Definition Of Marketing Research Articles

Further Thoughts on the 2007 AMA Definition of Marketing and Its Implications for Social Marketing

Further Thoughts on the 2007 AMA Definition of Marketing and Its Implications for Social Marketing

Marketing in small hotels: a qualitative study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of marketing in small hotels specifically, and, more generally, to the area of SME or entrepreneurial marketing.Design/methodology/approachA deductive‐inductive approach based on interviews with 15 small hotel owner‐managers, supported by web site analysis and three in‐depth case study interviews, was used to provide a profile of marketing activities in small hotels in North Wales.FindingsThe application of Carson's levels of activity model to characterise and classify the marketing strategies and activities of the respondent hotels suggested that for these small hotels an additional category would be helpful in characterising marketing activities, inexpert marketing. On this basis, five of the hotels were in the non‐marketing category, eight in the inexpert category, and two in the implicit category; none were in Carson's sophisticated category. Further, any one hotel might fall into different categories on the basis of their engagement with different areas (such as marketing knowledge, or promotion).Originality/valueThese findings suggest that, whilst the search for a definition of entrepreneurial marketing is useful in articulating the difference between what SMEs do and marketing theory, there is also a need to recognise that there is a spectrum of different styles of and approaches to marketing adopted by different SME owner‐managers even within a specific sector, such that it is important not to neglect to develop models which help owner/managers, advisors, consultants and academics to understand the diversity in this sector.

The New American Marketing Association Definition of Marketing: An Alternative Assessment

In this essay, the authors provide a commentary on the American Marketing Association's current definition of marketing. After briefly outlining the evolution of marketing definitions, they challenge several aspects of the most recent definition. In particular, they stress that the new definition may not reflect the expanse of current marketing thought and practice, and they suggest that the limitations in scope and other shortcomings of the definition may have consequences on marketing scholarship, practice, and policy making. Building on these observations, the authors offer several criteria for creating a formal definition of marketing.

The American Marketing Association Definition of Marketing: Moving from Lagging to Leading Indicator

Rather than constraining scholars whose focus is marketing and society, the 2004 American Marketing Association (AMA) definition of marketing has provoked warranted criticisms of the informal and sporadic AMA definition-making process and has served as a catalyst for vigorous discourse on the proper conceptual domain and impact of marketing. Thus, the 2004 AMA definition of marketing has stimulated an important, healthy debate and has motivated reform of the AMA definition-making process.

Implications of the Revised Definition of Marketing: From Exchange to Value Creation

The distinctive difference between the 1985 and the 2004 American Marketing Association definitions of marketing is the lack of exchange. In the new definition, a focus on creating and delivering value through customer relationships replaces the historical focus on the exchange paradigm. The authors welcome this change and discuss its implications, the limits of the exchange paradigm, the merits of value creation, and the future paradigm for marketing.

The American Marketing Association's 2004 Definition of Marketing: Perspectives on Its Implications for Scholarship and the Role and Responsibility of Marketing in Society

In 2004, the American Marketing Association announced a new definition of marketing. This special section examines the implications of this definition for (1) scholarship—in particular, scholarship that addresses “marketing and society”—and (2) the role and responsibility of marketing in society.

Marketing as Constructive Engagement

The purpose of this essay is to provoke a more comprehensive, historically accurate, and meaningful definition of marketing. Toward that outcome, the author introduces a framework for marketing that argues for constructive engagement with a complex, conflicted, and increasingly interdependent world in which marketing can and should play an important role. The framework offers a new synthesis commensurate with ideals generally espoused in macromarketing. An illustration based on longitudinal study of Vietnam is shared, with implications for current global affairs and with new directions for meaningful marketing research and practice.

The End(s) of Marketing and the Neglect of Moral Responsibility by the American Marketing Association

The current official definition of marketing by the American Marketing Association—adopted in 2004—ignores marketers’ moral responsibility for the socioecological conditions of the world. Other statements and programs by the association hardly do better. This essay suggests that research and education on wisdom and a stronger commitment to a macromarketing orientation could begin to reverse the neglect of moral responsibility. Those actions and several others outlined will require courageous and visionary leadership from the American Marketing Association.

Defining Relationship Marketing: A review of Research

The term “relationship marketing” has become a popular concept among the practitioners of marketing as well as academics during the last several years. It is very beneficial to firms because it can foster customer loyalty and re-patronage behaviour. Apart from its growing popularity among academia and practitioners, still there exists no consensus on the basic “constructs” of relationship marketing. Different authors have different opinions about what should and what should not be at the core of what constitutes “relationship marketing”. In view of this, an attempt is made in this paper to collect and analyse 36 definitions of relationship marketing from different sources of previous literature. Content analysis methodology has been used to identify the underlying “constructs” in each of the 36 definitions. The results suggest that there are seven RM “constructs” which constitute the major conceptualisations of relationship marketing. Out of 36 definitions of relationship marketing, only one definition is judged as being more comprehensive and generally acceptable and a new definition for relationship marketing is presented as an inducement to further research and discussion.

The meaning, effectiveness and future of social marketing

The unique feature of social marketing is that it takeslearning from the commercial sector and applies it to theresolution of social and health problems. This idea datesback to 1951, when Wiebe asked the question ‘Can broth-erhood be sold like soap?’ For the first time, people beganto think seriously that methods used very successfully toinfluence behaviour in the commercial sector might transferto a non-profit arena. Wiebe evaluated four different socialchange campaigns, and concluded that the more similaritiesthey had with commercial marketing, the more successfulthey were.Over the next two to three decades, marketers and publichealth experts developed and refined this thinking, learningparticularly from international development efforts, wheresocial marketing was used to inform family planning anddisease control programmes (1). Social marketing thinkingand techniques spread to the developed world, and socialmarketing is now located at the centre of health improve-ment in several countries. In the USA, social marketing isincreasingly being advocated as a core public health strat-egy for influencing voluntary lifestyle behaviours such assmoking, drinking, drug use and diet (2).Last year in the UK, the potential of social marketingwas recognized in the White Paper on Public Health, whichtalks of the ‘power of social marketing’ and ‘marketingtools applied to social good’ being ‘used to build publicawareness and change behaviour’ (3). The National SocialMarketing Centre, led by the National Consumer Counciland the Department of Health, has been established to‘help realise the full potential of effective social marketingin contributing to national and local efforts to improvehealth and reduce health inequalities’ (4).Social marketing – like generic marketing – is not atheory in itself. Rather, it is a framework or structure thatdraws from many other bodies of knowledge such as psy-chology, sociology, anthropology and communicationstheory to help us understand how to influence people’sbehaviour (5). Several definitions of social marketing exist,but one of the most useful is Andreasen’s, which describessocial marketing as follows:Social marketing is the application of commercial mar-keting technologies to the analysis, planning, executionand evaluation of programs designed to influence thevoluntary behaviour of target audiences in order toimprove their personal welfare and that of society. (6)Four key features are illustrated in this definition. Thefirst is a focus on

On defining marketing: finding a new roadmap for marketing

The American Marketing Association has updated its marketing definition and included value for customers and customer relationships in the new definition. Moreover, marketing is defined as one organizational function. Taking mainly service and relationship marketing research as a starting point, this present article broadens the discussion to a generic marketing level, and analyses the underpinning logic of the updated definition. It concludes that the use of these elements of the definition is not well founded in current research. Also, it shows that marketing cannot be treated as one organizational function only. Drawing on the analysis of the updated definition, a set of propositions regarding the scope and content of a marketing definition are developed. Finally, based on the analysis and this set of propositions, an alternative marketing definition, based on the promise concept, and labelled a promises management definition, is suggested and its implications for marketing research and practice are discussed.

Empirical Researches of Relationship Marketing: the Role in Foreign Countries

This article emphasizes the importance of empirical researches of relationship marketing, their theoretical and methodological validity, and summarizes the experience of foreign and Lithuanian researchers in this field. It also shows the evolution of the definition of relationship marketing. There is a great number of empirical researches, which require developing a generalized approach to their theoretical validity, the adequacy of applied methods, and possibility of their practical use. This study is carried out in order to evaluate the importance of researches made by Western countries’ scientists in the last two decades, to systematize different approaches to customer loyalty problems, and review the newest works of Lithuanian researchers dedicated to various aspects of relationship marketing. It can be deduced that the concept of relationship marketing has evolved under the influence of separate scientific researches. Different purposes and aspects of these studies were the reason of various relationship marketing concepts. In practise it determines the fact that relationship marketing means different things to different companies. Relationship marketing is a form of marketing, in which emphasis is placed on building longer term relationships with customers rather than on individual transactions. It involves understanding the customers’ needs as they go through their life cycles. It emphasizes providing a range of products or services to existing customers as they need them. Relationship marketing can be analysed on both - micro and macro levels. Macro level is concentrated on the analysis of the role that relationship marketing plays to customers, personnel, providers, reference groups, intermediates (agents, brokers, etc.), and domestic markets. On micro level relationship marketing is considered a transition of marketing orientation – from single transactions with different customers to establishment and development of relations with the most important customers. Relationship marketing looks at customers and clients over a longer term. At the core of relationship marketing is the notion of customer retention – it takes into account the lifetime value of a customer. An improvement in customer retention can cause an increase in profitability. Relationship marketing involves the creation of new and mutual value between a supplier and individual customer. Novelty and mutuality deepen, extend and prolong relationships, creating yet more opportunities for customer and supplier to benefit one another. Nonetheless, it can be deduced that researches dedicated to relationship marketing are still in their primary stage in Lithuania. They are carried out in the context of other research objects. These researches concentrate on various aspects of relationship marketing and they lack systematic approach. A major part of such theories are not tested by neither quantitative nor qualitative research methods. It is characteristic of most Lithuanian concepts of relationship marketing. Meanwhile, euro-integration results in increased competition and new possibilities that force Lithuanian companies to improve their marketing activities. One of ways to achieve that involves the evaluation and adaptation of one of the most advanced marketing forms – relationship marketing.

The brand positioning and image of a religious organisation: an empirical analysis

Abstract Brand positioning and image development are important topics for any religious organisation wishing to provide an effective service to the public. It follows that in a world with increasing religious options, the position strategy decision and the brand position statement are essential aspects of a fully responsive religious organisation. To investigate these issues the author presents the findings of a study that compared the brand position of a Catholic shrine in Portugal, i.e. the sanctuary of Fátima, with the image of the shrine as perceived by its pilgrims. The paper also attempts to offer a definition of religious marketing and explores some possible antecedents of effective brand positioning within this particular field. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Motivations for developing direct trade relationships

PurposeThis study aims to understand buyer and supplier motives for developing direct relationships with their trade partners.Design/methodology/approachA total of 18 in‐depth interviews were conducted across Victoria and Tasmania (Australia); eight with retail buyers and ten with fresh produce suppliers. Both parties were involved in a direct relationship with their trade partner.FindingsThe research reveals a large variety of motivations that influence buyers and suppliers when deciding whether to operate in a direct or non‐direct relationship with their trade partner. Motivations for both parties are remarkably similar, with buyers and suppliers ultimately attempting to minimise the inherent risk associated with operating in a volatile environment.Research limitations/implicationsThe study may be limited by the fact that buyers and suppliers of different commodities were included in the study. In addition, the varied nature of the respondents' role may have impacted their judgment. The inability to interview dyads in all cases also limits the research.Practical implicationsThis research has implications for both researchers and practitioners already involved in, or considering becoming involved in, a direct trade relationship. Clarification of motivations for bypassing intermediaries shows how both trade partners can minimise external risk and strengthen competitive advantage by assuming a direct relationship.Originality/valueExtant research within this literary field is largely quantitatively based with researchers focusing on distinct relationship constructs, the definition of relationship marketing and the process of relationship development. In response to these limitations, this research adopted a qualitative approach in examining the core motivations for developing a direct trade relationship within the fresh produce industry.

Origin and Definition of Interactive Marketing

The middle of the 1990s is generally being acknowledgedas a turning point within the field of informationtechnology (IT). It is obvious that nowadays organizationsand people (consumers) will find it difficult toseparate a relationship from information technologyand other technological advances. Relationship marketingbased on new modern IT gave an impulse for theorigin of interactive marketing (IM). The article describesevolution of interactive marketing and presentsthe analysis of various authors’ thoughts on it. The authorsdescribe the nature of interactivity phenomenon,present theoretical analysis of IM’s definitions andcharacterization. The influence of new modern IT isdescribed and the essence and importance of IM is identifiedin the article.

E‐relationship marketing: changes in traditional marketing as an outcome of electronic customer relationship management

Marketing concepts and definitions have remained relatively unchanged until recently. Electronic customer relationship management (eCRM) has forced marketing managers to reevaluate how, when and to what extent they interact with their customers. This paper is focused on the role of specific marketing concepts and how eCRM has enhanced or altered each concept. Every topic discussed is illustrated with current business examples. Several examples from the business trade press are used to illustrate the success an organization can achieve when using eCRM to enhance marketing skills.

The 2004 AMA Definition of Marketing and Its Relationship to a Market Orientation: An Extension of Cooke, Rayburn, & Abercrombie (1992)

Cooke, Rayburn, and Abercrombie (1992) use historical definitions of marketing to define four major schools of marketing thought. These four schools include the (1) economic utility viewpoint, (2) consumer viewpoint, (3) societal viewpoint, and (4) managerial viewpoint. We suggest that the 2004 AMA definition of marketing creates an additional school of marketing thought, the stakeholder viewpoint. In addition, for over four decades, researchers have used market orientation scales to operationalize what it means for a firm to follow the marketing concept. While the conceptualisation of a market orientation has remained static, the definition of marketing has changed quite dramatically. Few authors have revisited original scale properties and none have addressed the central question of what it means for an organization to be market oriented in the context of the 2004 AMA definition of marketing. As a consequence, market orientation scales have been used sometimes with little consideration as to their relevance. Given changes in the AMA definition of marketing, changes to market characteristics, changes in our understanding of competitive behavior and advances in management theory and scale development, this paper calls for a new scale or scales to be developed that more fully captures the market orientation construct in the context of the 2004 AMA definition of marketing and the “stakeholder” perspective of marketing thought.

A methodological approach to the marketing process in the biotechnology-based companies

The article addresses the commercialization activities of biotechnology-based companies in a European context and discusses whether these companies are able to gain adequate market perceptions and set adequate marketing processes, taking into account three analytical steps: strategic marketing definition, marketing implementation, and evolution of strategy and implementation. A methodological approach was developed, considering the specific nature of the technology and the companies. The case of Portuguese companies was used to test this methodology. The findings support the hypothesis that marketing issues constitute a problem for these companies, since most of them had serious difficulties in going through the marketing process. Marketing deficiencies were largely connected to the access to human resources with relevant management and marketing capabilities and were particularly felt by companies introducing discontinuous innovations. The research confirms that this methodology is useful in the assessment of the marketing management process in biotechnology-based companies.

Explicating Social Marketing: What is it, and What isn't It?

This paper briefly describes social marketing for the purpose of differentiating it from other forms of public health practice for which it is often mistaken, and was commissioned to provide a starting point for a conference on the role of social marketing in promoting physical activity and nutrition. To that end, definitions of social marketing are presented, differences between social marketing and educational approaches to behavioral influence are examined, and a brief set of key concepts are suggested. A clear understanding of the two approaches is important in helping program managers decide when, and how best, to use each approach. This paper was commissioned so that conference attendees (Charting the Course for Social Marketing to Promote Diet and Physical Activity, UC Davis, 2002) would have a common point of reference - to debate, to modify, or possibly to accept - with regard to the definition of social marketing. Providing a point of reference was also intended to ensure a productive discussion throughout the conference.

Idea marketing in forestry: some implications from the Turkish forestry experience

Marketing has been defined as business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer. Earlier definitions tended to describe marketing in strictly economic terms. However, in later definitions marketing deals not only with business activities but also with transactions, which are exchanges of values between two parties. Marketed products or goods in recent marketing definitions are things that have value to people that may include consumers, users or clients. On the other hand, forestry product mix has also evolved in time. In this study, forestry values, both marketable and non-marketable, have been examined for the forestry sector according to recent marketing definitions. Forestry values such as resource sustainability, ecological and social responsibilities have been argued as marketable ideas. Turkish forestry is introduced briefly. The importance of idea marketing is explained and some results of marketing being restricted only to economic goods are introduced using examples from Turkish forestry.