AbstractIn industries in which there is strategic interaction among competing firms, companies are continuously involvedin defensive and offensive strategies. In this paper we discuss several defensive and offensive strategies thatmanagers can you for market success. Defensive strategies are divided into pre-entry and post-entry stretegies.Marketing managers should attempt to discourage would be entrants before entry has occurred. They can achievethis goal by engaging in pre-entry startegies. After entry is occurred it is more difficult to persuade new entrantsto exit the industry. For this reason, marketing managers should use different defensive strategies for defendingtheir positions in pre-entry and post-entry situations.Key words: Defensive strategies, offensive strategies, pre-entry strategies, post-entry strategies1. IntroductionCompetition forces companies to constantly engage in offensive and defensive marketing strategies. Rivalryoccurs because one or more competitors either feels the pressure or sees an opportunity to enter an industry or toimprove its position within an industry. In most cases, competitive moves by one firm have noticeable effects onits competitors and, thus, may invite retaliation or efforts to counter the move (Porter 1980). Companies respondto competitor challenges by counterattacking with increasing advertising expenditures, cutting prices, increasinginnovation, and introducing new products, or even accommodating the entrant by doing nothing or decreasing thelevel of marketing effort (Karakaya and Yannopoulos, 2011; Scherer, 1980).Firms grow by taking market share from rivals or creating new markets. Incumbents need to be prepared forattacks by existing firms seeking to expand their business and new entrants. The incumbents’ objective is todefend their market share and strengthen their position by making it harder for companies to enter or for existingfirms to challenge them. Incumbent firms may also attack in an attempt to enter a new market, repositionthemselves, or improve their market position.Markets are dynamic arenas where firms try to expand into theirindustries or reposition themselves in other segments within the industry. As firms attempt to improve theirposition, they engage in competitive battles and adopt offensive strategies. Successful use of offensive strategiescan help a firm improve its competitive position, gain market share, and increase profits. In this paper we discussboth defensive and offensive marketing strategies.