The Development of Marketing Management

The Case of the USA c. 1910-1940

There has been much discussion about the origin of marketing and marketing thought, and whether it was truly American in origin. Nevertheless, it is true that US marketing management thought was very influential throughout the world in the latter half of the twentieth century, becoming dominant after the Second World War. In order to recognize why and how this kind of thought developed in the USA, it is necessary to explore the historical contexts in which the marketing management thought was produced and developed at this time, as well as the contents of the thought. This work argues that while doubts about the US origin of marketing are acceptable, marketing management thought, which especially appeals to mass producers such as the USA, developed according to their particular needs. This book looks at the relationship between theories of marketing and the historical context in which they were developed, rescuing them from later generalizations that failed to take into account contemporary social and economic factors.