Rossiter (2001) points out that marketing, as a discipline, has been unimpressive to date at formulating a body of generalizable marketing knowledge. We agree that this is the case, not only at the highest level of generalizable knowledge, but also at the brand level within the firm. We address the firm-level of marketing knowledge. In keeping with a suggestion by the AMA Task Force on Marketing Knowledge (1988) and the belief that a problem correctly identified is a problem half solved, we identify and discuss six impediments to the accumulation of marketing knowledge at the level of the firm. We suggest remedies for these impediments and conclude withan example of a marketing knowledge system that one large retail firm employs.
AMA Task Force on the Development of Marketing Thought
(1988) ‘Developing, Disseminating and Utilizing Marketing Knowledge’, Journal of Marketing52(4): 1–25.
2.
Ambler, T.
(1992) Need-to-Know Marketing: An Accessible A to Z Guide. London: Century Business.
3.
Argyris, C.
and Schön, D.A. (1978) Organizational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
4.
Bonoma, Thomas
(1985) The Marketing Edge: Making Strategies Work. New York: Macmillan.
5.
Cornelissen, J.
(2001) ‘Academic and Practitioner Theories of Marketing: A Research Note’, Journal of Marketing Theory2(1):133–142.
6.
Cross, R.
and Baird, L. (2000) ‘Technology is Not Enough: Improving Performance by Building Organizational Memory’, Sloan Management Review41(3): 69–78.
7.
Davenport, T.
, Delong, D. and Beers, M. (1998) ‘Successful Knowledge Management Projects’, Sloan Management Review39(2): 43–57.
8.
Ehrenberg, A.S.C.
(1994) ‘Theory or Well-Based Results: Which Comes First’, in G. Laurent, G.L. Lilien and B. Pras (eds) Research Traditions in Marketing. Boston, MA: Kluwer.
9.
Holbrook, M.B.
(1995) ‘The Four Faces of Commodification in the Development of Marketing Knowledge’, Journal of Marketing Management11(7): 641–654.
10.
Hubbard, R.
, Brodie, R. and Armstrong, S.J. (1992) ‘Knowledge Development in Marketing: The Role of Replication Research’, New Zealand Journal of Business14(1): 1–12.
11.
Ingoassia, L.
(1980) ‘A Matter of Taste’, Wall Street Journal26 February 1980: 23-23.
12.
Kerin, R.A.
and Harvey, M.G. (1987) ‘Strategic Marketing Thinking: A Game Perspective’, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing2 (Spring): 47–54.
13.
Kohli, A.
and Jaworski, B. (1990) ‘Market Orientation: The Construct, Research Propositions, and Managerial Implications’, Journal of Marketing54(2): 1–18.
14.
Leone, R.P.
and Schultz, R.L. (1980) ‘A Study of Marketing Generalizations’, Journal of Marketing44(1): 10–18.
15.
Little, J.D.C.
(1966) ‘A Model of Adaptive Control of Promotional Spending’, Operations Research14(1): 1075–1097.
16.
Menon, A.
and Varadarajan, R. (1992) ‘A Model of Marketing Knowledge Use Within Firms’, Journal of Marketing56(4): 53–71.
17.
Moorthy, K.S.
(1985) ‘Using Game Theory to Model Competition’, Journal of Marketing Research22(3): 262–282.
18.
Myers, J.G.
, Greyser, S.A. and Massy, W.F. (1979) ‘The Effectiveness of Marketing’s “R&D” for Marketing Management: An Assessment’, Journal of Marketing43(1): 17–29.
19.
Myers, J.G.
, Massy, W.F. and Greyser, S.A. (1980) Marketing Research and Knowledge Development: An Assessment for Marketing Management. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
20.
O’Dell, T.
and Grayson, C.J. (1998) If Only We Knew What We Knew. New York: Free Press.
21.
Oxenfeld, A.
and Moore, W. (1978) ‘Customer or Competitor: What Guidelines for Marketing?’, Management Review67 (August): 43–48.
22.
Porter, L.W.
and McKibbin, L.E. (1988) Management Education and Development: Drift or Thrust into the 21st Century?New York: McGraw-Hill.
23.
Rossiter, J.R.
(1994) ‘Commentary by John Rossiter’, in G. Laurent, G.L. Lilien and B. Pras (eds) Research Traditions in Marketing. Boston, MA: Kluwer. 116–122.
24.
Rossiter, J.R.
(2001) ‘What is Marketing Knowledge’, Marketing Theory1(1): 9–26.
25.
Ruggles, R.
(1998) ‘The State of the Notion: Knowledge Management in Practice’, California Management Review40(3): 80–89.
26.
Shrivastava, P.
(1987) ‘Rigor and Practical Usefulness of Research in Strategic Management’, Strategic Management Journal8(1): 77–92.
27.
Simkin, L.
(2002) ‘Tackling Implementation Impediments to Marketing Planning’, Marketing Intelligence and Planning20(2): 120–126.
28.
Sinkula, J.M.
(1994) ‘Market Information Processing and Organizational Learning’, Journal of Marketing58(1): 35–45.
29.
Sutherland, M.
and Sylvester, A.K. (2000) Advertising and the Mind of the Consumer: What Works, What Doesn’t and Why. St. Leonards, Australia: Allen and Unwin.
30.
Thomas, G.P.
and Soldow, G.F. (1988) ‘A Rule-Based Approach to Competitive Interaction’, Journal of Marketing52(2): 63–74.
31.
van Bruggen, G.H.
, Smidts, A. and Wierenga, B. (1998) ‘Improving Decision Making by Means of a Marketing Decision Support System’, Management Science44(5): 645–658.
32.
Wierenga, B.
and van Bruggen, G.H. (2000) Marketing Management Support Systems: Principles, Tools and Implementation. Boston, MA: Kluwer.
