Marketing communication: principles and practice

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
1
Why is marketing communication almost always relegated to be a sub-
element of a ‘promotions’ mix?
2
How does dialogue differ from monologue? Think of some business
activities that are purported to be marketing, and are: (a) obviously
expressive and (b) obviously impressive (i.e. the provider learns about
and is influenced by the customer’s perspective).
3
Describe a situation that you have experienced where the commu-
nication was initiated by you rather than by a supplier.
4
Consider the social construction of identity, meaning, and knowledge,
and the suggested focus on relationships, networks, and interaction.
What are the implications for students and managers who adopt the
conventional models of human communication?
5
Can we still use models of the ‘free market’ of mechanisms created for
the exchange of commodity goods to explain the possibility of the
contribution of ‘informational goods’ to social well-being?
I N T R O D U C T I O N
15
CASE STUDY 1THE ELOQUENCE OF HERMES, THE BOUNDARY
SPANNER
In Hellenic (Greek) mythology, Hermes Mercurius, son of Zeus and Maia, and father of Pan
and others, was the messenger of the Olympian gods, as well as the plebeian (common)
Arcadian god of science and commerce (exchange, trade), and protector of merchants and
traders, and patron to travellers (by road), gamblers, thieves, and cheats (wealth, luck,
cunning)! He was god of eloquence (communication), master philosopher, revealer of
hidden wisdom and guardian to occult knowledge.
Also associated with fertility and young men, as well as wrestling, sports stadia, and the
manual arts (i.e. everything that required skill and dexterity), he is credited with inventing
the lyre (presumably on his day off?). To the Romans, Hermes was Mercury and associated
with the day Wednesday.
A prankster and inventive genius from birth, Hermes was known for his helpfulness to
mankind, but also as a feared foe, often as a thief and trickster. He was known to be a master
of boundaries and transitions. He was also responsible for leading souls across the river Styx
to the Underworld (Hades). His name has been associated with business ventures such as
BT’s pension fund, the Lincoln Mercury car, the rock singer Freddie Mercury, an EU
telecommunications development project, and Mercury Records, among others.
Hermes can be thought of as the necessary and knowledgeable mediator between
consumption and production, being concerned with productivity and well-being. But, given
the nature of his character, could he always be trusted?
Today, commerce has come to mean ‘the activity embracing all forms of the purchase
and sale of goods and services’ and ‘social relations’ (
Collins Dictionary
). If we adopt
Usunier’s notion of ‘rehabilitating’ commerce as intercultural marketing, we favour the social
interaction of provider and consumer. 

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6
Professor Stephen Kline argues that ‘for many people consumption is
definitional to the modern way of life’. What role does marketing
communication play in this?
7
Consider the meanings of the terms commerce, custom (customer),
merchant, and trading. What do you conclude about marketing ideology
and practice today?
8
Distinguish global marketing from intercultural marketing (see chapter
six for further discussion).
9
Is Hermes a good role model for marketing communication managers?
10
What is the origin of popular marketing ideology? Do economists, social
theorists, communication theorists, anthropologists or other specialists
have the best theory of marketing?