immobilizes a bicycle, making it impossible to steal. Product B is a really good novel. Which do you choose to sell? To be fair, you are allowed to do a three day test run on both products, trying to sell them any way you want.