Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline

1. Marketer Behaviour: the strange case of the missing disciplineTony WoodallChris PichGuja ArmannsdottirSeamus Allison6th International Symposium on Marketing Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility 22-24 April 2018

2. Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline Woodall (2012). Driven to excess? Linking calling and character and the (mis)behavior of marketers. Marketing Theory, 12(2) • Starts from the premise that Marketers have a case to answer regarding Marketing ‘malfeasences and misdemeanours’ (Schultz II & Holbrook, 2009): • ‘Predatory lending’ (Hill and Kozup, 2007) • Mis-selling of PPI (Ferran, 2012) • Stealth marketing/non-disclosure, e.g.: Advergaming (Quilliam et al, 2011); Facebook, misuse of personal data (Hodgkinson, 2012); Click Farms (DePillis, 2014) • Subscription traps (MacAndrews and VandenBurg, 2016) • Focused on ‘marketing character’ (Fromm, 1949) • Suggests marketing has an edgy/renegade/cool/self-promoting persona • This attracts those whose identity needs match this; these needs may override other (e.g. ethical) socially-oriented concerns • Marketing is self-reinforcing, but marketers (generally) not immoral?

3. Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline Follow-up work begun 2013 – Woodall, Pich, Armannsdottir and Allison: 5-year longitudinal project focusing on aspirant marketers (fresher students): • How do those recruited to a course in Marketing perceive this as, a) an organisational discipline, b) a career opportunity? • What it is that attracts aspirants to the job of Marketer? • Are particular ‘types’ of individual attracted to the job of Marketer and, thus, to an associated university course? • P1 – Marketers will typically be of an outgoing/egoist personality • P2 – Marketing aspirants generally will consider marketing/marketers as edgy/renegade/cool Literature review • Not as much research as expected on marketers and their perspectives on marketing • Woodall (2012) only(?) article in EBSCO database to use ‘Marketer Behaviour’ as key words

4. Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline How do we assess the Marketer? Some preliminary content analysis of the EBSCO database… Journal titles containing ‘Marketing’ (EBSCO database 71,057) Marketer/s (key word): 9 (2/9 by Woodall, T) Marketer/s (abstract): 3,800 (2/150 marketers as subject) Marketing managers (key word): 8 Journal titles containing Business & Ethics (EBSCO database, 10,570) Marketer/s or Marketing managers (key word): 2 Marketer/s (abstract): 67 – 12 marketers as subject Psychology and Marketing (EBSCO database 1,785) Marketer/s or Marketing managers (key word): 0 Marketer/s (abstract): 135 (2/135 marketers as subject) 2015, Academy of Marketing Conference Critical marketing: 0/11 Ethics and marketing: 0/12 Marketing and HE: 1/11 Conclusion:little research directly on marketers

5. Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline Journal of Business Ethics (8,630) Marketing (ethics) vs Marketer (Ethics)? • Abstract (335); Title (178); Keyword (132) • Abstract (67/12); Title (9); Keyword (2) Consumer (ethics) vs Consumption (ethics)? • Abstract (513); Title (223); Keyword (158) • Abstract (81); Title (30); Keyword (38) Consumer > Marketing > Consumption > Marketer Conclusion:‘Marketer’ has least focal interest

6. Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline Semantic observation • Consumers are given precedence over consumption • Marketing is given precedence over marketers Implication? • Consumers have agency (they control consumption) • Marketers don’t have agency (are controlled by marketing) • Marketers are merely agents of marketing? • Do the words accurately represent the world, or does the world change to match the words? (Searle & Vanderveken, 1985) • Searle’s ‘social reality’: speech acts embody/constitute reality • Marketer behaviour does not exist: are marketers inadvertently ‘off the hook’… ? So, whence‘Marketer Behaviour’? • Relatively little by volume • Even less by focus (no named category – except Woodall, 2012) • Semantically diminished

7. Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline There is some work that at least belongs in the field…. Examples of ‘Marketer’ articles in the field of Marketer ethics • Leung, Liu and Liu (2009) – Investigates moral intentions of marketers who have emigrated to China (Quants) • Marta, Heiss and Lurgio (2008) - Compares ethical perceptions of Mexican and U.S. marketers (Quants) • Ramanathan and Swain (2016) - Assesses impact of ego on ethical quotient in marketers’ preferences and behaviours • Rawas, Arjoon and Sidani (2013) – Impact of virtues, vices and moral philosophies on ethical behaviour (Quants) • Singhapakdi, et al (2001) – Evaluates moral/ethical attitudes of US vs Australian vs Malaysian vs South African marketers (Quants) Characteristics • Culture is an acquired condition • Marketers are ethical/unethical decision-makers • Broadly positivist/inferential Examples of ‘Marketer’ articles in the field of Critical Marketing • Ardley, B. (2005). Investigates the various/varying factors underpinning Marketing executives’ decision making (Qual). • Brown, S. (2017). A little lying is not necessarily a bad thing; but not too much! (Conceptual) • Cronin, A. M. (2004). Marketers negotiate between multiple “regimes of mediation” (Qual). • Gurrieri, L. (2012). Identifies the paradoxical relationship between renegadism and professionalism (Qual) • Svensson, P. (2007). Marketer navigates between narratives of instrumental reason, neo-liberalism and postmodernity (Qual) Characteristics • Culture is socially constructed • Marketers negotiate between conflicting positions • Broadly interpretivist

8. Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline Critical Marketing vs Marketing ethics literatures: • Tend to converge, judging Marketing as materialistic; managerial; neoliberal; promoting overconsumption (e.g. Firat & Dholakia, 2017; Lloveras and Quinn, 2017; Scott, Martin & Schouten, 2014). • Tend to diverge, judging marketers defensively vs offensively (marketers are misunderstood vs marketers are unethical) • Broadly interpretive vs broadly positivistic/inferential • Also, more interpretivist research for consumer ethics/behaviour • Clearly, there are exceptions (e.g. Carrington, Zwick and Neville, 2018; Boddy and Croft, 2016) But no unifying/unified body of knowledge concerning Marketer Behaviour… … is this the missing discipline?

9. Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline Marketer Behaviour – a model The Marketer is a ‘multiple-hybrid’. Marketers perform as individuals but are also performed by marketing theory, marketing practice, business context and society. Actor Network has generalized symmetry (e.g. see Latour, 2005) The marketer is an individualentity – intrinsically cultured and psychologically habituated The marketer is also an economic entity - a practitioner- agent of business employing marketing theory 3. And, as an ‘actor of modern society’ (Meyer and Jepperson, 2000), the Marketer is also socially cultured and consequently a cultural entity, deriving ‘agentic authority’ from the dominant cultural context. Morals are determined by 1., and ethics a function of 2. and 3.

10. Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline Marketer Behaviour – the model explained Managerial marketing • Business • Structure • Structuration • Performance • Theory • Marketing • Economic • The Marketer • Identity 1 • Identity 2 • Personality • Culture • Values Business Ethics Theory vs practice • Society at large • Cultural context • Consumers • Marketing methods • Technology • Marketing focus Consumer behaviour Marketing Ethics Dominant research narratives presently recognised Marketer Behaviour research examines tensions between structure and agency, within & between hybrids. Above all, it is focused and unified.

11. Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline An example of Marketer Behaviour research: Woodall, Pich, Armannsdottir & Allison(see 2nd slide – work in progress) • Methods: epistemologically agnostic (Sokal, 1996) • Reasoning: abductive-deductive a) Projective techniques b) Personality test (BFI) • (John, Donahue & Kentle, 1991) • I am someone who….. • (44 questions, scale of 1 to 5) • Is talkative • Tends to find fault with others • Does a thorough job • Is depressed, blue • Is original, comes up with new ideas • …………………… • 42. Likes to co-operate with others • 43. Is easily distracted • 44. Is sophisticated in art, music or literature • Assesses the big five personality traits: Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism (deep emotion)

12. Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline “To be a marketer or do what marketers do?” What type of article? Marketing? Higher education? Occupation/employment? Psychology? Anthropological economics? Business Ethics? Marketer behaviour  … but where is the outlet? P1 – Supported: Marketing provides outgoing individuals the opportunity to be who they want to be. P2 – Not supported: Limited evidence of either concern for customers or of desire for edgy/renegade/cool identity. Self-promoting? Ethics? Smart, professional, business-like Student - Perceived marketer identity

13. Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline References Ardley, B. (2005). Marketing managers and their life world: Explorations in strategic planning using the phenomenological interview. The Marketing Review, 5(2), 111-127. Brown, S. (2017). Confessions of a radical reactionary: rhetoric and reality. Journal of Marketing Management, 33(9-10), 858-872. Boddy, C. R., & Croft, R. (2016). Marketing in a time of toxic leadership. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 19(1), 44-64. Carrington, M., Zwick, D., & Neville, B. (2018). Activism and Abdication on the Inside: The Effect of Everyday Practice on Corporate Responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 1-27. Cronin, A. M. (2004). Regimes of mediation: advertising practitioners as cultural intermediaries?. Consumption Markets & Culture, 7(4), 349-369. DePillis, L. (2014). Click farms are the new sweat shops. The Washington Post (Online). Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/01/06/click-farms-are-the-new-sweatshops/ Ferran, E. (2012). Regulatory lessons from the payment protection insurance mis-selling scandal in the UK. European Business Organization Law Review, 13(2), 247-270. Fromm, E. (1949). Man for Himself. London: Routledge and Keegan Paul Ltd. Fırat, A. F., & Dholakia, N. (2017). From consumer to construer: Travels in human subjectivity. Journal of Consumer Culture, 17(3), 504-522. Gurrieri, L. (2012). The Don complex: Consuming work, productive leisure and marketer boundary work. Journal of Marketing Management, 28(7-8), 784-808. Hill, R. P., & Kozup, J. C. (2007). Consumer experiences with predatory lending practices. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 41(1), 29-46. Hodgkinson, T. (2012). Log off! As Facebook plans a $5bn stock market float, one trenchant sceptic describes how the social network is ruthlessly selling your soul. MailOnline. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2095690/Facebook-IPO-Log-Facebook-ruthlessly-selling-soul.html John, O. P., Donahue, E. M., & Kentle, R. L. (1991). The big five inventory: Versions 4a and 5a. University of California, Berkeley, CA: Institute of Personality and Social Research. Latour, B. (2005). Re-assembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor Network Theory. New York: Oxford University Press. Leung, A. S., Liu, X., & Liu, S. (2009). Moral schemas and business practices: The ethics of Guangzhou migrant marketers. Journal of Business Ethics, 88(1), 11-23.

14. Marketer Behaviour: the Strange Case of the Missing Discipline References Lloveras, J., & Quinn, L. (2017). Growth and Its Discontents: Paving the Way for a More Productive Engagement with Alternative Economic Practices. Journal of Macromarketing, 37(2), 131-142. MacAndrews, N. and VandenBurg, D. (2016). Locked in: Consumer Issues with Subscription Traps. Citizens Advice. Retrieved from https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/CitizensAdvice/Consumer%20publications/Finaldraft-Lockedinconsumerissueswithsubscriptiontraps%20(1).pdf Marta, J., Heiss, C. M., & De Lurgio, S. A. (2008). An exploratory comparison of ethical perceptions of Mexican and US marketers. Journal of Business Ethics, 82(3), 539-555. Meyer, J. W., & Jepperson, R. L. (2000). The ‘actors’ of modern society: The cultural construction of social agency. Sociological theory, 18(1), 100-120. Quilliam, E. T., Lee, M., Cole, R. T., & Kim, M. (2011). The Impetus for (and Limited Power of) Business Self‐Regulation: The Example of Advergames. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 45(2), 224-247. Ramanathan, J., & Swain, B. (2016). Are Marketers Egoists? A Typological Explication. Journal of Business Ethics, 1-11. Scott, K., Martin, D. M., & Schouten, J. W. (2014). Marketing and the new materialism. Journal of Macromarketing, 34(3), 282-290. Searle, J. R. and Vanderveken, D. (1985). Foundations of Illocutionary Logic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Sokal, A. D. (1996). Transgressing the boundaries: An afterword. Philosophy and Literature, 20(2), 338-346. Sher, S. (2011). A framework for assessing immorally manipulative marketing tactics. Journal of Business Ethics, 102(1), 97-118. Shultz, C. J., & Holbrook, M. B. (2009). The paradoxical relationships between marketing and vulnerability. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 28(1), 124-127. Singhapakdi, A., Karande, K., Rao, C. P., & Vitell, S. J. (2001). How important are ethics and social responsibility?-A multinational study of marketing professionals. European Journal of Marketing, 35(1/2), 133-153. Svensson, P. (2007). Producing marketing: towards a social-phenomenology of marketing work. Marketing Theory, 7(3), 271-290. Woodall (2012). Driven to excess? Linking calling and character and the (mis)behavior of marketers. Marketing Theory, 12(2), 173-191