Marketing by CPAs

Abstract

Until the late 1970s, the AICPA discouraged commercial advertising and some other marketing tactics by practicing accountants. This study contacted 600 CPAs in the U.S. in an attempt to discover what kinds of marketing they employ, how useful they think it is, and how appropriate do they feel the AICPA's rules and regulations are in regard to marketing an individual CPA's services. Most thought the AICPA was fair. Accountants doing the most marketing tend to be younger males. “Conflict of Interest” was the area of most current concern in light of the ongoing problems of public accounting firms doing both auditing and consulting for the same client. “Newspaper” was the preferred advertising medium. Most of those surveyed were pleased the AICPA relaxed its restrictions on marketing and advertising, even though many CPAs still do not market their services to any great extent. This may change as younger accountants fill leadership positions in U.S. accounting firms.     

Bunce,Richard. Television in the Corporate Interest. New York: Praeger, 1976

Abstract

Conventional wisdom suggests that advertisers should approach the use of negative advertising with a great deal of caution. Perhaps because of its success in the political arena, negative advertising has recently been featured more prominently in the marketing of goods and services. Such a tactic is risky given that so little research on the subject is currently available. Prior to using negative advertising (if this genre of advertising should be used at all) in the marketing of non-political goods and services, a better understanding of the factors influencing its effectiveness must be achieved. This paper examines the literature, models, and theory applicable to the study of negative advertising. Thirteen research propositions are suggested.     

Measuring market orientation: A multi‐factor,multi‐item approach

The marketing literature reflects remarkable inconsistency in defining two of its most frequently used terms, “the marketing concept” and “market orientation”. Through a critical review of the marketing literature and an empirical analysis of data collected from 248 Canadian firms, the authors established a four‐component measure of “market orientation”. The resulting multi‐factor, multi‐item instrument provides a foundation for future studies.     

Women “in motion”: the kinaesthetic viewing experience in Chinese viral advertising films

ABSTRACT

Visual imagery provides aesthetic experiences for viewers, and viral advertising films address viewers’ experience of movement which has not been analysed. Developing visual analyses, this study uses phenomenological approaches and the concept of kinaesthetic empathy, defined as the ability of viewers to react to movements, also in film. It considers Chinese Wei movies (“microfilms” or viral advertising films) with reference to examples by Audi and Swarovski as representatives of China's post-socialist marketing culture. Women in these films are presented as “in motion,” yet still are often delimited by traditional gender stereotypes. These films are potentially ambivalent ideological carriers that encourage women to reinvent themselves through consumption within traditional gender roles but may also suggest the pursuit of different experiences as movement is abstract, transitory and cannot be commodified.     

Knowledge Flows Between Advertising and Other Disciplines: A Social Exchange Perspective

Knowledge flows between advertising and other academic disciplines are examined to identify the structure of scientific knowledge, the extent of social exchange and the scientific status of the field. Bibliometric analysis is used to identify who is citing our research and who we cited. Cocitation patterns for the leading advertising journals (Journal of Advertising [JA], Journal of Advertising Research [JAR], International Journal of Advertising [IJA], Journal of Interactive Advertising [JIA], and Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising [JCIRA]) and the top 50 citing and cited journals with citation relationships from 2005 to 2014 were examined. Findings revealed that advertising is citing advertising scholarship the most, followed by marketing, consumer research, psychology, and communication. This suggests a “maturing field” where scholars look within the discipline's body of knowledge. In turn, advertising research is cited by advertising, marketing, business (general), communication, and psychology. The overall citing-to-cited ratio suggests that advertising is more a “receiver” than “provider” of knowledge to other disciplines; however, there is variation across the advertising journals. The positioning of advertising journals in the larger disciplinary framework shows close relationships to consumer research and interactive communication. The most common focus among the top-cited articles is digital media, with few articles focusing on traditional advertising. The implications of our findings for the field of advertising are discussed.     

Comment on “Speculations on the Future of Advertising Research”

Abstract

David Stewart's “Speculations…” are based on the existence of a crisis in advertising. This comment takes a contrary position, premised on the derived and cyclical nature of advertising demand.     

Research Trends of Marketing: A Bibliometric Study 1990–2017

Abstract

Interest in the role of marketing has grown in recent decades due to its impact in brand value, value creation for customers, profitability of customer base, and organizational results. The paper shows an overall view on marketing research to explore the development of research trends, showing the high-frequency keywords at different time periods. Using bibliometric methods, the research analyzes publications between 1990 and 2017 found in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The paper shows the evolution of keywords to reveal emerging topics as demonstrated in the connections network which includes “advertising,” “consumer behavior,” “trust,” “innovation,” and “customer satisfaction.”     

Internal Marketing and Internal Customer: A Review,Reconceptualization, and Extension

Abstract

In the last several decades the internal marketing (IM) concept has emerged as a key notion in marketing and human resource management (HRM) debates on future development. IM refers to the fact that the concept of external marketing to apply inside of an organization. The use of the concept can be traced to wider HR processes, which have influenced on employee, organization, and customer. This conceptual paper reviews the literature within the adapting platform and focuses on qualitative, critical approaches to evaluation. The framework highlights the important influence of context (the issue of the IM program is addressing) and identifies multi-dimensions which may influence on employee. The analytical framework presented is useful for practitioners developing internal marketing processes, and for researchers interested in empirical studies which seek to evaluate IM practice.     

Advertising Management: Its Role in Marketing. Sachs,William S. Tulsa,Oklahoma: PennWell Books, 1983

Abstract

The advertising literature contains some evidence that offensive advertising is multidimensional in nature, but little is known about the character of these dimensions. In an exploratory study of TV advertising, two different dimensions of “offensive” were identified. These dimensions were labeled Offensive Products and Offensive Execution. This distinction is important both for the study of the construct as well as for advertisers who are faced with decisions on advertising execution. The Offensive Products dimension contains those products related to consumer problems which social norms dictate should not be discussed in public. The Offensive Execution dimension, the dimension over which the advertiser has more control, consists of those ads which are perceived to be offensive by the nature of the execution or themes and/or topics of the ad and not the product itself.     

The Changing Private Market System

Most marketing managers still function as if challenges such as scarcity of resources and “social responsibility” were simply temporary phenomena. But our “private” market system is evolving into a “public” system. Public policy and the goals of society play an expanding role in making strategy decisions.

Traditional efficiency is when a manager attempts to achieve the greatest output for a given combination of inputs. Under a contemporary definition of efficiency, each firm must produce and allocate goods and services in such a manner that the maximum possible societal utility is achieved. The marketing function is to be the “change agent.”

Marketing today is in a transition from a “passive” to an “active” phase of its ability to deal with the changes taking place. As traditionally, the marketing manager will make decisions within several areas: product offering, price, distribution and promotion efforts, including advertising and sales. The basic concept of the product will be changed to include not only physical goods, but also services, organizations, people, plans and ideas. Exchange will take place between two parties and will no longer be measured simply by a straightforward calculation of costs. Environmental quality, political considerations, consumer welfare, etc., must be evaluated along with profits in order to properly understand how well marketing is satisfying the needs of society.     

Cases in Advertising. Burton,Philip Ward and Richard Sandhusen. Columbus,Ohio: Grid Publishing,Inc., 1981

Abstract

Advertising, consumerism and consumer psychology are very much in the public eye these days and teachers, teaching advertising and marketing courses, see themselves, and are seen by others, as torn between opposing polar orientations. A survey of one group of teachers of advertising and advertising-related courses shows most such teachers orienting their courses, predominantly, toward the interests of the market place “professionals” rather than that of the general public. Yet humanistic and social conscience considerations would seem to demand the opposite. Several alternative, possible positions are considered and a practical, ethically supportable position is indicated.     

“Unprecedented,” “extraordinary,” and “we're all in this together”: Does advertising really need to be so tedious in challenging times?

As government-mandated lockdowns and steep declines in trade set in because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a common theme became apparent in the advertising of the time: It was all the same. Regardless of the product category or brand personality, many ads were remarkably similar. They began with melancholy music, voiceovers reminding the audience that the brand is here for them, and referred to these times as “unprecedented” and “extraordinary.” Ads reassured viewers that “together, we can get through this.” In this installment of Marketing & Technology, we articulate the problem of advertising sameness and explore how and why it likely arises during a time of crisis. We then discuss why advertising uniformity is a problem and present a series of strategic, media, and creative considerations—taking into account the constraints of a crisis— to help marketing professionals produce more effective advertising in the context of a disaster.     

Has e-marketing come of age? Modeling historical influences on post-adoption era Internet consumer behaviors

E-marketing evolved from a comparatively isolated group of “dot-com” firms to a mainstream marketing channel activity. This progress has also influenced customers and their “e-behavior” in the process. This study reviews the literature from information systems and marketing and uses meta-analysis to synthesize key findings. Three important insights emerged. From this exercise, a framework was developed integrating both perspectives, Marketing and IS empirical and conceptual literatures, enhancing the understanding of the customer “e-behavior” process by which attitudes, perceptions and evaluations interact to influence purchasing intentions. The analysis suggests also that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, the primary constructs of the technology acceptance model (TAM), continue to influence purchasing intentions in the post-adoption online context. Thus, the multi-disciplinary nature of online purchasing behavior was demonstrated, underscoring a need for both cross-disciplinary research and a more integrative and collaborative strategy for decision-makers and managers.     

Disentangling the impact of temperature on consumers' attitudes toward nostalgic advertising

Although the effect of temperature on consumers is ubiquitous, little is known about how temperature affects consumers' attitudes toward nostalgic advertising. Drawing on embodied cognition theory, this study explores the effect of temperature on consumers' attitudes toward nostalgic advertising through the mediator of the affective system. Based on two experiments involving personal and historical nostalgic advertising, our results show that when exposed to comfortable temperature, consumers follow the “assimilative effect” of temperature; warm temperatures trigger more positive attitudes toward nostalgic advertising when compared with cool temperatures. However, when exposed to uncomfortable temperatures, consumers follow the “complementary effect” of temperatures; cold temperatures lead to more positive attitudes toward nostalgic advertising than hot temperatures. Furthermore, the affective system plays a mediating role between temperature and consumers' attitudes toward nostalgic advertising. This study contributes to the literature on temperature in marketing and provides a practical guide for companies to implement nostalgic advertising strategies.     

Conference report: Second conference on political marketing: Judge institute of management studies,university of Cambridge 27–29 March 1996

Sales promotion activity continues to grow in terms of the number, scale and variety of promotional techniques being used by companies in their marketing communication campaigns. Research among marketing academics has yet to catch up with this reality and sales promotion continues to suffer from relative neglect compared to advertising;from a tendency for all promotional tools to be tarred with a rational economic brush; and from being labelled as a set of “tactical” took that lack the strategic brand‐building possibilities offered by advertising. This article builds upon earlier research examining the communication potential of competitions, to test empirically whether the potential marketing communications benefits claimed for competitions are actually recognised and pursued by marketing practitioners.     

Mapping the consumer‐subject in advertising

Traditionally marketing communication‐or more specifically advertising‐has been framed in terms of products/ services, needs and wants of consumers as if these were real givens, existing independently of the forms and acts of marketing communication itself. From this perspective, advertising is merely seen as a purveyor of information about products/services/needs between producers and consumers but hardly as actively implicated in shaping, not only the relation between the processes of production and those of consumption, but also the conception of the consumer‐subject. This paper makes a brief diachronic account of advertising with a view to highlighting how the consumer‐subject is represented. Whereas early advertising conceives of the consumer‐subject as a “rational” decision‐maker, aware of its needs and desire, more recent advertising constitutes the consumer‐subject in a hyperreal, dream‐like world, which seduces and spellbinds it.     

An Analysis of Consumer Complaints about Social Marketing Advertisements in Australia and New Zealand

While social marketers are rarely targeted in discussions of the ethics of advertising, we are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of ensuring that social marketing messages are developed and conveyed in an ethical fashion. The article reviews complaints made by members of the general public in Australia and New Zealand to the advertising regulatory bodies in those two countries for the five years 2000–2004; examining the number, type, and nature of these complaints – including the categories of advertising, and the types of appeals, which generate complaints from the general public in both countries. We find that, as for commercial advertising, there is a need for further research to explore “community standards” in relation to social marketing messages; and that there is a clear need for social marketers to consider consumer attitudes towards advertising when developing communication strategies and messages.     

Political Campaign Advertising: Believe It or Not

SUMMARY

The extent that political advertising in elections is believed by voters' is an important issue for public policy, political marketing, and marketing in general. Much effort and funding is devoted to communicating with voters' during elections via advertising. This study examined political advertising believability and three potential antecedents of believability during an election. The data were gathered via a random sample of voters immediately following an election and the results indicate that believability is influenced by a voters' involvement, perceived control and satisfaction and that party preference plays a key role in believability of competing campaigns.     

Fostering fair and sustainable marketing for social entrepreneurs in the context of subsistence marketplaces

Abstract

In recent years, in-depth, on-the-ground research has generated many insights into the nature and functioning of subsistence marketplaces and the people who operate in them. Such knowledge is bound to be useful to various companies and organisations, as they seek to engage such marketplaces, particularly for marketing managers, who quite likely have not had education or experience in marketing in such impoverished settings. This paper complements these practical insights with a normative ethical framework, presented in the marketing literature and labelled the integrative justice model (IJM) for impoverished markets, so as to synthesise a new framework for fair and sustainable marketing for social entrepreneurs in the context of subsistence marketplaces.     

Editorial

The relationship marketing paradigm is gaining increasing credence in consumer markets. Marketers need to get close to their customers to establish exchange relationships, and this “intimacy” is achieved using database technology and direct marketing communications. However, in implementing relationship marketing in this way, the potential exists for the use of technology to result in invasions of individual consumer privacy. The literature on relationship marketing and privacy are reviewed, and the findings of six exploratory focus group discussions, conducted in the UK, are presented. The study suggests that what some consumers define as “intrusion” is similar to what has been called “intimacy” by marketers. Nine propositions are presented which reflect the implications of current approaches to relationship marketing in consumer markets. In particular, the integral elements of meaningful relationships are absent or inhibited as a result of consumer concerns over intrusions of their privacy. Thus, marketers need to adapt their attitudes, behaviours, and processes in order to accommodate the participation of the consumer in the relationship. The implications for marketers are identified, and directions are offered for future research.