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Postmodern Marketing Stephen Brown - Coggle Diagram
Postmodern Marketing
Stephen Brown
Introduction
Text begins by presenting the concept of postmodern as very ambiguous and hard to define. Essentially, noone knows what they mean when they call something postmodern.
"I shop, therefore I am", the urge to consume is a characteristic symptom, perhaps
the
characteristic symptom, of the postmodern condition.
The author divides the postmodern marketers
into three groups with regards to how they think
about the meaning of the word postmodern.
1: A chic synonym for "changed", "complex" or "new" -> Things are postmodern since the world has changed a lot.
2: Consumer research -> The word gets associated to the "naturalistic" and "interpretive" approches to consumption activities.
3: "Genuine" attempts to grapple with postmodernism and identify its ramifications.
"Postmodernism is primarily concerned with the nature of knowledge and the foundations of academic discourse". This article aims to show why postmodernism is very important for marketers.
The Postmodern Condition
There exists many vague definitions of postmodernism. The one thing they have in common is that it represents the parting with many parts of the modern paradigm.
"The project of modernity comprised an extensive effort to develop rational science, universal laws, absolute truths and, through the accumulation of objective knowledge, overthrow the irrationality of myth and religion."
In the 1970s, a revolt towards the failures of modern paradignms (deathcamps, terrible work situations in factories etc) happened. As contrary to the modern focus on rationality and logic, in art as well as science a focus on playfullness, emotionality, scepticism and hostility towards generalisations appeared.
Modern -> Logic, maths, engineer
Postmodern -> Feeling, art, creative
Postmodern Marketing Theory
At the time of writing (1992), the majority of marketing had not yet moved to a postmodern view but was still focused on
analysis, planning, implementation and control
.
Postmodern marketing rejects many of the previous ways of looking at marketing. Models that are rigid and linear like Porter's forces or the 4 Ps are discarded.
Postmodern Marketing Revolution
At the time of writing (1992), whether a postmodern marketing revolution will happen is not certain. Tough resistance from those who have built their careers on modern marketing philosophies.
The author presents five main
benefits of postmodern marketing.
4: A postmodern framework allows marketing to not be at the bottom of the totem pole. Since marketing is not an exact science like math or physics, in academic circles it has somewhat of a lower standing. Consequently, a shift in society from focusing on "hard" sciences to the artistic would benefit marketing as an academic discipline.
5: It imposes an unavoidable process of critical self-examination where everything must be constantly reimagined and questioned. It requires answers to questions such as "if our theories are true, why do they often not work in practice?"
3: Provides philosophical underpinnings for successful marketing strategies seen at the time such as "value-added marketing" and "relationship marketing".
2: Allows for, and even promotes, academic ecumenism where many different and somewhat contradictory theories can exist at once. This is the practical reality with regards to marketing (many ways to skin a cat), but modern ideals propose that one should be more correct than all others.
1: Presents the prospect of realignment between marketing theory and practive. Problem at the time seems to be that theory says one thing, but it doesn't work quite well in reality.