Christopher Lovelock

Whither Services Marketing? In Search of a New Paradigm and Fresh Perspectives

This article examines the received wisdom of services marketing and challenges the validity and continued usefulness of its core paradigm, namely, the assertion that four specific characteristics—intangibility, heterogeneity, inseparability, and perishability—make services uniquely different from goods. An alternative paradigm is proposed, based on the premise that marketing exchanges that do not result in a transfer of ownership from seller to buyer are fundamentally different from those that do. It posits that services offer benefits through access or temporary possession, instead of ownership, with payments taking the form of rentals or access fees. This rental/access perspective offers a different lens through which to view services. Important implications include opportunities to market goods in a service format; the need for more research into how time is perceived, valued, and consumed; and the notion of services as a means of sharing resources.

A Review of Nonprofit Marketing Texts@@@Cases in Public and Nonprofit Marketing@@@Readings in Public and Nonprofit Marketing@@@Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations@@@Cases and Readings in Nonprofit Marketing

TEXTS: Cases in Public and Nonprofit Marketing By Christopher H. Lovelock and Charles B. Weinberg (Palo Alto, CA: The Scientific Press, 1977, 220 pp., .

Understanding Service Consumers

14.50) Readings in Public and Nonprofit Marketing By Christopher H. Lovelock and Charles B. Weinberg (Palo Alto, CA: The Scientific Press, 1978, 304 pp.,

Crafting the Service Environment

14.50) Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations, 2nd Edition By Philip Kotler (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982, 528 pp.,

Managing People for Service Advantage

23.95) Cases and Readings in Nonprofit Marketing By Philip Kotler, O. C. Ferrell and Charles W. Lamb, Jr. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982,480 pp.,

Service Marketing Communications

14.95) Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations By David L. Rados (Boston, MA: Auburn House, 1981, 572 pp.,

Positioning Services in Competitive Markets

24.95)

Developing Service Products and Brands

The following sections are included:OPENING VIGNETTETHE THREE-STAGE MODEL OF SERVICE CONSUMPTIONPREPURCHASE STAGESERVICE ENCOUNTER STAGEPOST-ENCOUNTER STAGECONCLUSIONCHAPTER SUMMARYReview QuestionsApplication ExercisesEndnotes

A Retrospective Commentary

The following sections are included:OPENING VIGNETTESERVICE ENVIRONMENTS — AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THE SERVICE MARKETING MIXWHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF SERVICE ENVIRONMENTS?THE THEORY BEHIND CONSUMER RESPONSES TO SERVICE ENVIRONMENTSDIMENSIONS OF THE SERVICE ENVIRONMENTPUTTING IT ALL TOGETHERCONCLUSIONCHAPTER SUMMARYReview QuestionsApplication ExercisesEndnotes

Classifying Services to Gain Strategic Marketing Insights

The following sections are included:OPENING VIGNETTESERVICE EMPLOYEES ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANTFRONTLINE WORK IS DIFFICULT AND STRESSFULCYCLES OF FAILURE, MEDIOCRITY, AND SUCCESSHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT — HOW TO GET IT RIGHT?SERVICE CULTURE, CLIMATE, AND LEADERSHIPCONCLUSIONCHAPTER SUMMARYReview QuestionsApplication ExercisesEndnotes