The modern era—on the verge of the transformation economy—brings about many challenges, including those posed by the digital economy. At the core of this chapter, the author puts marketing into the context of relevant scientific theories developed by influential experts and prominent scientific research institutions. The focus of attention then turns to the nudge theory. Finally, based on the theoretical background, the author explores the impact of digitalization on marketing. Digitalization is a fundamental prerequisite for the emergence of new marketing strategies. To conclude this chapter, the author specifies newly emerging marketing strategies and explains their tactical deployment.
Top9.1 The Essence Of Marketing As A Scientific Discipline
When is the decisive moment when a new scientific discipline is born? When does it become an accepted and reputable field of science? It is not easy to find answers to these questions. František Ochrana, a professor at Charles University in Prague, a researcher and a prolific author, suggests, “Every science, if it can be so-called, has to possess certain attributes that define it as a scientific system. These attributes include, in particular,
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the examined object for which the given branch of science differs from other sciences, its own scientific methods and procedures that are specific just to the given scientific discipline,
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functions which this branch of science fulfils, and
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formulated ‘scientific laws’ that are characteristic to the given scientific discipline (Ochrana, 2018, p. 9)” – see Table. 1
Table 1.
Attributes of a science by Ochrana
Source: own elaboration based on Ochrana (2018, p. 9)
According to Ochrana, general characteristics distinguishing science from other forms of cognition should be also present. These include “logical consistency and accuracy of scientific statements...and objectivity of scientific statements that correspond to the attained level of knowledge about the investigated subject” (Ochrana, 2018, p. 9).
We can find a comparable set of attributes of a science in research by Shelby D. Hunt. In addition, the author offers a systematic insight into the question of the nature of marketing.
Table 2. Attributes of a science by Hunt
Source: own elaboration based on Hunt (2012, p. 29)
According to Hunt (see Table 2), marketing has a subject matter properly distinct from that of other sciences. Marketing literature abounds with description and classification. There have been uniformities, regularities and causal structures, and researchers in marketing are committed to the use of scientific methods (Hunt, 2012, p. 29).
Having studied the positive dimensions of marketing, the author concludes that marketing can be referred to as marketing science (Hunt, 2012, p. 29).