It is a fact that 70% of the costs of R&D lead to failure. Some of these costs can be attributed to technical problems, but the remainder are due to the shortcomings of marketing strategy. How do you choose or transform markets in order to have a successful launch? In this text, the author seeks to demonstrate that products have a ‘life’ before their ‘life cycle’ ever begins. He has developed the techniques of a marketing strategy which can be applied to products which do not yet exist in the marketplace and for markets which themselves do not exist. The case studie s he includes are based on work carried out over many years with many blue chip companies such as Shell, Renault Automation, Pilkington Glass, Bayer, EDF (Electricity France) and Rhone Poulenc.