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Chapter 7: The Emergence of Entrepreneurial Marketing

In Chapter 7, Professors Morris, Schindehutte, and LaForge thoroughly discussed the

emerging concept of “entrepreneurial marketing.” This novel concept aims to integrate the role
of entrepreneurship into marketing to complement already established theories and principles
of the field. This is in response to the challenges and criticisms that riddle the marketing
practice. The result is the new form of marketing - entrepreneurial marketing which involves a
proactive, innovative, and risk-taking mind-frame.

The authors begin by defining the concepts of marketing and entrepreneurship

separately. In this regard, the traditional definitions apply. Marketing, for instance, has always
been defined in the scope of “process” that involves “product, price, promotion, and
distribution.” Entrepreneurship, on the other hand, is contemporarily defined also as a
“process” but one of “creating value” through the merging of “resources and opportunities.”
Interestingly, the authors enumerated the three dimensions of entrepreneurship:
innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactiveness.

The merging of both concepts results to our subject matter, entrepreneurial marketing.
As it happens, there are two dimensions to this. The first being the application of marketing
tools to the entrepreneurial process. The second being the application of entrepreneurial
attitudes and behaviours to marketing programs. Between the two dimensions, I was expecting
a discussion of the first. I did not realise that another dimension was possible. It is on this
landscape that the authors fully discussed the entire chapter.

It seemed the entrepreneurial marketing seeks to address criticisms on marketing

practice. These criticisms primarily centred on the idea that marketing lacks the “proactive,
innovative, and risk-taking” dimensions of entrepreneurship. As quoted from the chapter,
marketers are criticised for being “not sufficiently innovative and entrepreneurial in their
thinking and decision-making.” Additionally, the theories of marketing are observed to be
unable to connect with other business practices. To sum it all up, it seems like the practice of
marketing has been regarded as highly technical, regimented, and isolated.

Entrepreneurial marketing is not the first attempt to address these issues, however.
Other concepts that have been introduced include: guerrilla marketing (Levinson, 1998), radical
marketing (Hill and Rifkin, 1999), expeditionary marketing (Hamel and Prahalad, 1992),
subversive marketing (Bonoma, 1986), environmental marketing management (Zeithaml and
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Zeithaml, 1984), and proactive marketing (Davis et al, 1991). While plentiful, these concepts still
share commonalities. These commonalities are what the authors proposed to form the bedrock
of another perspective, that of entrepreneurial marketing.

Thus, the birth of entrepreneurial marketing started with the following dimension:
customer intensity, resource leveraging, calculated risk-taking, sustainable innovation,
environmental proactiveness, and opportunity driven.

This chapter by Professors Morris, Schindehutte, and LaForge has explored a truly
novel concept for me. Entrepreneurial marketing is a concept I’ve chanced only upon reading
the chapter. Between the separate disciplines of entrepreneurship and marketing, I’ve always
perceived marketing as the older and more established theory. Entrepreneurship seems more
contemporary, what with more and more people gaining easier access to capital today.

Thus, it seemed to be expected that marketing be viewed as antiquated in its ways and
entrepreneurship the new, fresh paradigm to invigorate it. However, it also cannot be denied
that entrepreneurship needs the established theories of marketing. Between the two
dimensions of entrepreneurial marketing as previously discussed, I was expecting more of
marketing applications to entrepreneurship, not the other way around. In the end, this second
dimension was also equally interesting and refreshing.

I find the criticisms of marketing unusual. Of course, this is hugely attributable to my

lack of exposure to the marketing profession itself. But also, these criticisms wouldn’t be
sound when applied to the accounting profession, where I’m from.

Just like any other fields of study however, it will not be the first to attract criticism. My
exposure to the science of marketing was only during my masteral studies. During that period,
I was surprised at the quantitative aspects of marketing. It involved plentiful of figures and
data. Additionally, marketing is not purely creating and advertising. This is probably why it has
been criticised for its rudimentary practices lately. It seems to move only within the parameters
of its own matrices and theories.

As an accountant, I could somehow agree that marketing can do little interaction with
other business aspects. No wonder the authors cited cash flows as an aspect ignored in some
marketing practices.

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I find that marketing can learn a lot from entrepreneurial disciplines. In fact, it should be
widely accepted that these two aspects of business needed interaction the most. I can’t help
but also ponder on how entrepreneurship can widely impact accounting and operations
disciplines. That would be an interesting point of view warranting further exploration.

Entrepreneurial marketing makes me think of Steve Jobs’ Apple and how he evolved
the industry of smartphones and software. Conventional marketing makes me think of Bill
Gates’ Microsoft. Clearly, both corporations are widely successful. One cannot directly infer
that they practiced those aspects of marketing. This was entirely my own perceptions. But
Apple truly encapsulated entrepreneurial marketing in the sense that it created a market, took
huge risks, and was renowned for innovation. Microsoft, however, was also widely successful
for addressing the market demand for personal computers during its peak. From this analogy, I
can see the merits of entrepreneurial marketing and how it has an edge over conventional
marketing. Nonetheless, neither are disposable.

With the current business environment, all aspects of business have a lot to learn from
entrepreneurial dimensions. This is all the more evident as the global economy dives into the
coronavirus pandemic. Needless to say, established business models would have to be re-
engineered to suit a drastic change in supply chains, value chains, and operations. Now, more
than ever, is the most appropriate time for being proactive, innovative, and risk-seeking.