IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ijrema/v26y2009i1p21-33.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Marketing agencies, media experts and sales agents: Helping competitive firms improve the effectiveness of marketing

Author

Listed:
  • Soberman, David A.

Abstract

A major challenge for marketers is how to spend a marketing budget such that the impact on a target market is maximized. There are numerous organizations including marketing agencies, media experts and sales agents that promise to deliver more impact for the money a firm allocates to marketing. The service that these organizations offer are to organize and coordinate spending such that a higher fraction of the potential market is effectively reached by a firm's marketing effort. My objective is to understand the optimal strategy that marketing agencies, media experts and sales agents should use to sell these services. In particular, I analyze how these services should be priced and whether a seller gains by selling such services exclusively. The model consists of a seller of marketing services and two symmetric firms that compete in a differentiated market. A downstream firm that purchases the services reaches a higher fraction of the potential market due to the efficiency provided by the services. The analysis shows that the optimal selling strategy for the services is a function of three factors: a) the degree of differentiation between firms, b) the fraction of the target that is reached by firms (prior to using the seller's services) and c) the increase in “reach” provided by the seller's services. Non-exclusive selling is likely to be optimal, the less that downstream firms compete with each other due to strong differentiation in the downstream market or a low level of overlap in the customers reached by the marketing of each downstream firm. In contrast, exclusive selling is advantageous when many customers have been reached by the marketing of both firms or the level of differentiation between the firms is low. Surprisingly, in many situations, the seller's profit is inversely related to the level of differentiation.

Suggested Citation

  • Soberman, David A., 2009. "Marketing agencies, media experts and sales agents: Helping competitive firms improve the effectiveness of marketing," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 21-33.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ijrema:v:26:y:2009:i:1:p:21-33
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijresmar.2008.05.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167811608000815
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2008.05.003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Grossman, Sanford J & Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1980. "On the Impossibility of Informationally Efficient Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 70(3), pages 393-408, June.
    2. Yuxin Chen & Ganesh Iyer, 2002. "Research Note Consumer Addressability and Customized Pricing," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(2), pages 197-208, November.
    3. Esther Gal-Or & Anthony Dukes, 2006. "On the Profitability of Media Mergers," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 79(2), pages 489-526, March.
    4. Narasimhan, Chakravarthi, 1988. "Competitive Promotional Strategies," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 61(4), pages 427-449, October.
    5. David A. Soberman, 2004. "Research Note: Additional Learning and Implications on the Role of Informative Advertising," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(12), pages 1744-1750, December.
    6. Miklos Sarvary & Philip M. Parker, 1997. "Marketing Information: A Competitive Analysis," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(1), pages 24-38.
    7. Admati, Anat R & Pfleiderer, Paul, 1988. "Selling and Trading on Information in Financial Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 78(2), pages 96-103, May.
    8. Jean Tirole, 1988. "The Theory of Industrial Organization," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262200716, December.
    9. Sharon Horsky, 2006. "The Changing Architecture of Advertising Agencies," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(4), pages 367-383, 07-08.
    10. Anthony Dukes & Esther Gal–Or, 2003. "Negotiations and Exclusivity Contracts for Advertising," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(2), pages 222-245, November.
    11. Admati, Anat R. & Pfleiderer, Paul, 1986. "A monopolistic market for information," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 400-438, August.
    12. J. Miguel Villas-Boas, 1994. "Sleeping with the Enemy: Should Competitors Share the Same Advertising Agency?," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(2), pages 190-202.
    13. Gene M. Grossman & Carl Shapiro, 1984. "Informative Advertising with Differentiated Products," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 51(1), pages 63-81.
    14. David Soberman, 2005. "Questioning Conventional Wisdom About Competition in Differentiated Markets," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 41-70, January.
    15. Morton I. Kamien & Yair Tauman, 1986. "Fees Versus Royalties and the Private Value of a Patent," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 101(3), pages 471-491.
    16. Kenneth Arrow, 1962. "Economic Welfare and the Allocation of Resources for Invention," NBER Chapters, in: The Rate and Direction of Inventive Activity: Economic and Social Factors, pages 609-626, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Steven C. Salop, 1979. "Monopolistic Competition with Outside Goods," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 10(1), pages 141-156, Spring.
    18. Partha Dasgupta & Eric Maskin, 1986. "The Existence of Equilibrium in Discontinuous Economic Games, I: Theory," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 53(1), pages 1-26.
    19. Ganesh Iyer & David Soberman, 2000. "Markets for Product Modification Information," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(3), pages 203-225, February.
    20. Partha Dasgupta & Eric Maskin, 1986. "The Existence of Equilibrium in Discontinuous Economic Games, II: Applications," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 53(1), pages 27-41.
    21. Jagmohan S. Raju & Abhik Roy, 2000. "Market Information and Firm Performance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(8), pages 1075-1084, August.
    22. Shilony, Yuval, 1977. "Mixed pricing in oligopoly," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 373-388, April.
    23. Gerard R. Butters, 1977. "Equilibrium Distributions of Sales and Advertising Prices," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 44(3), pages 465-491.
    24. Mehmet Pac{s}a & Steven M. Shugan, 1996. "The Value of Marketing Expertise," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(3), pages 370-388, March.
    25. Admati, Anat R & Pfleiderer, Paul, 1990. "Direct and Indirect Sale of Information," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 58(4), pages 901-928, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Buil, Isabel & de Chernatony, Leslie & Martínez, Eva, 2013. "Examining the role of advertising and sales promotions in brand equity creation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 115-122.
    2. Mian, G. Mujtaba & Sharma, Piyush & Gul, Ferdinand A., 2018. "Investor sentiment and advertising expenditure," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 611-627.
    3. Kim, Nayeong & Lee, Dongmin & Cho, Seonghwan & Moon, Junghoon, 2023. "The effect of exclusive distribution on the sales of ready-made meals in online retail," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    4. Amit Pazgal & David Soberman & Raphael Thomadsen, 2022. "Consumer informedness: A key driver of differentiation," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 356-368, April.
    5. Gielens, Katrijn & Gijsbrechts, Els & Dekimpe, Marnik G., 2014. "Gains and losses of exclusivity in grocery retailing," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 239-252.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ganesh Iyer & David Soberman, 2000. "Markets for Product Modification Information," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(3), pages 203-225, February.
    2. David Soberman, 2005. "Questioning Conventional Wisdom About Competition in Differentiated Markets," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 41-70, January.
    3. Anderson, Simon & Baik, Alicia & Larson, Nathan, 2015. "Personalized pricing and advertising: An asymmetric equilibrium analysis," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 53-73.
    4. Anderson, Simon P. & Gabszewicz, Jean J., 2006. "The Media and Advertising: A Tale of Two-Sided Markets," Handbook of the Economics of Art and Culture, in: V.A. Ginsburgh & D. Throsby (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Art and Culture, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 18, pages 567-614, Elsevier.
    5. Amit Pazgal & David Soberman & Raphael Thomadsen, 2022. "Consumer informedness: A key driver of differentiation," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 356-368, April.
    6. Ganesh Iyer & David Soberman & J. Miguel Villas-Boas, 2005. "The Targeting of Advertising," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(3), pages 461-476, May.
    7. Markus Christen, 2005. "Research Note---Cost Uncertainty Is Bliss: The Effect of Competition on the Acquisition of Cost Information for Pricing New Products," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(4), pages 668-676, April.
    8. Dirk Bergemann & Alessandro Bonatti, 2015. "Selling Cookies," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 7(3), pages 259-294, August.
    9. Sridhar Moorthy & Shervin Shahrokhi Tehrani, 2023. "Targeting Advertising Spending and Price on the Hotelling Line," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(6), pages 1057-1079, November.
    10. Giovanni Cespa, 2008. "Information Sales and Insider Trading with Long‐Lived Information," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 63(2), pages 639-672, April.
    11. David A. Soberman, 2004. "Research Note: Additional Learning and Implications on the Role of Informative Advertising," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(12), pages 1744-1750, December.
    12. Liang Guo & Ying Zhao, 2009. "Voluntary Quality Disclosure and Market Interaction," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(3), pages 488-501, 05-06.
    13. Ganesh Iyer & Dmitri Kuksov, 2012. "Competition in Consumer Shopping Experience," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(6), pages 913-933, November.
    14. David P. Myatt, 2019. "A Theory of Stable Price Dispersion," Economics Series Working Papers 873, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    15. Rosa Branca Esteves, 2009. "Customer Poaching And Advertising," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(1), pages 112-146, March.
    16. Zhang, Jianqiang & He, Xiuli, 2019. "Targeted advertising by asymmetric firms," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 136-150.
    17. Yi Xiang & David A. Soberman, 2011. "Preview Provision Under Competition," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(1), pages 149-169, 01-02.
    18. Belleflamme,Paul & Peitz,Martin, 2015. "Industrial Organization," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107687899.
    19. Yi Xiang & Miklos Sarvary, 2013. "Buying and selling information under competition," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 321-351, September.
    20. Surendra Rajiv & Shantanu Dutta & Sanjay K. Dhar, 2002. "Asymmetric Store Positioning and Promotional Advertising Strategies: Theory and Evidence," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(1), pages 74-96, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ijrema:v:26:y:2009:i:1:p:21-33. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-research-in-marketing/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.