Showing papers on "Return on marketing investment published in 2006"

Adopting a service logic for marketing

Abstract: Following the article by Vargo and Lusch (2004), the use of a service-dominant logic has become an international topic for discussion In the present article, following the research tradition of th

Tourism and hospitality marketing: fantasy, feeling and fun

Abstract: Purpose – Experiential marketing is arguably marketing's most contemporary orientation, but as with many marketing innovations it has been largely overlooked by those involved in tourism and hospitality marketing and promotion. Whilst in many industries companies have moved away from traditional features and benefits approaches, to putting experiential marketing centre‐stage, marketing in the tourism and hospitality sectors does not appear to have explicitly engaged the theoretical issues involved. This raises the question what, if anything, does experiential marketing have to offer marketers in the disciplines of tourism and hospitality? In this paper, I will seek to introduce the experiential marketing debate and demonstrate how the questions raised by the concept are critical to an understanding of marketing theory and research within the tourism and hospitality sectors.Design/methodology/approach – Following the authors previous publications which sought to investigate alternative paradigms for studyi...

The Marketing Mix Revisited: Towards the 21st Century Marketing

Abstract: The paper assesses the current standing of the 4Ps Marketing Mix framework as the dominant marketing management paradigm and identifies market developments, environmental changes, and trends, as well as changing academic attitudes likely to affect the future of the Mix as theoretical concept and also the favourite management tool of marketing practitioners. It reviews the criticism on the 4Ps emanating from five traditional marketing areas - Consumer Marketing, Relationship Marketing, Services Marketing, Retail Marketing, Industrial Marketing -and the emerging field of Electronic Marketing. The paper identifies two main limitations of the Marketing Mix as management tool, common in all examined domains, namely the model's internal orientation and lack of personalisation. It also identifies several area-specific limitations and underlines the need for further research on the issue. The weaknesses identified in the study seem to support the frequently expressed suggestion that marketing scholars should focus their efforts in formulating the conceptual foundations and marketing methodologies that better address the needs of today's and tomorrow's marketer

The explanatory foundations of relationship marketing theory

Abstract: Purpose – Drawing on resource‐advantage theory and a diverse literature base, this article seeks to further the development of the explanatory foundations of relationship marketing theory by proposing, and then providing, tentative answers to three “why?” questions in relationship marketing: why is relationship marketing so prominent now? Why do firms and consumers enter into relationships with other firms and consumers? Why are some efforts at relationship marketing more successful than others?Design/methodology/approach – Before addressing the three questions, the paper begins by discussing the different forms of relationship marketing.Findings – Although relationship marketing is a relatively young field of inquiry, relationship marketing theory is an extremely rich area of research. Relationship marketing can take many forms and, as a result, relationship marketing theory has the potential to increase one's understanding of many aspects of business strategy.Research limitations/implications – The answ...

About Internet Marketing

Abstract: In the internet society, the great changes of corporation commercial activities which include tec-basement, market operational mechanism and enviromental condition will take place. Besides, internet marketing will present the quite different characteristics from traditional marketing. The basical marketing problems , such as research of marketing, combination of marketing and the way of marketing competition must make a breakthrough from a new sight in order to meet the necessities of the internet marketing.

On "Green Marketing"

Abstract: Green marketing stems from the degrading of ecological environment and consumer's increasing sense of(environmental) protection.The essence of green marketing is to response actively to man's increasing concern for ecological(environment) and make choices and decisions in marketing by adhering to the environmental protection principle and the(ecological) principle and building up green technology,green market and green industry.Therefore,green marketing has profound ethical connotation.However,green marketing in present Chinese enterprises is actually in conflict with the logics of enterprise behavior.

The company‐cause‐customer fit decision in cause‐related marketing

Abstract: Purpose – Cause‐related marketing activities are increasingly becoming a meaningful part of corporate marketing plans. This paper aims to examine the relationship between the company, cause and customer, and how fit between these three groups influences consumer response via generating a positive attitude toward the company‐cause alliance and purchase intent for the sponsored product.Design/methodology/approach – Two studies are carried out, first among students and second among consumers.Findings – Two studies (study 1=232 students, study 2=531 consumers) demonstrate that company‐cause fit improves attitude toward the company‐cause alliance and increases purchase intent. Additionally, this effect is enhanced under conditions of customer‐company and customer‐cause congruence, and the consumer's overall attitude toward the sponsoring company. Skepticism about the company's motivation for participating in a cause‐related marketing initiative was not relevant to consumer purchase decisions.Research limitatio...

The internet, consumer empowerment and marketing strategies

Abstract: – Arguing that increasing use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is shifting market power from suppliers to consumers, the ensuing consumer empowerment is presented as an unintended consequence of marketing. Marketing implications arising from this consumer empowerment are examined in terms of a process where control and management by suppliers over consumer access and enablement are increasingly difficult., – Consumer empowerment is examined historically, using quality gap analysis to capture an ongoing power struggle between consumers and suppliers. This draws out the limitations of current marketing and management strategies. The different forms of marketing challenges in this new environment are discussed., – The role of marketing strategies in fostering controlled consumer empowerment is reflected in the development of information‐based consumer‐centric marketing strategies that seek to enable and control delegation. In designing such strategies, consumers' familiarity with and use of ICT are both strengthened and widened, emphasising the uncontrolled nature of the consumer empowerment process., – The approach is literature‐based, focussing on the ICT enabled process. It does not address the psychology of empowerment. Since, consumer empowerment may imply switching suppliers in search of better value propositions, business cannot afford to ignore it, justifying the need for further research of both elements., – Marketing strategy rests on a control premise and the analysis of the consumer empowerment process implies that current customer‐centric strategies are operating under a false premise. There is a need to regain control over the marketing process, that is, to either manage the technological empowerment of consumers, or to devise new strategies cognisant of the possibility that such technological empowerment cannot be managed. The valuation of consumer loyalty in this environment rises significantly., – An historical perspective to consumer empowerment exposes the tensions between suppliers and consumers arising from ICT usage. A separation of consumer access and enablement from control and management by suppliers is shown to have important marketing strategy design implications.

On defining marketing: finding a new roadmap for marketing

Abstract: 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 di...

The effect of strategic and tactical cause‐related marketing on consumers' brand loyalty

Abstract: Purpose – The first objective was to find out to what extent consumers reveal an effect of strategic and tactical cause‐related marketing on brand loyalty. Second, the article seeks to assess the moderating role of consumer involvement with a product on the relationship between cause‐related marketing and brand loyalty.Design/methodology/approach – An experimental design with 240 participants was used.Findings – The results show that consumers perceive a significantly enhanced level of brand loyalty as a result of strategic cause‐related marketing as long as the firm has a long‐term commitment to this campaign and the campaign is related to a low involvement product. Consumers do not exhibit a significant impact of tactical cause‐related marketing campaigns – whether related to high or low involvement products – on brand loyalty.Research limitations/implications – First, all respondents were students from a western European university. Second, the experiment relied on imaginary storyboards. Third, the pro...

The past, present and future of relationship marketing

Abstract: In the light of the redefinition of 'marketing' by the AMA in service/relational terms, and a recent review of the current vector of research in marketing (Littler and Tynan 2005), it seems an appropriate time to provide a substantial review of the past, present and likely future of what has become known as Relationship Marketing, together with an extensive list of key RM literature. This paper will take a reader through the origin, development and current state of RM research, with notes on the future of the research and practice of RM. The paper concludes that RM is here to stay, whether or not it is recognised as the dominant logic/paradigm of marketing.

Returns on Business-to-Business Relationship Marketing Investments: Strategies for Leveraging Profits

Abstract: Firms invest heavily in different types of business-to-business relationship marketing activities in the belief that such programs bolster their bottom line. In this study, we develop and test a conceptual model that links customer-specific relationship marketing investments to short-term, customer-specific financial outcomes. Data from a matched set of 313 business customers covered by 143 salespeople of 34 selling firms indicate that investments in social relationship marketing pay off handsomely, financial relationship marketing investments do not, and structural relationship marketing investments are economically viable for customers serviced frequently. We conceptualize relationship marketing in a context involving nested participants (customers, salespeople, selling firms) and employ a hierarchical linear modeling approach to account for observations that are not independent. Across the three hierarchical levels, the impact of the financial, social, and structural components of relationship marketing investments and the potential moderating factors offer valuable insights into contextual factors and managerial strategies for leveraging relationship marketing investments. In an attempt to suggest normative guidelines to managers, we extend our analysis to a simple resource allocation model that describes the optimal mix of relationship marketing resources based on firm strategies.

Large firms, entrepreneurial marketing processes, and the cycle of competitive advantage

Abstract: Purpose – The paper aims to explore how large firms might leverage entrepreneurial marketing processes to gain and renew competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approach – The paper applies past research on entrepreneurial marketing and entrepreneurship with examples from a long‐term case study of firms in New Zealand, Sweden, the UK, and the USA to illustrate how entrepreneurial marketing processes can be strategically employed by large firms to create or discover, assess, and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities more effectively and efficiently.Findings – The paper offers insight into how large firms leverage entrepreneurial marketing processes to gain advantage. The findings suggest that, in free and open markets, entrepreneurial marketing processes can be strategically employed to create superior value for the firm's customers and owners.Originality/value – The paper contributes to the work of both academics working at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface and executives seeking to leverage marke...

Identifying the Success Factors of Web-Based Marketing Strategy: An Investigation of Convention and Visitors Bureaus in the United States

Abstract: American convention and visitors bureaus are trying to adjust their marketing strategy to incorporate the Internet but have achieved mixed results. This study examines the factors affecting the success of Web-based marketing strategies by American convention and visitors bureaus. The results of this study indicate that successful Web marketing strategies require the integration and coordination of three complementary aspects of the Internet marketing efforts as well as favorable organization and technology environment and innovative approaches. Discussion and implications are provided based on the results of the study.

Marketing's Credibility: A Longitudinal Investigation of Marketing Communication Productivity and Shareholder Value

Abstract: Practitioners and scholars have questioned marketing communication’s credibility because it has not been linked to firm shareholder value. Using secondary longitudinal data, the authors show that the impact of marketing communication productivity (MCP) on shareholder value is positive and nonlinear. In particular, the influence of MCP on the forward-looking performances of Tobin’s q and stock return is curvilinear with an inverted U shape. The authors also investigate the moderating role of research-and-development investment and competitive intensity. The findings have implications for marketing managers regarding how to model and benchmark MCP and the dangers of blindly improving the productivity of advertising and sales promotion expenditures.

Integrated marketing communication: from tactics to strategy

Abstract: Purpose – The emergence of integrated marketing communications (IMC) has become a significant example of development in the marketing discipline. It has influenced thinking and acting among all types of companies and organizations facing the realities of competition in an open economy. From the beginning of the 1990s IMC became a real hot topic in the field of marketing. Four stages of IMC have been identified, starting from tactical coordination to financial and strategic integration. However, the majority of firms are anchored in the first stages and very few have moved to a strategic level. One conclusion is that there are barriers to developing IMC from tactics to strategy. The main purpose of this paper is to identify obstacles to further developing IMC.Design/methodology/approach – A review of relevant literature during the 1990s and a study of four large Swedish companies.Findings – Results show that decisions concerning IMC are rooted on the advertising agency level and have failed to appear on ma...

A three-stage model of integrated marketing communications at the marketing-sales interface

Abstract: The marketing and sales functions in many firms are often at odds despite their common goal of increasing revenue and profit. The finger pointing goes both ways: Marketing complains of poor lead follow-up by sales, and in turn, sales grumbles about the quality of leads generated by marketing. This disconnect can be damaging; high lead volumes generated through effective marketing campaigns could actually hurt downstream sales because of wasted effort on poorly qualified leads and/or delays in sales follow-up resulting from limited sales force capacity. To examine the revenue and profit implications of coordinated communications efforts at the marketing–sales interface, the authors develop a three-stage model that captures the effects of sequential marketing/sales communications on lead generation, appointment conversion, and sales closure. The results, which are based on a collaborative effort with a large home improvement retailer, suggest a complex interplay among marketing efforts (multiple me...

How Social-Cause Marketing Affects Consumer Perceptions

Abstract: The article reports on experimental studies indicating that the research method known as conjoint analysis could be a valuable market research tool to help companies predict which of several alternative affinity marketing or social-cause marketing affiliations would provide the best return on investment. Case histories suggest that companies have been able to use societal marketing to help differentiate their brands from competitors in consumers' minds. Careful experimental research using conjoint analysis is recommended to refine and test ideas for affinity marketing initiatives against one another and against other kinds of marketing initiatives.

Marketing Metrics: 50+ Metrics Every Executive Should Master

Abstract: Few marketers recognize the extraordinary range of metrics now available for evaluating their strategies and tactics. In Marketing Metrics, four leading researchers and consultants systematically introduce today's most powerful marketing metrics.i? The authors show how to use a "dashboard" of metrics to view market dynamics from various perspectives, maximize accuracy, and "triangulate" to optimal solutions. Their comprehensive coverage includes measurements of promotional strategy, advertising, and distribution; customer perceptions; market share; competitors' power; margins and profits; products and portfolios; customer profitability; sales forces and channels; pricing strategies; and more.i? You'll learn how and when to apply each metric, and understand tradeoffs and nuances that are critical to using them successfully. The authors also demonstrate how to use marketing metrics as leading indicators, identifying crucial new opportunities and challenges. For clarity and simplicity all calculations can be performed by hand, or with basic spreadsheet techniques. In coming years, few marketers will rise to senior executive levels without deep fluency in marketing metrics. This book is the fastest, easiest way to gain that fluency.

Entertainment marketing and experiential consumption

Abstract: The placement of brand references within mainstream entertainment (called here ‘entertainment marketing’) is a rapidly evolving marketing communications field in its scale and sophistication. Much previous research in the field has conceptualized entertainment marketing as promotion and focused on measuring consumer attitudes, purchase intentions and brand recall in response to brand exposure. This conceptual paper suggests that there is also a need for understanding the quality of consumer engagement with brands in the context of mediated entertainment. The paper draws on phenomenological/existential research traditions in order to begin to theorize the role that entertainment marketing techniques may play in facilitating consumer self‐concepts and identity formation through brand exposure within dramatic portrayals of characters and lifestyles. The authors presented an earlier version of this paper at the European Marketing Academy Annual Conference at Bocconi University, Milan, Italy in 2005.

Green marketing philosophy: a study of Spanish firms with ecolabels

Abstract: The current work attempts to highlight the importance of there being a true corporate commitment towards protecting the environment behind any green communication – i.e., that ecological awareness should be one of the values determining organizational culture. This implies that green marketing should be understood not solely as an activity, but also as a philosophy. In the first part of the article, we discuss the difficulty in measuring the environmental culture of a firm and we propose a series of indicators for this purpose. In the second part, we apply these indicators to the Spanish industrial firms that have at least one ecolabelled product, with a view to deciding whether ecolabels are used as simple sales pitch or, in contrast, there really exists a company behind them with a true environmental culture. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Marketing Practices and Performance of Small Service Firms An Examination in the Tourism Accommodation Sector

Abstract: Marketing practices have been examined in many studies, yet the literature is dominated by a focus on larger firms offering a service that is often contractual or potentially continuous in nature. To contrast with this, the authors identify the practices of smaller firms likely to provide a noncontractual service and then test the link between marketing practices and firm performance. Results from 242 firms in the tourism accommodation sector indicate that success requires an emphasis on both transaction marketing and interaction-based relationship marketing to acquire customers and achieve sales growth. More contemporary practices such as database marketing, e-marketing, and network marketing are in evidence, but they are not found to influence performance. Furthermore, it is success with customer acquisition rather than customer retention that leads to profitability for these firms. The implications of these and other results are discussed and begin to provide a more balanced perspective to the literature.

Niche Envy: Marketing Discrimination in the Digital Age

Abstract: We have all been to Web sites that welcome us by name, offering us discounts, deals, or special access to content For the most part, it feels good to be wanted--to be valued as a customer But if we thought about it, we might realize that we've paid for this special status by turning over personal information to a company's database And we might wonder whether other customers get the same deals we get, or something even better We might even feel stirrings of resentment toward customers more valued than we are In Niche Envy, Joseph Turow examines the emergence of databases as marketing tools and the implications this may have for media, advertising, and society If the new goal of marketing is to customize commercial announcements according to a buyer's preferences and spending history--or even by race, gender, and political opinions--what does this mean for the twentieth-century tradition of equal access to product information, and how does it affect civic life?Turow shows that these marketing techniques are not wholly new; they have roots in direct marketing and product placement, widely used decades ago and recently revived and reimagined by advertisers as part of "customer relationship management" (known popularly as CRM) He traces the transformation of marketing techniques online, on television, and in retail stores And he describes public reaction against database marketing--pop-up blockers, spam filters, commercial-skipping video recorders, and other ad-evasion methods Polls show that the public is nervous about giving up personal data Meanwhile, companies try to persuade the most desirable customers to trust them with their information in return for benefits Niche Envy tracks the marketing logic that got us to this uneasy impasse