Stealth marketing as a strategy

Stealth marketing has gained increasing attention as a strategy during the past few years. We begin by providing a brief historical review to provide some perspective on how this strategy has been practiced in a myriad of ways in various parts of the world, and how it has consequently evolved in the emerging new marketplace. A more inclusive definition of stealth marketing is then proposed to conceptually understand its use in various contexts. Specifically, we propose a new typology of stealth marketing strategies based on whether businesses or competitors are aware of them, and whether they are visible to the targeted customers. We further provide suggestions of how firms can counter the stealth marketing strategies used by their competitors. Contrary to conventional wisdom, evidence is also provided about how such strategies can be used for “doing good” for society. Finally, the assessment of efficiency and effectiveness of stealth marketing strategies, and their related ethical implications, are discussed.     

Advances in strategic marketing and the advancement of the marketing discipline: the promise of theory

ABSTRACT

Hunt (2018, Advancing marketing strategy in the marketing discipline and beyond: From promise, to neglect, to prominence, to fragment, (to promise?). Journal of Marketing Management, 34, 16–51. doi:10.1080/0267257X.2017.1326973) provides a synthesis and critical review of over 100 years of marketing literature organised into four eras. In his prognosis of the outlook for Era V, Hunt notes that there are reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for both the marketing discipline, broadly, and the field of strategic marketing, specifically. However, he also draws attention to the concerns voiced by a number of marketing scholars regarding the current state of the field and the future outlook for the field. Hunt argues that the prospects for the marketing discipline and the field of strategic marketing are closely intertwined, and that the health of the latter contributes significantly to that of the former. Against this backdrop, this commentary focuses on the promise of theory for advances in strategic marketing and the advancement of the marketing discipline.     

New developments in global consumer behavior and marketing strategy: Introduction to the special issue

This special issue of the Journal of Business Research features ten articles selected from the papers presented during the seventh meeting of the Royal Bank International Research Seminar which took place in Montreal (Canada), September 22–24, 2011. The papers cover topics relating to new developments in online research, acculturation/socialization research, research methodology, and marketing strategy.     

The indirect effect of online marketing capabilities on the international performance of e-commerce SMEs

International e-commerce is a strong global trend pushed by a tail wind of bolstering economic policies, changing customer behaviors, and improved logistics and technologies. This study investigates the reasons for performance variations among international e-commerce SMEs. Building on the capabilities perspective and market orientation literature, a research model is developed and tested with linear regression and mediation analysis on an effective sample of 99 Swedish SMEs which use e-commerce as an international sales channel. Our study shows that online marketing capabilities are necessary but not sufficient to increase performance among these companies. Our results show that marketing ambidexterity, reflected by both market-driven and market-driving approaches, is instrumental to leverage the effect of online marketing capabilities.     

Interactive effects of marketing strategy formulation and implementation upon firm performance

Abstract

This study employed an integrative approach to investigate the influence of external business environment, strategy formulation, viability of marketing strategy, and strategy implementation upon firm performance. The findings show that while technological change and market competition negatively influence the credibility of the strategy, market attractiveness has a positive influence upon the viability of strategy employed. Moreover, market competition has a positive influence upon the involvement of marketing managers in terms of strategy making and that the presence of an innovative culture is strongly required in executing a strategic marketing plan. In addition, the study shows that the involvement of marketing managers in strategy making, which is strongly supported by an innovative culture, generates their commitment to the strategy, which positively influences strategy viability.     

The effects of market orientation on subsidiary performance: Empirical evidence from MNCs in Turkey

Much scholarly work has been devoted to studying the performance implications of market orientation. This study examines the direct and indirect effects of market orientation on financial performance of the subsidiaries of MNCs located in Turkey. The findings indicate that a market orientation affects financial performance of MNC subsidiaries that operate in diverse and complex economic, cultural, and political environments of the Middle East. Moreover, authors demonstrate that the customer-related mechanisms (customer satisfaction and retention) mediate the market orientation–performance relationship. The paper also discusses the theoretical and practical implications of study findings.     

Triad lessons: Generalizing results on high performance firms in five business-to-business markets

Significant differences are known to exist among organizations operating in different countries due to different national and organizational cultures, strategic orientations, and management styles. Less clear, however, is whether there are significant patterns of differences in how marketing-related factors drive performance in the most successful firms regardless of country. Building on a previous study of major Japanese firms [Deshpandé et al., 1993. Journal of Marketing 57, 22–27], an exploratory study compared samples of business-to-business relationships of Japanese, English, French, German, and US companies. We found the expected significant differences in organizational cultures, but found no country-specific slopes or intercepts in regressions relating factors such as innovativeness, organizational climate and culture, and market orientation to business performance. Successful firms appear to transcend differences in national culture and develop a common pattern of drivers of success which include primary focus on organizational innovativeness, a participative work climate, and an externally oriented organizational culture.     

Towards a Strategic Model of Global Franchise Expansion

This paper develops the first global index of international franchise expansion that ranks countries according to their attractiveness to US-based franchise firms. A quantitative model combining insights from academic research and business practice generates a ranking of 143 potential expansion target countries according to their risk/opportunity profiles. The rankings suggest that countries with large markets and strong political and legal systems (large European countries, and Canada, Japan, and Australia) are the most attractive for US-based franchisors, while the small, unstable African countries are the least attractive. China (and the other BRIC countries—Brazil, Russia, India) though attractive from a market opportunity perspective, is nevertheless not highly ranked due to their significant risks and large cultural and geographic distances. This study reaffirms the importance of a strategic approach to international franchising decisions, underscores the importance of properly assessing the relative importance of key determinants in internationalization decisions, highlights the importance of a comprehensive and systematic assessment of the various risks in international franchising decisions, shows the usefulness of quantitative modeling in international franchising, and advocates the development of effective risk management methods in order to cope with rapid changes in the global marketplace.     

玉器行业网络团购营销策略的探讨

玉器行业具备高消费、高附加值、无污染、劳动密集型等特点,是国家鼓励、扶持的新兴产业,具有极大的市场开发空间。我国玉器行业以小作坊式生产为主,经营多处于分散无序的状态。玉器从业者营销方式千篇一律、产品同质化严重的特点又制约了玉器行业的发展。本文基于玉器行业的特点,详细阐述了基于Web2.0网络团购营销模式下玉器行业的营销策略。     

Examining the influence of uncertainty on marketing mix strategy elements in emerging business to business export-markets

The degree of adaptation or standardization of the marketing program is critical in international business ventures. However, findings within this important research field and, consequently, implications for practice remain contradictory and confusing. The purpose of this paper is to examine determinants of an international marketing-mix strategy within a specific business-to-business context that includes the effects of uncertainty. Is the degree to which the marketing program is adapted or standardized dependent on the managerial perception of uncertainty? Does a firm's international entrepreneurial ability or the use of networks positively influence the degree of positive assessment of the environment? Data were collected from German companies working in different international business-to-business markets. The results indicate that international entrepreneurship has a greater impact on uncertainty reduction than the use of networks. After having reduced uncertainty, a firm tends to adapt their communication and pricing strategy, whereas the adaptation of the product and distribution strategy in general is not significant.     

Web-based social movements contesting marketing strategy: The mobilisation of multiple actors and rhetorical strategies

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that marketing strategy is developed and used to mobilise and configure the actions of firm actors, creating a set of stabilising activities focused on the firm–customer dyad. Destabilising forces precipitated by the Internet and associated digital technologies involving contention and disruption by multiple actors are much less prevalent in the marketing literature. The central point we advance is that rather than marketing strategy being a controlled and stabilising force for firms in their relationships with customers, it can often lead to socially produced spaces where consumers and, importantly, other multiple actors form a social movement to actively attempt to destabilise it and contest its legitimacy. Using an innovative research approach, the findings of this study show how social movements proactively enrol and mobilise a wide range of relevant actors into a network of influence. Critical to this are rhetorical strategies, acting as important levers in attempts to destabilise and delegitimise a dominant firm’s marketing strategy.     

Business strategy and the management of digital marketing

The internet brought disruptive change to the business landscape through the creation of a whole host of digital marketing tactics. But with these new tactical options has come the need for marketing managers to (1) prioritize what they wish to accomplish and (2) determine which digital marketing tactics to invest in. We consider these issues from the perspective of four business strategies: prospectors, analyzers, low-cost defenders, and differentiated defenders. In this article, we provide marketing managers with insights into how businesses pursuing various strategies approach these digital marketing issues, with the ultimate goal being to assist managers in the efficient and effective implementation of their firm’s adopted strategy.     

中国高端服务企业全球营销战略状况研究——基于全球营销战略5维度模型的分析与建议

为了解我国服务企业全球化的实际水平和存在的问题,促进我国服务企业的全球化,本文对我国高端服务企业的全球营销战略现状,包括市场进入模式、营销策略的标准化与适应性程度、全球市场参与度、组织结构和价值链等方面进行了实证调研,并对调研数据进行了分析,提出了我国服务企业全球营销战略的一些理论建议。     

服务企业全球营销战略内部驱动因素实证研究——以我国高端服务企业的实证检验为例

文章通过对全球服务营销战略表现及其内部驱动因素测度指标的设定,检验了它们之间的关系,发掘了对全球服务营销战略表现起重要作用的各个内部驱动因素及其在重要性上的差异度,为我国服务企业在全球化进程中,应抓住哪些关键性的全球营销战略内部驱动因素,更好地发挥各个内部驱动因素的作用提供了理论依据。文章还提出了一些培育、构建这些内部驱动因素的理论建议。     

The role of social influence on adoption of high tech innovations: The moderating effect of public/private consumption

As technological innovations have become an integral part of the world economy in recent decades, predicting acceptance of those products has become a major goal of many researchers in academia and industry. The main objective of this study is to examine the role of social influence and the moderating effect of a product's public/private status on consumers' intended adoption of high-tech innovations. The results indicate that both social influence and adoption attitude have positive effects on consumer intention to adopt an innovation. Specifically, the effect of social influence on adoption intention is fully mediated by consumer attitude. Further, the relationship between social influence and adoption intention is stronger when an innovation is publicly consumed rather than privately consumed. Implications and future research directions are discussed.     

Market orientation in the context of SMEs: A conceptual framework

A number of studies in the marketing literature have examined the construct of market orientation (MO). These studies generally show a positive link between MO and organizational performance. This paper examines MO specifically in the context of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). An in-depth review of the extant literature is used to develop a conceptual framework by exploring the major antecedents of MO, the MO–Performance relationship, and the key mediators and environmental moderators of this relationship. This paper also examines several studies on SMEs with respect to various aspects of this framework and offers suggestions for future research in order to understand more thoroughly how MO influences SME performance.     

An analysis of social media marketing strategy and performance in the context of fashion brands: The case of Taiwan

This study examines the social media strategy and performance of fashion brands. Drawing upon the resource-based view, the study explores the influence of entrepreneurial orientation, innovation orientation, and market orientation on social media strategy and performance. Analysis was conducted using data on 207 Taiwanese fashion brands. These data were collected from a mail survey. Structural equation modeling and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis were used to test the empirical relationships proposed in the research hypotheses. The results indicate that social media strategy affects performance; entrepreneurial orientation and innovation orientation affect social media strategy; entrepreneurial orientation positively affects performance; and innovation orientation and market orientation positively affect performance.     

The impact of internal,external, and competitor factors on marketing strategy performance

ABSTRACT

Strategy formulation is commonly understood as the match between a firm’s internal resources and skills and its external environment. Marketing strategy performance is the function of a dynamic, interactive process incorporating internal firm resources, external environmental factors, and competitive actions. The study aims to assess the impact of competitor actions on marketing strategy performance. We develop a model that accommodates the effects of 29 variables (comprising internal marketing strategy variables, external environmental factors and competitors’ marketing mix variables) on business performance. We empirically test the model using simultaneous equation modelling of time-series data on UK car manufacturers collected from publically available resources and annual reports. The results show that external factors, in particular competitors’ marketing mix elements, have a greater influence on a company’s business performance than internal (marketing and non-marketing) strategy variables. Implications for marketing theory and management are discussed.     

Survival of high tech firms: The effects of diversity of product–market portfolios, patents, and trademarks

High tech firms can mitigate potential risks by diversifying their product–market portfolios. A key research question is how such diversification influences firm survival. A firm exits the market in two ways, specifically, dissolution and acquisition. Here, we model how the diversity of a new firm's product–market portfolio influences the times to both types of exits. Specifically, we allow for interaction effects of the competitive intensity of a firm's environment and the diversity of a firm's product–market portfolio with its patents and trademarks. Using a competing risk hazard model, we estimate the effects of various covariates on the time to exit for 1435 US high tech firms.We observed that a more diverse product–market portfolio, in conjunction with a larger number of patents, hastens the time to a firm's exit by dissolution (9% decrease in survival duration), while in conjunction with a larger number of trademarks, portfolio diversity delays the time to exit by dissolution (12% increase). A more competitive firm environment results in a greater effect on the portfolio's diversity in delaying its exit by dissolution (7% increase). On the other hand, a diverse product–market portfolio, combined with either a larger number of patents or trademarks, hastens the firm's exit by acquisition (19% and 11% decrease respectively).     

Internationalising cultural products: the Ouroboros strategy and the case of visual kei

ABSTRACT

Scholars have developed a vast literature that helps firms internationalise products and brands. Yet, there is comparatively limited work that examines the internationalisation strategies of cultural products. Through a case study of 31 visual kei rock bands, this study sheds light onto the patterns, objectives, and timing of internationalised cultural products. The results suggest that visual kei musicians adopt one of two internationalisation strategies: “standard internationalisation” or the “Ouroboros strategy.” Standard internationalisation is a linear strategy, where the objective is market growth through the acquisition of consumers in international markets, and where internationalisation can occur as early as the introduction stage of a product’s life. The Ouroboros strategy is a nuanced strategy where the pattern of internationalisation is circular, the objectives include market expansion and cultural goals, the target markets are both foreign and domestic consumers, and where internationalisation occurs in the growth and mature stages of bands’ life cycles.