Identifying trends in marketing science through keyword analysis

What can an analysis of the keywords used by authors of research papers published in a prestigious marketing journal tell practitioners and academics about the development of marketing as a discipline?

According to ERIM researcher <link people jason-roos>Jason M.T. Roos and co-authors Carl F. Mela and Yiting Deng, who have written a paper titled - A keyword history of Marketing Science - such a study reveals much about the evolution of the field of marketing.

The choice of keywords used by authors provides a sense of the field’s interests and the potential for subsequent innovations by highlighting what topics were, continue to be, or are becoming central to marketing thought. Essentially, this research offers evidence for a strong alignment between marketing science and marketing practice.

Their analysis of keywords used by the authors of papers published in the journal Marketing Science shows that over the past three decades there is a correspondence between the common marketing vernacular of the four Ps (pricing, products, promotions, and place) and the three Cs (customers, clients, and competitors) and the most predominant words used. The most frequently used keyword is pricing.

The paper also demonstrates the dynamic nature of marketing research with trends in the use of certain keywords highlighting the evolution of the field and reflect interest in understanding customer interactions in new industries and through technological developments in areas such as the internet, telecoms and banking.

• Download A Keyword History of Marketing Science from the Marketing Science.