Abstract
In this article, we provide a new explanation for the poor return on marketing that seems to be a problem in many industries. The literature on errors in strategic decision making is focussed on the leaders of organizations. Yet most tactical decisions regarding marketing allocation and effort are made by brand managers, and not leaders. In this article, we explore how the context in which brand managers make decisions (time pressure, colleagues with similar skill sets and the desire to advance) can cause poor marketing performance. In particular, we show how training, the exchange of advice and the management of market research lead to decisions that are not profit-maximizing. In the corporate environment, insufficient attention is allocated to understanding how these activities affect marketing decisions; hence, our description of these activities as the ‘Forgotten Side of Marketing’. We conclude by proposing a number of straightforward practices that firms can implement to better manage these activities and improve the return from marketing.
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References and Notes
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Kalra, A., Soberman, D. The forgotten side of marketing. J Brand Manag 17, 301–314 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2009.25
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2009.25