Market research and the politics of new product development

Although there continues to be considerable debate about the factors which determine success in new product development, there is considerable agreement regarding the core elements of best practice (including factors such as market knowledge, marketing skills, top management commitment, organizational flexibility). However, in new product development specifically and marketing in general, there is always the possibility that organizations will adopt the most visible manifestations of such prescriptions while ignoring their substance. The common explanation for such occurrences is the failure to recognize the need to change not just policies but also beliefs and attitudes. However, there may be instances in which a preference for trappings rather than substance reflects a more purposive decision process; in particular, procedures and techniques associated with marketing activities may be adopted as symbols to legitimize decisions which are fundamentally political rather than conventionally rational. The process by which such a sequence of events may occur is illustrated with reference to a case study of new product development.