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A relatively new marketing concept have been initiate and examine by the authors, marketing doctrine, because its
simple, experience-based principles which provide consistent guidance to marketers across the firm. As firms grow
and diversify, they begin to hire and/or acquire marketers with very different marketing training, experiences, and
means for making marketing decisions. Consequently, firms are increasingly dealing with a marketing inconsistency
problem.
Previous studied has found two general perspectives for developing a common approach to decision making. Firstly,
firms may initiate standard operating procedure (SOP) which useful in performing well-structured tasks. But its flexibility
is limited and can be apply to strategic marketing task such as brand positioning, channel design and et (Rely on
mechanistic approaches that direct decision making by providing standard operating procedures
(Homburg and First 2005). Secondly, firms may train employees with shared value and norms. It is more flexible but
limited guidance (Rely on organic approaches that inculcate employees with shared values and norms (e.g
teamwork, information exchange) to guide decision making (Homburg and First 2005)
In this research, the authors proposed third perspective which is marketing doctrine. It is more consistent and flexible in
decision making. It can be defined as a firms unique principles, distilled from its experiences, that provide firm-wide
guidance on market-facing choices.
Three main reasons for using principles- based approach;
a. Rules of thumb : It simplifies decision making by launching products promptly and obtain feedback from actual users;
b. It helps to provides guidance and details execution to ensure consistency and allow flexibility; and
c. It is quite easy to remember and communicate to others.
LESSO
N
LEARN
T
Firms Unique
Principles
Distilled from
Firms
Experiences
Firm-Wide
Guidance
Firms Market
Facing Choices
LESSO
N
LEARN
T
It shared values among employees within an organization that provide them with
norms for conduct.
It generalized beliefs about appropriate modes of conduct within organization
Organizational
Culture
& Values
Routines
Routines
Marketing Doctrine
Marketing Doctrine
Sustaining
Marketing Doctrine
A firm should leverage from their experiences such as observation reflection, testing
and eventually, generalization. These form of experiences should be translated into
meaningful principles for business references.
The relevance of the marketing doctrine should be sustained over time. The doctrine
in use should be able to reflect successes failures new experience, technology change
and shifts in capabilities
LESSO
N
LEARN
T
CONCLUSIO
N
Marketing
Program
Creativity
Marketing
Impulsivity
The degree to which a firm pursues initiatives with little foresight (Dickman
1990)
The greater the marketing doctrine use in a firm, the lower the firms
marketing
impulsivity
Perceived
Marketing
Value
Firm
performance
The study concludes that marketing doctrine is a firm unique principles distilled
from its experiences which provides a firm wide guidance on market facing
choices and also provide a firm wide common approach to decision making.
Marketing doctrine also helps high level guidance for decision makers in the
firms and assists to create principles to guide and measure the performance of
the firms marketing activities as well.