On the Intersection of

Marketing History & Marketing Theory

Subhendu Pattnaik

by Shelby D. Hunt

Introduction

• Discussion – Does Marketing Theory Intersect Marketing History? • Some Marketers think No, Some think Yes. What do you think?

• Quali & Quanti – Incommensurable?

• Adumbrationism – Dedicated deliberate search for all manner of earlier versions of scientific & scholarly ideas.

• Marketing History can inform and influence Marketing Theory• Understanding Conventional View of Marketing Theory

• Discussing Nature of Marketing Research

• Proposing how Marketing History and Marketing Theory Intersect

• Examples how Historical methods help resolve controversies in Marketing Theory

What is Theory?

Normative Theory, What ought to be

Conventional View of Marketing Theory

Positivist Theory, What is

• Systematically Related set of statements

• Empirically Testable

• Explain & Predict Phenomena

• Systemically related set of statements including prescriptive statements

• 1. Evaluates what marketing ought to be

• 2. Guides what marketers ought to do

Ethicality, Morally wrong vs Morally Right

Rationality, Depends on Objectives, Payoffs & States of Nature

What is Theory?

Normative Theory, What ought to be

Conventional View of Marketing Theory based on Context of Discovery & Justification

Positivist Theory Validation

• Internal Logic checking

• Empirical Testing

• Internal Logic checking plus checking consistency with general ethical norms

Discovery relates to procedures for developing theories; Justification relates to their evaluation.

Ethicality

Rationality

• Internal consistency & addressing particular problems in efficient manner

What is Historical Research

• Systematic collection and Analysis of data with aim of understanding entities through time.

• Two types of people are interested in this Marketing Historical Research• Marketing Profs in Bschools

• Business History Profs in History departments

• Two Types of Historical Research in Marketing

• Focusing on Marketing Practice (History of Advertising, Retailing and other specific forms)

• Focusing on Marketing Thought (History of concepts, theories, associations, schools of thought)

• Three Distinct Eras of Marketing History

Recording of Facts

(1930-1959)

Foundations of New

Marketing Theory

(1960-1979)

New Marketing Theory

(1980-Present)

• Institutions Encouraging Research in Marketing History

CHARM (Conf on Historical Analysis and Research in Marketing) | Journal of Macromarketing | Journal of Historical Research in Marketing

How do Marketing Theory & History Interact?

• Clearly History of Marketing Practice, history of Marketing Thought & Development of Marketing theory are distinct subject areas – so then how do they interact?

We must know where we have been to know where we are

• To gain full understanding of our concepts and theories we must understand the following:1. Who developed them?

2. When were they developed?

3. The context in (Which) were they developed?

4. The purpose (Why) were they developed?

5. Industries that used them & often created them (Where)

6. Constraints under which they were developed

Controversy Explanation by Historical Research

• Product Differentiation Vs Market Segmentation Controversy

• Alternative or Complement

• Traditional thoughts said both are alternatives to each other whereas that was mostly Mass Marketing which was being referred to.

• Positivism Vs Qualitative Methods ControversyDiverse Myths busted

• Positivism is dead (Hunt used Historical method to prove this argument is false)

• Positivist Research same as Quantitative Research

• Positivist approach implies the search of causation

• Positivist approach implies determinism and machine metaphor

• Positivist is realist

• Positivist can reify unobservables. (Making something Real = Reify)

• Positivist implies functionalism.

Conclusion

• Use of historical method, as the two examples show, can clarify extant theory, resolve controversies and contribute to the development of new theory.

The points mentioned in the slidedeck has been taken almost verbatim from the original work of Barry & Elmes and should by no means be considered to be the work of the presenter – Subhendu Pattnaik.