The Critical Value of Two Articles by Southgate and by Spero and Stone - Literature review Example

This essay aims to critically evaluate two articles “Coolhunting, account planning and the ancient cool of Aristotle” by Southgate (2003) and “Agentsof change: how young consumers are changing the world of marketing” by Spero and Stone (2004). Each will be considered individually. Each analysis will begin with a consideration of the objectives of the research, followed by an assessment of the methods employed. Concepts from integrated marketing communications contained within each will be identified and any relationships between them clarified. Finally, an appraisal of the contexts and limitations of the data and results will be undertaken. The essay will conclude with a brief summary of the findings of the analysis. Coolhunting, account planning and the ancient cool of Aristotle’ Nick Southgate (2003) Objectives and Methods Southgate sets out to debunk the ideas of “cool” and “coolhunting” in favour of the more traditional approach of marketing planning, stating that searching for the next “cool” idea is ultimately self-defeating, as everything that was once “cool” is rendered “uncool” once adopted by the masses. The idea of “cool” had resurfaced in the UK as a political effort to rebrand the UK as a good place for business. The phrase “Cool Britannia” was adopted to reflect this (see, for example, MacLeod 2000, Fisher 2002, Ahmed and Townsend 2003 and Henderson 2004). This article reflects the time within which it is written and, fortunately for Southgate, the ideas of “cool” and “coolhunting” were, indeed, fads. His claim is potentially biased, though, by being (presumably) a marketing agency consultant. When compared to other research objectives, this article could appear frivolous. Kitchen et al (2008) set out, for example, to consider the relationship between integrated marketing communications’ theory and practice, which appears a more useful area for investigation as marketing and marketing communications are subject to rapid changes in practice that sometimes precede academic findings. This article also reviews an area that is extremely important to other marketers and professionals and will continue to be of interest as the field continues to develop. McArthur and Griffin (1997) wanted to clarify the state of the discipline at that time as several inconsistencies had been reported. Such an article serves not only to provide an account of the inconsistencies and why they might have occurred but also provides future academics and professionals with a staging point for IMC theory. Southgate uses Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics to provide a counterpoint and to show why “cool” and “coolhunting” are fads rather than enduring ideas to be used within marketing. It is interesting that the comparator is a set of ethics, as this implies that “cool” is perhaps unethical (and this is suggested more openly later in the article). But to judge an idea as either ethical or unethical is not really the purpose of an academic article. Academic articles usually reflect research findings and increase the amount of knowledge available. Ewing (2009) provides an overview of theory that might inform future research activity, acting as a springboard for further knowledge generation. Some might see Southgate’s article as resentment because he did not “cash in” on the “cool” trend. Concepts and Interrelationships Several ideas appear throughout the article, including “cool” being a means of identifying trends, advertising, branding and consumer behaviour prediction. Some of these ideas are explored more fully, but not in such a way as to be of use to another practitioner. Dewhurst and Davis (2005, p.81) produce a case study that identifies three key IMC practices – “strategically consistent brand communication, cross functional planning and monitoring, and data-driven targeting and communication” – as being essential to effective branding strategy. While this conclusion supports Southgate’s argument, the method by which Dewhurst and Davis discovered this is of far more use to both academics and practitioners. Branding is an important part of marketing and IMC, yet is given a cursory glance by Southgate. In contrast, Madhavaram et al (2005) devote twelve pages to the single idea of brand equity and how IMC and brand identity fit within it, providing a conceptual framework and research proposition for others to investigate, assess and use. Insufficient detail can prevent use of what might be extremely good ideas, as well as hindering further research. Something that has become more important since Southgate’s article is the use of the internet and mobile applications for communications. He identifies “cool” as being a way of predicting consumer behaviour and of communicating with customers, linking with the use of the internet today (Chang 2009). But Chang’s article reveals that marketers are using standardised methods for online communications. This would work against the use of “cool” as a differentiating factor, supporting Southgate’s viewpoint about “cool” being a marketing niche, but countering his point about allowing young people to be individuals rather than subjected to diktat as to what they should be doing or wearing (Rushkoff in Southgate 2003 p.458). One point Southgate makes that is extremely valid, is the need for marketers to stop trying to find the latest trend and instead, create the next trend with their products and communications. He also advocates responding to customer requirements rather than telling customers what they want. In a guest editorial, Schultz and Patti (2009) highlight the centrality of the customer in their title of “The evolution of IMC: IMC in a customer-driven marketplace”. Marketers should remember that the customer is the focus of everything they do. Contexts and Limitations of Data and Results As mentioned previously, Southgate’s article is a product of its time reflecting the society within which it was written. While this is true of all writing, for Southgate it is particularly so as he wrote about a particular fad that existed at the time, rather than the general ideas within marketing and IMC. The society that existed in 2003 was wealthy and optimistic with improving living conditions. The focus was on capitalism being successful. Articles written from 2007 will reflect a world economic crisis, and those written from 2010 will potentially reflect an austerity agenda. The setting of the article can therefore be a limitation to its applicability to other ideas and in different contexts. Care must be taken when considering Southgate’s views as the article will have been written using resources that support his argument. Although there is an appearance of balance, the purpose of the article is to show that “cool” is a passing fad and that organisations should return to the tried and tested marketing planning approach. Resources will have been selected to convey that message. Within research articles, writers carry out literature reviews to provide a summary of different viewpoints connected to their subject matter. When providing an overview of his subject area, Chang (2009 p.330) notes that “relatively few studies have compared target strategies on the web across countries”. This provides the equivalent of a blank canvas to work with, as there are few sources of information in the area to potentially include or exclude depending on a personal agenda. Future researchers in that area will find they need to refer to Chang’s ideas when considering their own work. (1,063 words) Agents of change: how young consumers are changing the world of marketing Ian Spero and Merlin Stone (2004) Objectives and Methods Spero and Stone (2004) are presenting a view of the future linked to the purchasing power of young adults (although they discuss teenagers within the body of the article). They focus on the use of brands to target young adults and the changing technology that will give rise to extensive communication networks driven by young people. There is an acknowledgement that the strategy used at the time involved making grand claims about products that did not accurately reflect reality (something that still happens today) and that a change was needed that removed the hype from marketing communications with young people for them to be effective. It is difficult to assess the article without the benefit of hindsight, which shows that the article was prescient as to the impact of the internet and mobile communication. But at the time, it must have read to some like science fiction. Mulhern (2009) provides an overview of the transformation process within IMC from paper to screen and states that the process is nowhere near complete, yet most marketers today would believe the content of the article without question. One major problem with Spero and Stone’s article is that there is no clear indication of the research methods used. Very few of the assertions within the article are substantiated with sources, which renders the article more of an opinion piece than a special report. How much marketers would believe the content is a matter for conjecture. It is possible that the article’s presence in an academic journal confers more credibility than the article deserves, given the lack of evidence. It is likely that the authors encountered the same issue as Chang (2009) but it would have provided more credibility to state this at the outset. Concepts and Interrelationships As with Southgate (2003), there are many accepted ideas within the article, some of which have only recently become so. Branding is the driver for the new communications channels identified by Spero and Stone: social media, viral marketing, mobile marketing and internet marketing. Relationship marketing is the approach they advocate, with a removal of hype from the marketing message. Within the marketing mix, promotion and price are targeted and the need for a consistent message across all channels is highlighted. Mirbagheri and Hejazinia (2009) consider campaign design and whether mobile communications should be included within a campaign, generating a framework to assist with decision making, picking up on the new communications channels available, but pointing out that it is still a choice as to whether they should be included within a campaign at all, and if so, which elements to use to best effect. Spero and Stone seem to imply that campaigns should use everything, all of the time, but knowing now that the costs of such an approach would be prohibitive means a more selective, focused approach is taken. Spero and Stone bring together a range of concepts that fit together naturally, reflecting how a well-designed campaign should be. Taylor (2010, p.161) reminds advertisers of “the need to plan marketing communications strategy holistically”, and questions how well integrated marketing communications has been implemented across different markets. Spero and Stone assume this as a given in their article, which calls into question how realistic their predictions are. The article was published six years ago and there were still many countries, never mind markets, that did not use integrated marketing communications. This is perhaps something they should have addressed to provide a more realistic, credible view of the world that was their future but is here now. Contexts and Limitations of Data and Results Despite claiming to take a different view of young people, Spero and Stone still make several assumptions based on stereotype. For example, they assume young people with be early adopters (Rogers 1976) of new products and services, a view also expressed by Lanctot (1997), yet offer no substantiating evidence of this. In addition, the article paints a picture that is based completely in the developed West. Non-English-speaking countries have been left out. Kim et al (2004), in their study of the diffusion of IMC, specifically identified non-English-speaking countries as being worthy of research and of not having the same approach to marketing that had evolved in the West (p.31), justifying investigation. Unsubstantiated assertions cause problems for both academics and practitioners. For academics, it hampers future research, for practitioners, it sets unrealistic expectations of results (something that Spero and Stone (2004, p.153) refer to as “hype”, which they say needs to be removed from marketing communications). Research articles substantiate their findings where they can, highlighting research limitations where they can’t. McGrath (2005 p.191) states in his abstract that his findings suggest that use of IMC might “promote a stronger attitude towards the brand level” and that the scope of the study limits the applicability of the findings. This is the first thing the reader sees and if it is only the abstract that is read (if literature is being scanned, for example) then the reader knows what to expect from the contents if they should read them Spero and Stone needed to qualify their article to ensure no assumptions were made about the content and what would happen if the tactics described therein were deployed. One other limitation of the article depends on the person reading it. With the focus on young people, including teenagers, marketers would need to be aware of any ethical issues connected with marketing to that age group. Many parents, reading this article, might well take fright at the image painted by Spero and Stone, causing a conflict of interests if they happen to be marketing managers. Marketing to children still causes ethical dilemmas today, with governments becoming involved and passing legislation with a view to protecting children (the current debate around sexualisation of young children is a case in point). Portraying children as “pure” consumers is perhaps something that should have been avoided. (1,004 words) Conclusion Both articles provide some interesting viewpoints, but both are also lacking in academic rigour. The lack of supporting evidence, or use of selective evidence, undermines any credibility that might exist. Both articles were correct in much of what they predicted: “coolhunting” no longer exists and the internet has revolutionised marketing communications. It is a shame that these predictions were not presented in a more evidence-based, credible way. Total word count, including introduction and conclusion: 2,246 References Ahmed, K. and Townsend, M. (2003) ‘Farewell Cool Britannia’ The Guardian 23 February available online at http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2003/feb/23/uk.renewableenergy?INTCMP=SRCH [accessed 29th December 2010] Chang, Y. (2009) ‘An exploration of the standardisation of targeting strategies and the use of promotional disciplines on the web: a cross-national study’ Journal of Marketing Communications Vol. 15 No. 5 pp.327-343 Dewhirst, T. and Davis, B. (2005) ‘Brand strategy and integrated marketing communication (IMC): a case study of Player’s cigarette branch marketing’ Journal of Advertising Vol. 34 No. 4 pp.81-92 Fisher, B. (2002) ‘Cool Britannia’ The Guardian 8 August available online at http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2002/aug/08/sailing?INTCMP=SRCH [accessed 29th December 2010] Henderson, J. (2004) ‘Cool Britannia’ The Guardian 1 February available online at http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2004/feb/01/jonhenderson.theobserver?INTCMP=SRCH [accessed 29th December 2010] Kim, I., Han, D. and Schultz, D. E. (2004) ‘Understanding the diffusion of integrated marketing communications’ Journal of Advertising Research March pp.31-45 Kitchen, P. J., Kim, I. and Schultz, D. E. (2008) ‘Integrated marketing communications: practice leads theory’ Journal of Advertising Research December pp.531-546 Lanctot, R. C. (1997) ‘Kids: the original early adopters’ Computer Retail Week Vol. 7 No. 169, p.16 MacLeod, D. (2000) ‘Cool Britannia’ The Guardian 1 February available online at http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2000/feb/01/highereducation.donaldmacleod?INTCMP=SRCH [accessed 29th December 2010] Madhavaram, S., Badrinarayanan, V. and McDonald, R. E. (2005) ‘Integrated marketing communication (IMC) and branch identity as critical components of brand equity strategy: a conceptual framework and research propositions’ Journal of Advertising vol. 34 No. 4 pp.69-80 McArthur, D. N. And Griffin, T. (1997) ‘A marketing management view of integrated marketing communications’ Journal of Advertising Research September/October pp.19-26 Mirbagheri, S. A. and Hejazzinia, M (2009) ‘Mobile marketing communication: learning from 45 popular cases for campaign designing’ International Journal of Mobile Marketing Vol. 5 No. 1 pp.175-192 Mulhers, F. (2009) ‘Integrated marketing communications: from media channels to digital connectivity’ Journal of Marketing Communications Vol. 15 Nos. 2-3 pp.85-101 Rogers, E. M. (1976) ‘New product adoption and diffusion’ Journal of Consumer Behaviour Vol. 2 No. 4 pp.290-301 Schultz, D. E. and Patti, C H. (2009) ‘The evolution of IMC: IMC in a customer-driven marketplace’ Journal of Marketing Communications Vol. 15 Nos. 2-3 pp.75-84 Southgate, N. (2003) ‘Coolhunting, account planning and the ancient cool of Aristotle’ Marketing Intelligence and Planning Vol. 21 No. 7 pp.453-461 Spero, I. and Stone, M (2004) ‘Agents of change: how young consumers are changing the world of marketing’ Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal Vol. 7 No. 2 pp.153-159 Taylor, C. R. (2010) ‘Integrated marketing communications in 2010 and beyond’ International Journal of Advertising Vol. 29 No. 2 pp.161-164 Read More