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Marketing’s identity crisis: it’s complicated

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Abstract

El-Ansary et al. (AMS Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-017-0102-y, 2017) provide a 100-year historical review of the concepts and paradigms that have led to an identity crisis in marketing. This commentary is a retrospective review, contributing to the understanding of the evolution of concepts and changes in the marketing discipline which have precipitated this identity crisis. In addition, progress in the development of marketing theory is examined to determine if there are major theories or frameworks that can assist in resolving the identity crisis. Concerns about the current narrow focus on consumer behavior, modeling, and methodological sophistication have resulted from the failure of the marketing discipline to determine appropriate research agenda and topics important in marketing education. A marketing systems paradigm is considered for resolving this identity crisis in academia and industry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marketing, Raymond J. Harbert College of Business, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA

    O. C. Ferrell

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  1. O. C. Ferrell
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Ferrell, O.C. Marketing’s identity crisis: it’s complicated. AMS Rev 8, 30–38 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-018-0114-2

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