From Segmentation to Fragmentation: Markets and Marketing Strategy in the Postmodern Era A
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European Journal of Marketing From segmentation to fragmentation: Markets and marketing strategy in the postmodern era A. Fuat Firat, Clifford J. Shultz II, Article information: To cite this document: A. Fuat Firat, Clifford J. Shultz II, (1997) "From segmentation to fragmentation: Markets and marketing strategy in the postmodern era", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31 Issue: 3/4, pp.183-207, https://doi.org/10.1108/ EUM0000000004321 Permanent link to this document: https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000004321 Downloaded on: 12 October 2017, At: 09:09 (PT) References: this document contains references to 93 other documents. 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Shultz II Faculty of Marketing, Arizona State University West, School of Management, Phoenix, USA Introduction There have been several philosophical debates in the history of marketing thought about the discipline’s mission and role within business and society. Among these debates are science versus art, the extent to which the marketing concept should be broadened, and the recent debates on method and philosophy. From them emerged and continue to emerge new directions and challenges for marketing and marketers. Of course, these debates are (were) usually spurred by social forces or evolving business conditions that inspire(d) the need for fresh thinking. One of the most compelling forces today would appear to be the advent of postmodernism. As a new perspective, which has been very effective in the arts and humanities (Foster, 1985; Kaplan, 1987; Stephanson, 1988), as well as in architecture (Jencks, 1987), postmodernism seems likely to make, and by some accounts is already making (Gitlin, 1989; Habermas, 1983; Hutcheon, 1988; Jameson, 1992), an impact on contemporary culture, generally, and consumer culture, specifically. This impact has not been lost on marketing scholars, many of whom have begun to examine postmodernism within the context of their discipline (Brown, 1993a, 1993b; Firat, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993; Firat and Venkatesh, 1993, 1995; Firat et al., 1993, 1994; Ogilvy, 1990; Sherry, Downloaded by ABE, Miss Claire Siegel At 09:09 12 October 2017 (PT) 1991; van Raaij, 1993; Venkatesh, 1989, 1992). Moreover, subsumed under the impact of postmodernism across institutions is the belief that postmodernism may also considerably affect the way that marketing organizations will need to conduct business into the next century. Indeed, the modus operandi for marketers in a postmodern era may be “business as unusual”. Consequently, there may be a need for traditional marketing management practitioners to reassess their assumptions about markets and the strategies they use to create competitive advantage and to capture market share. Contributions by marketing scholars have generally focused on the implicit impact of postmodernism on marketing (Brown, 1993a, 1993b; Firat, 1992; van Raaij, 1993), yet our review of the literature led us to conclude that the implications of postmodernism for strategic marketing have received little if any attention from marketing scholars. Our objective, then, is to expand the European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31 No. 3/4, 1997, pp. 183-207. discussion of postmodernism’s impact on the discipline of marketing and, more © MCB University Press, 0309-0566 European specifically, to suggest strategic contingencies for marketing managers and Journal research opportunities for marketing and consumer research scholars. of Marketing The expanding influence of postmodernism 31,3/4 Postmodernism, for a time considered to be a fad by some members of almost all academic disciplines, could prove to be a serious contender as a new 184 perspective from which to view and to act in the world, generally, and the business world, specifically (see Brown, 1993b). This premiss clearly has far- reaching implications for marketing managers. Despite its academic and popular adversaries (see Bhaskar, 1991; Eagleton, 1990; Habermas, 1983; Hill, 1993), postmodernist insights and ideas seem to be commanding growing attention and creating serious interest across many disciplines, including architecture (Frampton 1983; Jencks, 1987), art (Levin, 1988; Wallis, 1984), philosophy (Derrida, 1982; Lyotard, 1984; Madison, 1988), literary criticism (Jameson, 1992; Wilson, 1989), women’s studies (Nicholson, 1990) and history (Winders, 1991). Although marketing and consumer research disciplines have been relatively slow to recognize the impacts and existence of postmodernism as compared to sociology (Bauman, 1992), political science (Angus and Jhally, 1989; Aronowitz, 1988), and even the management discipline (Bergquist, 1993), recently postmodernist implications have begun to be explored by marketing scholars (as previously cited). In marketing, these implications may be more than practical, operational, or even theoretical. They may, by some accounts (Firat and Venkatesh, 1995), result in substantial redefinition of the character and the role of the field. For example, an articulation of postmodernist insights for marketing and the consumers of a possibly postmodern era may suggest that some of the most central tenets and/or principles of marketing – e.g. the marketing concept – be re-thought and modified extensively. The purpose of this paper is to explore these practitioner relevant implications, especially as they pertain to segmentation and positioning, two of the most central and strategic concepts in marketing management (Kotler, 1991). Segmentation and positioning have been singled out because they are Downloaded by ABE, Miss Claire Siegel At 09:09 12 October 2017 (PT) cornerstones of marketing management, yet emerging trends would suggest traditional conceptions of either may not be as meaningful or satisfactory as once thought, if we hope to understand or explain emerging market conditions. Therefore, marketers may need to develop different conceptions and approaches to segmentation and positioning if they wish to achieve marketing objectives. The aforementioned literature implies the need for transformation(s) in how we view markets. That is, if and when postmodern changes (further) entrench themselves in our societies, no clear or specific recommendations have been promulgated that will enable practitioners to respond to the concomitant marketing challenges. We intend to recommend proactive strategies and frameworks for marketers interested in successfully responding to those challenges. To accomplish this task we shall refer to the framework developed by Firat and Venkatesh (1993), taking into consideration the extensions to this framework offered by van Raaij (1993) and Brown (1993a, 1993b). These From authors have provided insights into the complex and at times confusing segmentation to discussions on the meaning and domain of postmodernist discourse and culture fragmentation in order to discern the connections and mutual influences between postmodernism and marketing. In this vein, each paper has proposed several connections between postmodernism and, for example, marketing and advertising practices, which demonstrate the postmodernist tendencies of 185 marketing, especially in recent years. In their framework, Firat and Venkatesh (1993) offer five conditions of postmodern culture: (1) hyperreality; (2) fragmentation; (3) reversal of consumption and production; (4) decentring of the subject; and (5) paradoxical juxtapositions (of opposites) and a general consequence of these conditions – loss of commitment. Van Raaij (1993) adds to these conditions the consequence of openness, which he defines as pluralism; that is, pluralism as the dominant approach to all relationships, or as the acceptance of difference. Brown further expands the framework by articulating