THE TRANSFORMATION OF MARKETING THEORY IN THE CONTEXT OF CHANGES IN TYPES OF SCIENTIFIC RATIONALITY
Abstract
The article provides a theoretical and methodological analysis of the transformation of marketing as a scientific discipline through the lens of changing forms of scientific rationality. It has been argued that the development of marketing theory cannot be interpreted as a linear or purely cumulative process, but rather as a layered transformation that was shaped by classical, non-classical, and post-non-classical modes of scientific reasoning. The study has demonstrated that each stage in the evolution of marketing corresponded to a specific configuration of ontological assumptions about exchange, market structure, and the role of economic actors, as well as to particular epistemological approaches to the production and validation of marketing knowledge. The paper has shown that early marketing theory was grounded in classical rationality, emphasising objective market structures, standardised commodities, and descriptive-empirical analysis oriented toward distribution and control. The subsequent transition to non-classical rationality involved the recognition of uncertainty, contextuality, and the active role of consumers, which led to the integration of behavioural, managerial, and value-oriented perspectives into marketing research and practice. The post-non-classical stage is associated with a processual, relational, and network-based understanding of markets, where marketing has been conceptualised as a mechanism of value co-creation embedded in social, cultural, institutional, and technological contexts. Based on a historiographical synthesis and a comparative analysis of key theoretical traditions, the article proposes a system of analytical criteria that captures the ontological and epistemological dimensions of marketing development. It has been concluded that contemporary marketing theory reflects the core characteristics of post-non-classical scientific rationality, which is manifested in methodological pluralism, interdisciplinary integration, reflexivity, and a gradual shift from instrumental control toward interaction, experience, and network coordination in market analysis.
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Cova, B., & Badot, O. (1994). Marketing, theory and practice in a postmodern era. In M. J. Baker (Ed.), Marketing: Theory and practice (3rd ed., pp. 409–432). Macmillan. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24260-3
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Kotler, P. (1967). Marketing management: Analysis, planning, and control. Prentice-Hall.
Levitt, T. (1960). Marketing myopia. Harvard Business Review, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 45–56. Available at: https://surl.li/dsytxh
Katona, G. (1975). Psychological economics. Elsevier Scientific Publishing. Available at: https://surl.li/dztkob
Levy, S. J., & Kotler, P. (1969). Broadening the concept of marketing. Journal of Marketing, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 10–15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1248740
Gummesson, E. (1987). The new marketing – Long-term interactive relationships. Long Range Planning, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 10–20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-6301(87)90151-8
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Belk, R. W. (1988). Possessions and the extended self. Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 139–168. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2489522
McCracken, G. (1986). Culture and consumption: A theoretical account of the structure and movement of the cultural meaning of consumer goods. Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 71–84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/209048
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Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey. Journal of Marketing, vol. 80, no. 6, pp. 69–96. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0420
Kotler, P., Kartajaya, H., & Setiawan, I. (2021). Marketing 5.0: Technology for humanity. John Wiley & Sons.
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