The History of Marketing Thought
This reading assignment is from Dr. Chuck Hermans‟ PhD work. He is a professor at Missouri State University and granted permission to use it for this course on health marketing.
A key observation to notice throughout this reading assignment is that in the history of business (or commercial) marketing there has been no reference to health, prevention, wellness or medicine as products or services to motivate people to buy or to sell or market to people. An important concept to note however, from the article is that marketers evolved to applying theories of behavior, the same as health educator‟s use. Among these are concepts borrowed from established disciplines, such as psychology and sociology and suggesting that marketing is a social science. Please note that the bold text are from the original text from Dr. Hermans.
The article begins now.
Bartels, Robert (1976) “The History of Marketing Thought,” 2nd edition,
Highlights selected by Dr. Hermans are from chapters 1,2,3,4,9,10,11,12,13,and 14.
Accessed on Sep 18, 2009. Available at http://www.faculty.missouristate.edu/c/ChuckHermans/Bartels.htm
Chapter 1: The Meaning of Marketing
The establishment of a market economy wrought marked changes in the social and economic structure. A new attitude toward business revolutionized the economy of the country and that revolutionary element was identified by the term „marketing.‟ Historical accounts of trade lead one to conclude that marketing has always existed. Was the original use of the term marketing merely an application of a new name to an old practice?
One theory is that language is an invention of man, an adornment. The other explanation of the origin of language is that it is inseparable from reason. Accordingly, man‟s language has developed as his thoughts have developed.
By marketing was first meant “that combination of factors which had to be taken into consideration prior to the undertaking of cer6tain selling or