Editorial

Citation

McAuley, A. (1998), "Editorial", Journal of Marketing Practice: Applied Marketing Science, Vol. 4 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmpams.1998.15504haa.001

Editorial

One of the good aspects about editing a journal, which has as its focus the bringing together of theory and practice, is the variety of topics that appear on my desk for review. Boredom is not a word I can associate with this Editorship. In issues 7 and 8 there are four articles which reflect the diversity and topicality of the articles I receive. Looking back at Issue 7 there is a quantitative study on exporting behaviour (Crick et al.) and a review piece on marketing to ethnic minorities (Nwankwo and Lindridge). In Issue 8 there is an article reporting a market assessment exercise which adopts a narrative style (Dawes) and finally a qualitative study using content analysis of older people in advertising (Carrigan and Szmigin). Such variety reflects a healthy diversity of approaches to research and one that I am happy to encourage.

Let me briefly comment on the papers in more detail.

The importance of participation in the global market is highlighted in the paper by Crick et al. entitled "Perceived obstacles of Saudi-Arabian exporters of non-oil products". Apart from my role as Editor, I was pleased to see this paper supported by the reviewers because export related topics is one of my own areas of research. While there is an extensive literature on the problems of exporting from developed economies, there is a much more limited range of work available on exporting from non-Western economies. This paper helps to address this by focusing on Saudi Arabia and further enhances its contribution by considering non-oil products.

I also commend this paper for its approach in placing this research in context as part of an ongoing process; in particular in its reference to different methodological approaches which could be adopted and which may have offered a different perspective. This, I think, is constructive, as too often in research authors appear bound by the method they have adopted and are not prepared to adopt a more reflective approach and question the reliability of their methods.

Nwankwo and Lindridge present an interesting overview of marketing to ethnic minorities in Britain. Marketing activities can always be improved and refined and it is useful to address this important area by identifying good practice, critical success factors and basic principles that might better help serve this growing segment within Britain. When reports of large so-called multinationals hit the press because they have airbrushed black faces from their adverts, it is clear there is much work to be done in this area and marketing academics can make a contribution towards a better understanding. It is with some naïvety that often companies assume a uniform domestic market in the UK instead of realising, as the authors quote from a London-based practitioner, that in UK cultural diversity we have a wonderful test site for global competitiveness. If the multicultural domestic market cannot be marketed successfully then the obvious question is well and truly begged.

The paper by Dawes in Issue 8 again illustrates that papers can be written or presented in a different format from the conventional structure. This paper adopts a narrative approach and illustrates the approach the researcher made to undertake a market-assessment exercise. The approach is critically reviewed by the researcher and the lessons learned are pointed out. To students and those embarking on a similar research, I commend this paper as an illustration as to how the process can be undertaken. I think Dawes succeeds in giving a feel for the activity he is discussing.

Last week I was looking at a University of Stirling Newsletter from about five years ago. One comment was how people had changed and in particular how some folk had aged! With this in mind and assuming we are lucky enough to make it to advanced years, the final paper in this Volume comes with added poignancy. Marylyn Carrigan and Isabelle Szmigin provide an interesting piece on the use and portrayal of older models in consumer advertising. In comparing the situation in the UK to that in Canada and the USA, it appears that the 50+ age group is under-represented in many of the adverts analysed and reasons for this are discussed. However, there is some optimism in that where the 50+ age group are used they appear to be presented in favourable ways.

If we are learning that one age group of models does not fit all, then perhaps there is hope that the same principle can be applied to the issues of multiculturalism raised by Nwankwo and Lindridge. Perhaps there is hope that advertising executives can be in touch with their target audience and marketing can be more broadly in tune with the society it seeks to influence.

Andrew McAuleyEditor