Tim Ambler

How advertising works: What do we really know?

The authors review more than 250 journal articles and books to establish what is and should be known about how advertising affects the consumer—how it works. They first deduce a taxonomy of models,...

Measuring Marketing Productivity: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

For too long, marketers have not been held accountable for showing how marketing expenditures add to shareholder value. As time has gone by, this lack of accountability has undermined marketers’ credibility, threatened the standing of the marketing function within the firm, and even threatened marketings existence as a distinct capability within the firm. This article proposes a broad framework for assessing marketing productivity, cataloging what is already known, and suggesting areas for further research. The authors conclude that it is possible to show how marketing expenditures add to shareholder value. The effective dissemination of new methods of assessing marketing productivity to the business community will be a major step toward raising marketings vitality in the firm and, more important, toward raising the performance of the firm itself. The authors also suggest many areas in which further research is essential to making methods of evaluating marketing productivity increasingly valid, reliable, and practical.

The Dark Side of Long-Term Relationships in Marketing Services

In their study of marketing services relationships, Moorman, Zaltman, and Deshpande (1992) are unable to support a hypothesized link between relational factors (such as clients’ trust in their serv...

Successful Export Practice

Aims to update a previous study into the marketing practices of successful UK exporters. Finds that the majority of success factors identified over a decade ago are still valid today. In addition, finds some support for the emerging relational approach to export marketing. Concludes that exporters should place greater emphasis on relationship factors to improve their performance. Revises an earlier model of export performance as the basis for future research.

Relating Brandand Customer Perspectives on Marketing Management

What is the difference between brand equity and customer equity? Does the distinction matter? Is there a difference between the firm’s brand asset and customer asset? What are the implications of taking a brand perspective versus a customer perspective when designing and implementing marketing programs? The objective of this article is to examine these two perspectives in depth so that researchers and managers can improve their understanding and use of customer and brand perspectives on marketing. The authors seek to determine the relationship between the two assets and perspectives in terms of similarities and differences. They examine the development of customer and brand perspectives and describe how each adds value to the firm and to the customer. Subsequently, they delineate possible approaches for measuring marketing assets. They discuss key issues researchers and practitioners should consider in managing marketing assets, particularly for multibrand companies. They conclude by suggesting future research directions.

BRAND DEVELOPMENT VERSUS NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: TOWARDS A PROCESS MODEL OF EXTENSION DECISIONS

Considers the managerial processes that lead to the launch of successful line and brand extensions. Seeks to clarify the role, if any, that brand equity considerations have in the extension decision process. Uses a case study approach. Data relating to 11 extension launches were collected from major fast‐moving customer goods (FMCG) manufacturers in Europe, the USA, and Australia by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The output of the analysis is a set of propositions about the extension process, summarized in the form of a process model. Concludes overall that extension decisions are more about brand development than new product development.

How much of brand equity is explained by trust

Brand equity, key to the evaluation of marketing performance, exists in the hearts and minds of consumers, and other marketplace players, but is largely assessed on the basis of observed behaviours. Such measures are typically relative (to other brands) ‐ e.g. market share and relative price ‐ whereas direct measures of brand equity ‐ e.g. awareness and attitudes ‐ are conventionally expressed in absolute terms. The correlation between the two sets has been poor. Expressing brand equity in relational terms opens a new line of research which may provide better performance prediction and assessment. Trust is the most popular measure for relationship assessment and may similarly prove to be the leading indicator for brand equity. Makes some research proposals.

Assessing Marketing Performance: Reasons for Metrics Selection

In recent years both practitioners and academics have shown an increasing interest in the assessment of marketing performance. This paper explores the metrics that firms select and some reasons for those choices. Our data are drawn from two UK studies. The first reports practitioner usage by the main metrics categories (consumer behaviour and intermediate, trade customer, competitor, accounting and innovativeness). The second considers which individual metrics are seen as the most important and whether that differs by sector. The role of brand equity in performance assessment and top management orientations are key considerations. We found consistency between orientation and metrics. Within these categories we identified 19 metrics that could be regarded as primary and could therefore serve as a short-list for initial selection. However, the sector importantly moderates that selection, not least because competitive benchmarking requires similar metrics to be available. Control, orientation and institutional theories appeared to influence metrics selection and the absence of agency theory is probably due to the research method of this paper. We concluded with some propositions formally to test the basis of metrics selection.

The Impact of Relational Variables on Export Performance: An Empirical Investigation in Australia and the UK

The impact of relational variables on export performance is tested across two countries—the UK and Australia. The key drivers are shown to he two kinds of commitment: to the market (country), and to the relationship with the distributor, both of which begin with experiential data gathering, or social learning. The constructs are operationalised and tested with data from the early stages of export ventures by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The results support the importance of social learning and relational variables to export performance.

Dashboards as a service: why, what, how, and what research is needed?

Recent years have seen the introduction of a “marketing dashboard” that brings the firm’s key marketing metrics into a single display. Service firms across industries have created such dashboards e...Recent years have seen the introduction of a “marketing dashboard” that brings the firm’s key marketing metrics into a single display. Service firms across industries have created such dashboards either by themselves or together with a dashboard service provider. This article examines the reasons for this development and explains what dashboards are, how to develop them, what drives their adoption, and which academic research is needed to fully exploit their potential. Overcoming the challenges faced in dashboard development and operation provides many opportunities for marketing to exercise a stronger influence on top management decisions. The article outlines five stages of dashboard development and discusses the relationships among demand for dashboards, supply of dashboards, and the implementation process in driving adoption and use of dashboard systems. Key topics for future research include metrics selection, relationships among metrics, and the ultimate question of whether dashboards provide sufficient benefits to justify their adoption.