Spatiotemporal Typologies of Marketing Communication

Abstract

Theories on marketing communication settings are generally analyzed with a partisan focus on chronological time, and abstract space. In order to comprehend the spatiotemporal complexity of contemporary marketing communication calls for a pendulum between different representations of abstract and concrete representations of time and timing, and space and place. Four Greek spatiotemporal notions of time and space: clock-time (chronos) timely moments (kairos), abstract/virtual space (chora) and concrete place (topos) are discussed in conjunction with two dimensions of managerial performance: efficiency, which is concerned with doing things right, and effectiveness, which is about doing the right things. Efficiency, effectiveness, and the extended notions of time/timing and space/place are discussed in relation to some well-known marketing communication situations (e.g., Face-to-face Encounters with customers, Marketing Mix, Internet Marketing, and Telemarketing). It is argued that clock-time (chronos) is the ruling factor in efficiency and timely moments (kairos) are crucial in questions of effectiveness. This distinction is accentuated by the importance in marketing communication to do the right things in the right place/space in that such actions have to deal frequently with unplanned situations, which cannot be fully grasped or illustrated with clock-time and space only.