Marketing as a response to paradox and norms in the 1960s and 1970s

Purpose-This study seeks to investigate the interaction between marketers’ strategic behaviors, social norms, and societal stakeholders within a particular historical time period, the 1960s and 1970s. Design/methodology/approach-The study’s findings are based on an analysis of two dominant retail industry trade publications, Chain Store Age and Progressive Grocer. Findings-The analysis reveals an intriguing array of strategic marketing activity throughout these two decades not captured in considerations of marketing strategy at the time. The retailers examined engaged in two interesting behaviors. First, they responded to a wide range of stakeholder demands in a paradoxical fashion. Second, as retailers were confronted with social norms, instead of conforming to these norms they worked to help influence and shape them to their own advantage. This examination of retailers’ behaviors over two decades has allowed the authors to present an intriguing new dimension to the understanding of marketing strategy. Originality/value-The study found that throughout the 1960s and 1970s, marketers appeared to be actively engaged in a social dialogue. Through this dialogue, they not only responded to norms, but also attempted to shape the norms that came to define legitimate behavior for the marketers. This kind of strategic marketing endeavor was not accounted for in the managerial school of thought that dominated marketing thinking at the time.