Macromarketing refers to the study of: (1) marketing systems, (2) the impact of marketing systems on society, and (3) the impact of society on marketing systems. Criterion (1) includes topics such as comparative marketing, the institutional structure of marketing, and the relationships between distribution channels. Criterion (2) is a "societal interest" that integrates issues such as social responsibility and the role of marketing in the development of the economy. Criterion (3) recognizes the impact of marketing on society and includes topics such as the legal aspects of marketing and the consequences for marketing of different political and social value systems. (Hunt, p.13)
The market is a unique social institution, which plays a role in the supply process that is crucial for the sustenance of humanity. Since society is structured by social institutions, the nature of the market and the role it plays are interrelated with other institutions. Macromarketing is the study of such interactions. (Dixon, p.1)
Macromarketing examines the relationships between marketing and society, marketing systems, the history of the market, marketing phenomena as a whole, and the effects of marketing on quality of life. (Shultz, p.4 and 5)
Macromarketing refers to the understanding, explanation and management of the relationships between marketing and society. It is a bridge where the market and society meet, exchange and interact. The purpose of macromarketing is to create and maintain a harmonious relationship between marketing and society, therefore macromarketing is the study of the activities and processes that create and maintain that harmonious relationship. The process of creating and maintaining a harmonious relationship between marketing and society is bilateral (horizontal) and requires balancing the self-interest of business with the public interest entrusted to society. It requires understanding the what and how of the relationship between marketing and society. (Sheth, p.2)
Bibliography
- Dixon, Donald F. Emerging macromarketing concepts From Socrates to Alfred Marshall, Open University of the Netherlands, 2001. Hunt, Shelby D. Foundations of Marketing Theory: Toward a General Theory of Marketing, ME Sharpe, 2002, p.13 Shultz, II, Clifford J. Macromarketing, Sheth, Jagdish N. Towards a theory of macromarketing, ASAC, 1992.
