The marketing concept in perspective

A re-evaluation of the marketing concept appears to be in the making. The focus of research designed to facilitate this re-evaluation is likely to be of considerable importance to the future development of marketing theory. Research designed to better define the role and scope of the marketing concept seems to offer the most promise. Such research would be an aid to determining where the marketing concept should fit into a comprehensive theory of marketing. Limitations of the marketing concept are well documented in the literature suggesting a need for a broader framework of marketing theory. It seems imperative that academicians accept the responsibility for developing a more comprehensive general theory of marketing, one relevant to both the micro and macro aspects of a functioning system. Such flexibility seems to be a minimal requirement.     

The physician and the marketing concept

Most physicians use some marketing techniques (albeit, unintentional or unplanned) in the operation of their private medical practices. They use marketing to attract patients, but seem unaware of the necessity and potential value of satisfying customer needs beyond the provision of adequate medical care. Medical service is often characterized by impersonality, with patients treated as machines rather than humans. This situation is partially a reflection of a seller's market, with a shortage or absence of private medical services in many areas of the country. In addition, the apparent lack of consumer orientation is reinforced by policies of the American Medical Association that forbid most forms of self-promotion and by the minimum fee schedules suggested by local medical associations that effectively preclude price competition. Physicians do not seem to recognize the congruity between their own interests or objectives and the total satisfaction of consumers in the marketplace for medical care.     

The social disorder of the broadened concept of marketing

The concept of “social order” is fundamental to the stability of most social systems. In this paper, three dimensions of social order—drawn predominantly from the writings of Talcott Parsons—are analyzed in terms of how they are influenced by broadened marketing. The authors maintain that the widespread acceptance and application of broadened marketing,defined as marketing, is inconsistant with social order and could ultimately erode the reputation of all marketing practioners. Furthermore, such a series of events could lead to the severe regulation of marketing practices and the development of inhibitions by bright young students regarding the formal study of marketing.     

Instituting the marketing concept in a multinational setting: The role of national culture

A growing concern among international marketing managers is how to increase the market orientation and thereby performance of their transnational organizations. This study broaches this issue by investigating how the marketing concept, the heart of the market orientation, may be established in a multinational setting and the effects of national culture on that process. From a wide array of literature, the authors construct a theoretical framework and propositions on how global organizations may transform this philosophy from an abstract platitude to an operational reality. Their findings suggest that the process consists of complex, interdependent steps—interpretation, adoption, and implementation of the marketing concept. Cultural values shape interpretation and facilitate or impede adoption and implementation. The overall framework and findings can be used to guide institutionalization of the marketing concept across the organizational span, in particular by anticipating culture-based reactions from international subsidiaries. Cheryl Nakata is an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Illinois at Chicago and received her doctorate from the same institution in 1997. Her work appears in theJournal of Marketing, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Product Innovation and Management, Marketing Science Institute Working Paper Series, International Marketing Review, and other publications. Her primary interests are in global marketing and marketing management and strategy. K. Sivakumar (Ph.D., Syracuse University, 1992) is the Arthur Tauck Professor of international marketing and logistics at Lehigh University. His research interests include pricing, international marketing, and technology management. His research has been published or is forthcoming in theJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Marketing Review, Journal of Business Research, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Theory & Practice, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Marketing Letters, Pricing Strategy & Practice, and other journals. He has won several awards for research and is on the editorial boards of six scholarly journals.     

The evolving marketing concept,competitive intensity and organizational performance

Marketing educators generally assume in their teaching that there is little inconsistency between adherence to the marketing concept and the stakeholder concept. Some assume that the latter is a logical extension of the former but there has been no empirical analysis of this issue. In this paper, research based on the perceptions of Fortune 500 executives is presented which focuses on this issue. Of particular concern are their views concerning the future business environment, organizational conduct and expected performance in 1995. This data is used to empirically examine the inseparability of the marketing concept and stakeholder concept. In addition, the relationship of the competitive environment upon these philosophies as well as upon perceived organizational performance is empirically investigated and discussed.     

Developing the marketing concept in public accounting firms

As the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts relaxes its practice development restrictions, CPA firms find themselves with a need to develop more aggressive approaches to the markets they serve. This paper focuses on the development of a marketing strategy for an illustrative market, that of small, rapidly-growing high technology firms. Results from a telephone survey of company executives serve as the basis for strategy development. In addition, the evaluation of a small firm and its accounting needs are provided in a hypothetical example to dramatize the conclusions. The results suggest that the burden may be on CPA firms to anticipate, recognize, and meet the accounting needs of their clientele.     

Physical distribution service: A fundamental marketing concept?

This article contends that current discussion and research into the role of physical distribution service in the marketing mix are hampered by a lack of consistent definition of the concept of physical distribution service and its component dimensions. In order to clarify this concept, prerequisites for a theoretically meaningful understanding of physical distribution service are presented and supported by an integrative literature review. The implications of this undertaking are also discussed.     

Customer experience management: toward implementing an evolving marketing concept

Although research continues to debate the future of the marketing concept, practitioners have taken the lead, appraising customer experience management (CEM) as one of the most promising marketing approaches in consumer industries. In research, however, the notion of CEM is not well understood, is fragmented across a variety of contexts, and is insufficiently demarcated from other marketing management concepts. By integrating field-based insights of 52 managers engaging in CEM with supplementary literature, this study provides an empirically and theoretically solid conceptualization. Specifically, it introduces CEM as a higher-order resource of cultural mindsets toward customer experiences (CEs), strategic directions for designing CEs, and firm capabilities for continually renewing CEs, with the goals of achieving and sustaining long-term customer loyalty. We disclose a typology of four distinct CEM patterns, with firm size and exchange continuity delineating the pertinent contingency factors of this generalized understanding. Finally, we discuss the findings in relation to recent theoretical research, proposing that CEM can comprehensively systemize and serve the implementation of an evolving marketing concept.     

The paradox of a marketing planning capability

Strategy scholars have long debated the value of formal planning, and research has offered inconsistent support for planning to enhance firm performance. Given these mixed empirical effects, we draw from the resource-based view of the firm to illustrate a paradox firms may face. In particular, a strong marketing planning capability may not only reduce the incidence of postplan improvisation but also contain inherent process rigidity. Since both of these can also increase performance, results illustrate a performance paradox in marketing planning. Rebecca J. Slotegraaf (rslotegr@indiana.edu) is an assistant professor of marketing in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Her research focuses on the nature and effect of organizational resources, marketing capabilities, and deployment actions on competitive advantage. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to this publication in theJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science, she has also published several articles in theJournal of Marketing Research. Peter R. Dickson (dicksonp@fiu.edu) is the Knight-Ridder Eminent Scholar in Global Marketing at Florida International University. He was previously the Arthur C. Nielsen Jr., Chair of Marketing Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and before that the Crane Professor of Strategic Marketing and a professor of industrial design at the Ohio State University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Thirty of his articles on buyer and seller behavior have been published in leading marketing journals.     

The marketing concept in the U.S. and the USSR: An historical analysis

This paper traces the evolution of marketing thought in the United States and Russia and advances the argument that the marketing concept is not unique to free-market systems. Rather the acceptance and application of the marketing concept seems inevitable in any society which advances to the point where it has: (1) a high degree of specialization and division of labor in production, (2) a reward system based on generalized purchasing power, i.e., money, and (3) significant amounts of discretionary income in the hands of consumers. MacFarlane & Company, Inc.     

The nature of power in a marketing channel

This paper empirically assesses the extent to which power in a marketing channel dyad is issue-specific or pervasive. Additionally, the paper investigates the extent to which specific power sources effect single or multiple areas of power. The dyad studied is the wholesaler-food broker interface in the marketing channel for grocery products. Results indicate that power is limited in scope, being more issue-specific than pervasive. Additionally, some specific sources of power were found to create power in multiple areas, while others created power in but one area.     

The effect on sales of changes in a “push” marketing strategy in a marketing channel context

Marketing managers must determine what level of salient marketing mix variables should be provided within a marketing channel. This paper describes a number of previously used methods and presents a different approach which determines a customer's sales response to different levels of promotion and distribution activities using a variant conjoint analysis approach. The results of this sales dollar estimation procedure are compared with those derived from conventional conjoint analysis using rank order preference data. Differences in the two analyses are examined which could lead to different strategic decisions.     

The impact of direct marketing appeals on charitable marketing effectiveness

Building on behavioral decision research, this article provides guidelines to charitable marketing managers regarding the effect of charitable direct marketing appeals on donor decision judgments. Several charitable direct mail appeals (factors) were empirically tested simultaneously in a factorial experimental design involving 18,144 potential donors to determine how donor decision strategies influenced choice judgments about whether to give and estimation judgments about how much to give. The results indicate that suggested anchors and framing influence response rate (choice) but not size of gift. Reference information (factual/statistical and narrative/experiential) influences size of gift (estimation) but not response rate. Implications for charitable marketing managers are discussed. He received his D.B.A. from Boston University, M.B.A. from Harvard University, and B.A. from Brandeis University. His research interests include managerial pricing, marketing communication strategies, and customer value. His work has been published in theCalifornia Management Review, Sloan Management Review, Pricing Strategy and Practice, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Marketing Communication, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, andJournal of Promotion Management, among others. He earned his S.B., S.M., and Ph.D. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management. He is coauthor ofDirect Marketing Management (Prentice Hall) andCases in Business Statistics (Allyn & Bacon). He has published a variety of articles in journals such asManagement Science, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Direct Marketing, Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, Journal of Business Forecasting, American Statistician, andJournal of Finance.     

The marketing of political candidates

While the controversy concerning the validity and purpose of broadening the concept of marketing is still an ongoing one, the present article focuses on the field of political marketing and compares its historical development with that of American business. In doing so, it is shown that political marketing, viz., the process by which political candidates and ideas are targeted at the voters in order to satisfy their political needs and thus gain their support, has gone through the stages of (1) candidate orientation. (2) sales-management orientation, and is presently experiencing a transition to a (3) marketing concept orientation. These orientations parallel the development in the orientation of American business from product to sales to marketing focus. In addition, the article also suggests that marketing and political marketing share many basic concepts and tools. Consequently, it is concluded that political marketing should be included within the boundaries of the existing marketing theory. The author would like to thank Professor Philip Kotler for his insightful comments on an earlier version of this paper, and for his encouragement.     

The marketing of hamburger buns

It is apparent that the return percentages have been drastically reduced by using only the primary variable of temperature. The actual return percentage would have been even higher except that some route men ran out of hamburger buns and therefore had no returns. This did not show up in the aggregate figures because these were more than balanced by a surplus returned by the majority of route men.     

The integration of a logistical decision-making framework into nonprofit marketing

Marketing practitioners in for-profit-making settings are typically well acquainted with what logistical decisions can do for a marketing program and what marketing constraints can do to a logistics system. For the most part, however, the conceptual tansfer from a product-oriented firm to a service-producing organization has been lacking and obviously not made in non-profit marketing situations. This paper examines these areas and presents a creative expansion of the logistics decision-making area into nonprofit marketing. Hopefully, this setting will encourage others to investigate non-profit areas and, in particular, the interrelationships involved in the logistics area.     

The future of technology and marketing: a multidisciplinary perspective

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science -     

The structure of marketing channel relationships

Distribution channel research has been advanced in recent years by contributions based on the political economy paradigm, transaction cost analysis, and relationship marketing. Drawing on these bodies of thought, we propose a new conceptualization of the structure of marketing channel relationships. Relationship structure is defined in terms of decision-making structure and operational integration. The proposed model of channel structure antecedents and consequences is consistent with the major research paradigms but extends beyond simple categorical assemblages of constructs to provide an ordered set of relationships based on theory and empirical research. This conceptualization reconciles some apparent contradictions in the literature and provides a clear focus for structure, process, and performance research in channels. He received his Ph.D. in marketing from Louisiana State University. He has published in the areas of marketing channels, retailing, and logistics. His work has appeared in theJournal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Marketing Channels, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Materials Management, Journal of Marketing Education, and others. He served as the managing director of public relations with the Federal Express Corporation before entering the Ph.D. program at Alabama. He holds a B.B.A. in accountancy from the University of Mississippi and an M.A. in marketing from the University of Alabama.     

The role of emotions in marketing

Emotions are mental states of readiness that arise from appraisals of events or one’s own thoughts. In this article, the authors discuss the differentiation of emotions from affect, moods, and attitudes, and outline an appraisal theory of emotions. Next, various measurement issues are considered. This is followed by an analysis of the role of arousal in emotions. Emotions as markers, mediators, and moderators of consumer responses are then analyzed. The authors turn next to the influence of emotions on cognitive processes, which is followed by a study of the implications of emotions for volitions, goal-directed behavior, and decisions to help. Emotions and customer satisfaction are briefly explored, too. The article closes with a number of questions for future research. Richard P. Bagozzi is the Dwight F. Benton Professor of Behavioral Science in Management at the University of Michigan Business School. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and has been a faculty member at the University of California-Berkeley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University. He is currently doing research in emotions, goal-directed behavior, and social identity theory. Mahesh Gopinath is an assistant professor of marketing in the A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan Business School and is doing research in emotions and customer satisfaction. Prashanth U. Nyer is an assistant professor of marketing in the School of Business and Economics at Chapman University. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan Business School and is doing research in emotions and customer satisfaction.