A framework for evaluating the performance of marketing systems

Abstract

When marketing is viewed as a two-way system rather than the one-way process implicitly assumed by commonly accepted definitions, evaluation of the effectiveness of an organization’s marketing becomes more relevant than it was when organizations used a simple “marketing mix” model of marketing. This paper outlines an integrated method for the evaluation of marketing performance, combining concepts derived from several different social sciences, and building an evaluation framework using that model. The concepts used include a systems-based view of marketing, stakeholder management theory, actor-network theory, and futures studies, as well as the Program Logic family of approaches used initially in the assessment of foreign aid programs. As a test of the applicability of this framework, a pair of case studies is described. Though both cases were quite different from what might be viewed as "normal" marketing, the framework clearly accommodates both. The practical implication of the framework is that to fully evaluate the outcome of any marketing process, it is useful to consider the communications transmitted between all participants in the process; it can be seen as an extension of the Integrated Marketing Communications principle.