Authors: Bernard Cova; Robert Salle
Twenty-five years ago a number of researchers interested in industrial markets were struck by the fact that the prevailing view in BtoC marketing literature was of a world that didn’t tally with their own experience. It just wasn’t so. As a consequence, since its very first papers, the IMP Group broke with BtoC marketing and its kotlerian pillars such as 4P’s and S-O-R models. Twenty-five years after, it appears that in IMP’s minds BtoC marketing still relies on these pillars, as emphasized by some of its major thinkers. However, this representation of BtoC marketing tends to be outdated. Indeed, ?Kotler is dead? as declared metaphorically by Stephen Brown in his unusual contribution ‘signed under the pseudo of Alan Smithee? which concluded the 1997 special issue of the European Journal of Marketing on Postmodern Marketing. Following the ?Consumer Behavior Odissey? initiated by Russell Belk in the late eighties, BtoC marketing researchers progressively have taken their distance with the ?kotlerite? ? e.g. Kotler on Marketing Management ? to investigate very diverse topics through a bulk of rejuvenated methodologies. The vast majority of their works first appear in consumption-oriented journals such as the Journal of Consumer Research or Consumption, Markets and Culture. But, their contributions are now integrated in the major marketing and management journals and they affect profoundly the way of representing consumers, markets and marketing strategies including the contents of the more recent textbooks.Why the IMP community still relies on the old kotlerian stuff? As for any social grouping, the IMP community needs rituals to assert and reassert its existence and the adherence of its members. In fact, the stereotyped vision of BtoC marketing is invoked as a ritual scapegoat in most IMP conference introductory speeches or roundtables. Thus, this paper is aimed at producing an overview of advanced BtoC marketing contributions and the way they can be helpful for BtoB marketing research. Times have changed. Kotler is dead! And we don?t have to continue in tilting our lances against his windmills.
Journal: ( – )
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Publish Year: 2003
Conference: Lugano, Switzerland (2003)