Journal of Historical Research in Marketing

An overview of The History of Marketing Thought : Table of Contents

Robert D. Tamilia — Sun Jun 28 14:15:06 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to be more than a book review essay on the work by Tadajewski and Jones, The History of Marketing Thought. It reviews the literature on marketing history and thought, and includes suggestions for additional research on that topic. Design/methodology/approach – The research relies heavily on previously published articles and on databank searches. Findings – A more complete time line of the history of marketing thought is presented. It is also shown that more biographical historical research is needed, especially on those pioneer practitioners of marketing whose legacy has influenced marketing thought and practice. Practical implications – Knowing more about the history of marketing thought will prove useful both to academics and to practitioners. Biographies are also practical because we learn more about both the scholars and the times that have transformed this discipline. Originality/value – The essay offers a brief but succinct summary of the history of marketing thought over millennia while at the same time reviewing a readings book on the topic.

Subject trends in The History of Marketing Thought: from simplicity towards complexity : Table of Contents

Göran Svensson — Sun Jun 28 14:15:06 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and position the work by Tadajewski and Jones on The History of Marketing Thought as it relates to complexity sciences and the future of marketing thought. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual discussion is provided based upon a series of identified subject trends in the history of marketing thought. Findings – There appears to be a common denominator across the addressed subject trends in The History of Marketing Thought, namely the movement from simplicity towards complexity. Marketing thought is mostly descriptive, and to some extent explanatory, but it has not yet reached the level of providing predictability. Research limitations/implications – The future of marketing thought may benefit from the inclusion and inspiration of approaches derived from the complexity sciences. Practical implications – The author poses some concerns regarding the future of marketing thought. Originality/value – The author contends that there is a need for attention to be paid to the evident movement from simplicity towards complexity in marketing thought.

“Pseudo-scientific hokus pokus”: motivational research's Australian application : Table of Contents

Amanda McLeod — Sun Jun 28 14:15:06 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine motivational research (MR) – the most maligned and misunderstood branch of market research. It argues that MR has been too easily dismissed by researchers. In so doing, they have ignored a potentially significant insight into the post World War II consumer's motivations and domestic life. Design/methodology/approach – This paper utilises previously unexamined primary source material to examine David T. Bottomley's construction of MR. Findings – By looking at in-depth market research studies, a greater, more rounded picture of the postwar consumer can be gained. Throughout the 1960s, some market researchers turned to consumer motivations to uncover the psychological dimensions of purchasing behaviour by determining the symbolic meanings goods had to their consumers. Rather than viewing consumer behaviour as predictable by factors such as economic class, motivational researchers held that consumers are multi-faceted subjects and life-stage and attitudes to colour are important factors influencing consumer behaviour. Research limitations/implications – Research that considers consumer motivations should not be so easily dismissed as deceptive or corruptive research without genuine merit for historical research. Nor should Dichter's style of research be considered to be the only version of MR. Originality/value – Previous scholars have largely ignored the significance of market research to the development of the consumer market and the construction of the postwar consumer. Given the dearth of scholarly examinations, the paper is based almost entirely on primary research data.

Capitalism, early market research, and the creation of the American consumer : Table of Contents

Douglas B. Ward — Sun Jun 28 14:15:06 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the way American businesses and marketers used research to shape the concept of the consumer at the turn of the twentieth century. Design/methodology/approach – A historical, cultural approach is used to examine published and unpublished writings of economists, marketers, researchers, and publishers from the 1880s to about 1930. The primary focus is Curtis Publishing Company, publisher of the Saturday Evening Post and Ladies' Home Journal, and creator of one of the first market research departments in the USA. Findings – The argument is made that publishers and advertisers took the values of a republic, values which has long empowered and idealized white property owners, and redefined those values in terms of buying ability. In doing so, they embed many biases in their market research, yet gave businesses a working concept of the consumer and helped shape society's ideals of the consumer. Research limitations/implications – As with all historical research, it is limited by the primary sources that have survived and are available. Originality/value – This paper shows how early market research can provide an important perspective into the making of a consumer society, and how it can be used by historians and current practitioners to understand the methods, biases, and assumptions that have guided marketers and market research.

The Americanization of Italian advertising during the 1950s and the 1960s: Mediations, conflicts, and appropriations : Table of Contents

Simona De Iulio, Carlo Vinti — Sun Jun 28 14:15:06 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the Americanization of European advertising in the post-war years as a phenomenon of cultural transfer and it aims to explore the interaction between the USA and Italian advertising traditions during the 1950s and the 1960s. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is in two parts. First, the role of those cross-cultural mediators who contributed to changing marketing communication strategies of many Italian companies during the 1950s and the 1960s is studied. Second, the ways in which US advertising rules and patterns are combined with the local tradition in order to fit the Italian context of the post-war years are looked at. The research is based on a study of the main USA and Italian marketing and advertising literature of the post-war years, and on an analysis of press campaigns and TV commercials. Findings – This research shows that during the 1950s and the 1960s, the conflict between the American approach and the Italian approach to advertising did not prevent interaction and negotiation. In the post-war years, the USA know-how and practices, are re-interpreted through the process of transfer to Italy, creating original, and unexpected solutions. Originality/value – Although some research has been conducted on the Italian advertising scene during the post-World War II years, the few existing contributions did not focus on the interaction between the imported American model and the local traditions. This paper provides a good overview of the ways in which notions, methodologies, and strategies coming from the USA are implemented.

Teaching and studying marketing history: a personal journey : Table of Contents

Ronald Savitt — Sun Jun 28 14:15:06 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the challenges and rewards of engaging in the inextricably intertwined activities of studying and teaching marketing history. The secondary purpose is to encourage marketing scholars to expand work in this area. Design/methodology/approach – The approach invokes the memoir and that format traces the author personal development in the field of marketing history over 30 years. It discusses what the author learned, how he learned, and how these lessons can be applied. Findings – The paper offers several findings: marketing history can be part of every marketing course; students should be engaged in the development and application of historical findings; marketing scholars must develop an understanding of historical methods as a means of supporting research and teaching; and marketing history should eventually be seen in marketing as economic history is seen in economics. Practical implications – The paper puts forth an approach for undertaking historical research in marketing and suggests how to use those findings in teaching marketing history. The emphasis focuses on engaging students with the caveat that history is not predictive. The goal is to put marketing events in their proper context, to understand how they develop and how they play out. Marketing history has its own intrinsic value but also provides a new dimension for decision making. Originality/value – The paper uses a first person narrative of working in developing a field, a historic device not frequently found in marketing. It also represents a historiography of marketing history.

Reflections on The History of Marketing Thought : Table of Contents

Eric H. Shaw — Sun Jun 28 14:15:06 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to stimulate historical thinking in dealing with problems of marketing thought, by explaining the advantages of studying the history of a discipline's ideas; examining what has been included in prior histories; and evaluating the completeness of coverage in Tadajewski and Jones' (2008) The History of Marketing Thought. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents a comparative analysis based upon prior histories of marketing thought. Findings – For teaching, with modest supplementation, The History of Marketing Thought provides a full appreciation of the intellectual heritage of marketing. For research purposes, The History of Marketing Thought does reasonably well in organizing concepts and theories into schools of marketing thought but less well in showing how these ideas can be organized across the readings to produce new knowledge. Practical implications – There were some important omissions in the collection. Marketing's leading thinker was largely neglected and many significant problems for marketing thought are overlooked. There was no discussion of methodological issues and minimal editorial commentary connected the parts and sections to provide a research thrust to the work. Consequently, it is recommended that another volume or two be added to this set. Originality/value – The educational value of this work is in transmitting the knowledge base of the discipline from one generation of marketing scholars to the next. It is only after the ideas developed by earlier marketing thinkers are fully understood that innovative theories can be constructed and new knowledge created.

J. Walter Thompson: building trust in troubled times : Table of Contents

Karen E. Mishra — Sun Jun 28 14:15:06 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand how J. Walter Thompson (JWT) utilized its private forums for its executives over the period 1936-1938 to build trust both within its own organization as well as with the public in the 1930s. This was a time when the advertising industry was under public scrutiny resulting from using what consumers considered emotional and irrational appeals in their advertising practices. Design/methodology/approach – This archival research examines the meeting minutes of these forums to discover what topics were most important to the leaders of JWT at this time. The archives are located at the Hartman Center at Duke University. Findings – This paper highlights the importance of these forums that were led by the top management team and attended by the creative staff of JWT. These forums played an important role in strengthening the culture of JWT, by building organizational trust and fostering organizational communication with a new generation of JWT leadership. Originality/value – This paper utilized primary data sources – the meeting minutes from 1936 to 1938 – to uncover the values of JWT and how those values were disseminated to their employees, as well as how it impacted their work with their clients and ultimately the public.

Editing The History of Marketing Thought : Table of Contents

Mark Tadajewski — Sun Jun 28 14:15:06 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – This paper aims to be a reflection on the production of The History of Marketing Thought. Design/methodology/approach – Historical review. Findings – Marketing has been largely ahistorical. Hopefully with the production of this collection, it will become less so as students and scholars alike engage with the history of marketing thought. Research limitations/implications – Some possible limitations of the collection are outlined. Practical implications – The major work articulates the value of historical research for marketing and management practice. Originality/value – This paper reflects a personal perspective on the production of a collection of scholarly articles.

State promotion of consumerism in Safavid Iran: Shah Abbas I and royal silk textiles : Table of Contents

Yuko Minowa, Terrence H. Witkowski — Sun Jun 28 14:15:06 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – This purpose of this paper is to investigate the policies and consequences of state-directed consumerism in Iran during the reign of Shah Abbas I (1587–1629) of the Safavid dynasty. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based upon several secondary literatures, especially Middle Eastern studies and art history, as well as primary source materials in the form of architecture, its decorative elements, and other works. The visual content and consumption themes of a selected tile painting are described and analyzed. Findings – The Shah strengthened the state by building infrastructure, encouraging international trade, and creating a robust silk industry where he controlled production and marketing. He utilized his city and its architecture as a means of communication to impress his subjects and foreign visitors and to increase domestic demand for silk textiles. These promotional efforts led to a surge in spending, which occurred about the same time as similar booms in England and France. Economic problems and rising Islamism dampened this episode of Persian consumerism in the latter part of the seventeenth century. Research limitations/implications – The set of visual data sources is small and limited to works from just one city, Isfahan. Originality/value – The research fills gaps in the marketing and consumption history literatures which have not as yet fully considered the use of state resources to promote domestic consumption, consumer marketing in the Middle East, and the promotional roles played by architecture and its decorative elements.