Published by CHARM (Conference on Historical Analysis & Research in Marketing)

Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT, USA

What’s the saying?  ‘Something old and something new’.  We’re resurrecting our old banner (above) that was used when Stan Hollander was publishing (and writing most of) Retrospectives in Marketing.  Stan passed away in March of last year having published his last issue of RIM in November of 2002 and we’ve been slow to get RIM back in circulation.  But this is the new Retrospectives in Marketing newsletter and we expect to publish it two to four times a year.  We hope marketing historians will find it interesting.  If you have content or suggestions, please submit them to Brian Jones, bjones1@quinnipiac.edu

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12th CHARM SETS RECORD FOR ATTENDANCE

The 12th Conference on Historical Analysis & Research in Marketing (CHARM) was held April 28 – May 1 on board the Queen Mary ship in Long Beach CA and set a record for attendance.  There were 72 participants with 52 papers presented.  Professor Hal Kassarjian gave the keynote address on “The Emergence, Excitement and Disappointment of Consumer Behavior as a Scholarly Field”.  Kassarjian’s address, as well as the full conference program, abstracts of all papers, and photos from the conference, are available at the CHARM website: http://faculty.quinnipiac.edu/charm/.

There you can also find a searchable data base of abstracts from all 12 CHARMs going back to 1983, information about purchasing selected back issues of the proceedings and other marketing history related information and resources.  Every back issue of RIM from its inception in 1983 is also available at the website thanks to the efforts of Professor Maureen Hupfer at McMaster University.

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… at Duke University, Durham NC is pleased to announce that it will host the 13th CHARM from May 17 through May 20, 2007.  The Conference theme is ‘Marketing History at the Center’.  (OK, perhaps not that creative, but appropriate given the location.)

Papers on all aspects of marketing history and the history of marketing thought in all geographic areas and all time frames are welcome at this friendly, informal, and collegial gathering. Methodological, pedagogical, and historiographic submissions are also invited.  The venue is the US' premier historical archive for sales, advertising and marketing researchers.  

All paper submissions will be double blind reviewed and a proceedings volume will be published.  Full papers (25 page maximum) or extended abstracts (750-1000 words plus references) may be submitted.  Authors may choose to publish either full papers or extended abstracts in the proceedings.  The deadline for paper submissions is November 15, 2006.  Acceptances will be sent by the end of January, 2007.

For paper submission guidelines and additional information about the conference, check the CHARM website or contact Program Chair, Professor Blaine Branchik, Department of Marketing, Quinnipiac University, Hamden CT, 06518, email: bjbranchik@quinnipiac.edu.

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THE LITERATURE KEEPS GROWING

The June 2005 issue of the Journal of Macromarketing features four history articles.  “Periodization in Marketing History” is a rare article about historical method in marketing, was Stan Hollander’s last academic publication and represents a project on which he had worked with Kathleen Rassuli since the late 1990s.  “Services in Society and Academic Thought: An Historical Analysis” by Stephen Vargo and Fred Morgan; “One Hundred Years of Humor in America Advertising” by Fred Beard; and Consumer Misbehavior by Simon Phillips, Andrew Alexander, and Gareth Shaw, round out the history section of JMM’s volume 25, issue 1. 

Recently elected President of CHARM, Terry Witkowski, took over from Brian Jones as History Section Editor of JMM effective July 2005.  Submission guidelines for historical articles to JMM can be found at the JMM website: http://agb.east.asu.edu/jmm/

Marketing Theory has a special issue on the history of marketing thought coming out next month (September).  The issue (volume 5, issue 3) is edited by Terry Witkowski and features the following four articles in order of their appearance: “A History of Marketing Schools of Thought” by Eric Shaw and Brian Jones; “The Soviet Evolution of Marketing Thought, 1961-1991: From Marx to Marketing”, by Karen Fox, Irina Skorobogatykh, and Olga Saginova; “Missing Links: Product Classification Theory and the Social Characteristics of Goods” by Roger Mason; and “Examining the Influence of Articles Involving Marketing History, Thought, and Theory: A Journal of Marketing Citation Analysis, 1950s-1990s.

Fashion, Retailing and a Bygone Era: Inside Women’s Wear Daily – A Look Back, is written by former editors of Women’s Wear Daily: Isadore Barmash, Edward Gold, Marvin Klapper, Sandy Parker, Sidney Rutberg, Mort Sheinman, and Stanley Siegelman, and is published by Beard Books (2005).  The book is described by Michael Gould, CEO of Bloomingdale’s, as the story of Women’s Wear Daily as well as a journey through the fashion world.

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JOHN H. JOHNSON’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO MARKETING AND MARKETING THOUGHT – Judy Foster Davis, Eastern Michigan University

The death of publisher John Harold Johnson on August 8, 2005 prompts reflection on his contributions to marketing history and marketing thought. His flagship publication, Ebony, a monthly magazine established in 1945 and Jet, a weekly news digest founded in 1951, became staples in the black community. In launching these publications, including the now defunct Negro Digest, Johnson’s objective was to build an enterprise based upon positive aspects of black life emphasizing middle-class status and upward mobility. Prior to this era, black participation in political and economic life was limited and media portrayals of blacks were often demeaning.  By 2005, Ebony’s circulation had soared from an initial 25,000 to more than 1.9 million. 

Johnson’s publications also served as a springboard for a targeted marketing concept known as the “special markets” approach.  Johnson (along with others) was successful in convincing mainstream marketers that a lucrative black consumer market existed and that his publications provided a gateway to that market. Zenith Corp. was the first mainstream marketer to advertise in Ebony.  Johnson also ran full page advertisements in Advertising Age and the New York Times which touted the value of this oft-overlooked market.  More important, his advertising policy encouraged marketers to treat the black market as separate and unique; he advocated the use of black models in ads due to blacks’ psychological need for “self-identification.”  This approach has been replicated across marketing efforts targeted at various minority and other niche segments and has become standard practice in marketing.  Johnson’s efforts also had a significant impact on the development of a number of black-owned enterprises.  Black-owned advertising firms, for example, relied upon publications like Johnson’s to reach black consumers on a national basis for their mainstream clients. Brands in product categories disproportionately consumed by blacks, including hair care products, cosmetics, liquor, personal care products and clothing found receptive consumers among Johnson’s readers.   

Regarded among the wealthiest and most influential African-Americans in the U.S., Johnson’s birth home in Arkansas City, Arkansas was recently restored and dedicated as an historical tourist attraction.

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AUTOMOBILE ADVERTISING HISTORY – by Leighann Neilson, Guelph University

Of interest to Retrospectives in Marketing (RIM) readers is a collection of automobile-related print advertisements donated by the late John deBondt to the Canadian Museum of Science and Technology, in Ottawa, Ontario.

During his lifetime, Mr. deBondt collected approximately 10,000 advertisements from newspapers and magazines, covering the period from 1920 to 1970. While the majority of the ads are of North American autos, European manufacturers, such as Austin, Citroen and Volkswagen are also
represented. Pieces in the collection range from small, 1 inch by 2 inch, text listings of automobile prices to full-colour images.

The collection is currently being inventoried; future plans include the digitization of the collection. Meanwhile, the collection is available without charge to researchers at the museum for research purposes. Charges are levied for staff research work, copies, and use of the collection. For
more information contact: Antony Pacey at 613-991-4975, or apacey@technomuses.ca. More information on the museum's collections is available on their website, at: http://www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca

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Goran Svensson has been appointed the new editor of the European Business Review - http://www.emeraldinsight.com/info/journals/ebr/ebr.htm .  Goran intends to develop the historical content of EBR and expects to include special issues dealing with business history in general and marketing history in particular.  Goran’s contact information is as follows: Goran Svensson [Goran.Svensson@set.hh.se], Halmstad University,P.O. Box 823,SE-301 18, HALMSTAD, Sweden.

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If you wish to be removed from the RIM email distribution list, please notify Brian Jones at bjones1@quinnipiac.edu.

With apologies… CHARM Board members may receive this newsletter twice until I get a chance to cross check our member distribution list with the board list.