Ambiguity of Purpose and the Politics of Failure: Sustainability as Macromarketing's Compelling Political Calling

Andrea  Prothero; Pierre McDonagh

doi:10.1177/0276146720952527

Ambiguity of Purpose and the Politics of Failure: Sustainability as Macromarketing's Compelling Political Calling

Andrea Prothero, Pierre McDonagh

University College Dublin

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

20 Citations (SciVal)

172 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In this commentary we provide a brief review of sustainability research in the journal since its inception. Next, we offer an opinion on macromarketing’s ambiguity to sustainability as a political project and a resultant failure to provide substantial emphasis beyond the Development School for solutions in the field. Despite macromarketing’s centrality to marketing theory, the work in the journal has not had the impact it deserves in wider sustainability discourses. As two macromarketers with a lifelong interest in sustainability, we argue for more political reflection within the journal. We contend these current times of crisis require us to better listen to and act on prior counsel from critical and political perspectives within the journal, and submit, á la George Fisk, the journal’s first editor, that the politics of the day demand a persistence to continue to ask difficult questions. From a sustainability perspective this would be to consider how best to engender future macromarketing research in the field as a political project.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	166-171
Journal	Journal of Macromarketing
Volume	41
Issue number	1
Early online date	2 Sept 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0276146720952527
Publication status	Published - 1 Mar 2021

Funding

We would like to thank the Special Issue editors Clifford J. Shultz and William L. Wilkie for inviting us to contribute to this Ruby Issue. We would also like to recognise and thank the co-authors we have worked with over the years, and who continue to shape our thoughts. We would like to acknowledge our academic colleagues who have and continue to ask difficult questions both in relation to marketing?s role in society and in challenging the macromarketing academy. All have played a role in the macromarketing community, in publishing thought provoking articles, organising conferences, and in some cases holding positions with the journal and/or the macromarketing board. Thank you to Jan Brace Govan, Alan Bradshaw, Norah Campbell, Andreas Chatzidakis, Marius Claudy, Susan Dobscha, Paddy Dolan, Fuat Firat, James Fitchett, Jim Gentry, Lauren Gurrieri, Finola Kerrigan, Bill Kilbourne, Olga Kravets, Diane Martin, Stacey Menzel Baker, Lisa O?Malley, Pauline Maclaran, Mark Peterson, Pia Polsa, Josephine Previte, Don Rahtz, Terri Rittenburg, Jonathan Schroeder, Lorna Stevens, Mark Tadajewski, Alladi Venkatesh, Terry Witkowski, and Detlev Zwick. Finally, we would like to thank the macromarketing community for welcoming us so warmly at our first macro conferences in San Diego (Pierre) and Rhode Island (Andy), and providing a space for us to ask difficult questions and for also publishing our research. The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Access to Document

10.1177/0276146720952527

Prothero_McDonagh_JMK_Macro_Ruby_Issue_July_29_2020_Revised_Final_edits.pdf
Prothero, Andrea ; McDonagh, Pierre. / Ambiguity of Purpose and the Politics of Failure: Sustainability as Macromarketing's Compelling Political Calling. In: Journal of Macromarketing. 2020. (C) SAGE Publications 2020. Reproduced by permission of SAGE Publications.
Accepted author manuscript, 254 KB

Cite this

@article{4c99be4a8548410e96e46eb737f25e15,

title = "Ambiguity of Purpose and the Politics of Failure: Sustainability as Macromarketing's Compelling Political Calling",

abstract = "In this commentary we provide a brief review of sustainability research in the journal since its inception. Next, we offer an opinion on macromarketing{\textquoteright}s ambiguity to sustainability as a political project and a resultant failure to provide substantial emphasis beyond the Development School for solutions in the field. Despite macromarketing{\textquoteright}s centrality to marketing theory, the work in the journal has not had the impact it deserves in wider sustainability discourses. As two macromarketers with a lifelong interest in sustainability, we argue for more political reflection within the journal. We contend these current times of crisis require us to better listen to and act on prior counsel from critical and political perspectives within the journal, and submit, {\'a} la George Fisk, the journal{\textquoteright}s first editor, that the politics of the day demand a persistence to continue to ask difficult questions. From a sustainability perspective this would be to consider how best to engender future macromarketing research in the field as a political project. ",

author = "Andrea Prothero and Pierre McDonagh",

year = "2021",

month = mar,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1177/0276146720952527",

language = "English",

volume = "41",

pages = "166--171",

journal = "Journal of Macromarketing",

issn = "0276-1467",

publisher = "Sage Publications",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Ambiguity of Purpose and the Politics of Failure: Sustainability as Macromarketing's Compelling Political Calling

AU - Prothero, Andrea

AU - McDonagh, Pierre

PY - 2021/3/1

Y1 - 2021/3/1

N2 - In this commentary we provide a brief review of sustainability research in the journal since its inception. Next, we offer an opinion on macromarketing’s ambiguity to sustainability as a political project and a resultant failure to provide substantial emphasis beyond the Development School for solutions in the field. Despite macromarketing’s centrality to marketing theory, the work in the journal has not had the impact it deserves in wider sustainability discourses. As two macromarketers with a lifelong interest in sustainability, we argue for more political reflection within the journal. We contend these current times of crisis require us to better listen to and act on prior counsel from critical and political perspectives within the journal, and submit, á la George Fisk, the journal’s first editor, that the politics of the day demand a persistence to continue to ask difficult questions. From a sustainability perspective this would be to consider how best to engender future macromarketing research in the field as a political project.

AB - In this commentary we provide a brief review of sustainability research in the journal since its inception. Next, we offer an opinion on macromarketing’s ambiguity to sustainability as a political project and a resultant failure to provide substantial emphasis beyond the Development School for solutions in the field. Despite macromarketing’s centrality to marketing theory, the work in the journal has not had the impact it deserves in wider sustainability discourses. As two macromarketers with a lifelong interest in sustainability, we argue for more political reflection within the journal. We contend these current times of crisis require us to better listen to and act on prior counsel from critical and political perspectives within the journal, and submit, á la George Fisk, the journal’s first editor, that the politics of the day demand a persistence to continue to ask difficult questions. From a sustainability perspective this would be to consider how best to engender future macromarketing research in the field as a political project.

UR - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0276146720952527

U2 - 10.1177/0276146720952527

DO - 10.1177/0276146720952527

M3 - Article

SN - 0276-1467

VL - 41

SP - 166

EP - 171

JO - Journal of Macromarketing

JF - Journal of Macromarketing

IS - 1

ER -

Ambiguity of Purpose and the Politics of Failure: Sustainability as Macromarketing's Compelling Political Calling

Abstract

Funding

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this