The role of internal marketing in the implementation of marketing strategies

Abstract

The field of marketing strategy can be divided into two arbitrary yet pertinent categories, namely strategy formulation and strategy implementation. The strategy field has highlighted the importance of “doing the right things rather than doing things right” (Tregoe/Zimmerman 1980)and thereby placed in centre stage the issue of formulating correct strategy. However, a good strategy incorrectly implemented leads to no real advantages in the market place. Recently this has led to growing concern from business academics, consultants and marketing executives alike to the issue of implementation. A persistent failing it seems is that marketing strategies are only superficially implemented, achieving the trappings of change but not the substance. Yet despite an increasing number of works arguing a case for implementation research (Bourgeois/Brodwin 1984; Nutt 1989; Cespedes 1991; Piercy 1992) the problem that continues to remain is the dearth of conceptual frameworks and analytical tools for the implementation of marketing strategy.