Download THE MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS PRO

319
NEW BOOKS IN REVIEW
THE MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS PROCESS, M. Wayne DeLozier. New York: McGrawHill Book Company, 1976. 324 pp. $12.95.
M. Wayne DeLozier is Professor of Marketing at
The University of South Carolina. In The Marketing
Communications Process he attempts to construct a
model in which all marketing activities are viewed
within a framework of communication. From this view
the marketer is seen not as someone who does things
to consumers (and other firm "audiences"), but as
an interactant in an ongoing dialogue with these individuals. Thus, price is as much a message as any
advertisement or sales representative's conversation
with a customer. Likewise, one can infer, although
DeLozier does not pursue the argument here, that
marketing research is a mechanism through which the
firm receives unbiased messages from the external
audiences. From this perspective, virtually every marketing activity can be seen as part of the various
communication processes in which the firm is engaged.
This perspective, though not original with DeLozier,
has not been put into such a readable form before.
The author is to be applauded for attempting to
synthesize many of the sources that treat the various
aspects of the subject. A communication model of
the activities of the firm offers several advantages,
one of which is the linkage that is formed between
the research being conducted by marketers and that
of others engaged in studying and implementing theoretical concepts about communication. Making such
a linkage opens a broad field of study that heretofore
has been tapped only by marketers studying advertising
and promotion per se. Unlike much research in other
social sciences, research in communication is notably
full of direct implications for marketing management.
Adopting a communication perspective does create
some difficulties, however. The major drawback is
the enormity of the area. Communication theory
includes rhetorics (the study of sign systems), information theory, study of the diffusion of innovations, and many other topics. One can study human
communication, nonhuman animal communication
(ethology), or nonanimate communication (cybernetics). Within the subject of human communication,
the choice may include a study of sign, symbol, or
signal systems; verbal or nonverbal codes.
DeLozier has limited his review to human communication, rhetorics and diffusion of innovations, and
verbal symbolic systems. Only in passing does he make
reference to study of sign systems and nonverbal
communication. His orientation is obviously verbal
because he consistently uses such words as
"thoughts," "cognitions," and "grammar" to refer
to communication; in discussing sign systems he qualifies the phrase with "(our language)" as if verbal
systems were the only ones relevant for marketing.
There is nothing inherently wrong about limiting a
discussion of communication as DeLozier has done.
if that limitation is specified carefully to make the
reader aware that only part of the subject is being
covered.
Yet, there is some evidence that DeLozier is not
aware of this limitation inherent in his treatment. For
example, he has overlooked completely one of the
most influential authors in nonverbal communication
of the past 20 years, Edward T. Hall, a contributor
to the marketing literature also.
Likewise, certain misunderstandings may result
from several statements made by the author (Chapter
5 seems to be particularly plagued with these). There
are enough such statements to generate considerable
frustration in the reader, as well as to obscure the
content of the book and the notable contribution it
makes.
In essence, DeLozier's idea for a book of this nature
is quite nice. But, the final product is not yet a complete
one, either in content or in form. As it stands now,
the book is somewhat flawed and uneven. The inclusion of more pertinent references, and more attention
to theoretical issues, could make it a valuable introduction to marketing as communication.
REBECCA H . HOLMAN
The Pennsylvania State University
ADVERTISING, COMPETITION AND MARKET
CONDUCT IN OLIGOPOLY OVER TIME, Jean
Jacques Lambin, Amsterdam, The Netherlands:
North-Holland Publishing Company, 1976. 312 pp.
$19.95.
The general purpose of this book is to present the
results of an empirical investigation of several more
or less traditional controversies in the economics of
advertising. The investigation is based upon data
collected in eight Western European countries—Belgium, France, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Italy,
Norway, and Sweden—covering 16 different product
classes, including soft drinks, electric shavers, detergents, and gasoline. One hundred seven different
brands are studied. The period of investigation ranges
from 3 to 21 years, covering in most cases the decade
1960 to 1970. Depending upon the product class,
annual, quarterly, or monthly data are employed.
Econometric methods are used to analyze the data.
Using a well-documented literature review, Lambin
develops a theoretical framework within which six
advertising issues are considered. These issues include
determinants of advertising intensity, characteristics
of the advertising function, and advertising versus
market performance.
Besides its international aspect, two other features
of the study deserve note: (1) the adoption of a
microanalytic approach instead of the more usual
macro approach and (2) the emphasis on market
conduct and actual competitive behavior at the brand
and firm levels rather than at the industry level. These
features differentiate the study from previous research