Have We Progressed Marketing Knowledge? A Meta-Meta-Analysis of Effect Sizes in Marketing Research

Abstract

This study measures the value and progress of knowledge that has been produced in marketing research by using meta-analytic effect sizes as a measure of scientific knowledge. The study combines the results of 176 meta-analyses that included data from more than 7,500 primary studies published between 1918 and 2012. The 1,841 meta-analytic effect sizes show that we have developed a considerable body of marketing knowledge, as expressed by a meta-meta-analytic correlation of .24. This medium-sized effect is as strong or even stronger than effects that have been found in compilations of meta-analyses in other, more basic fields of inquiry (e.g., psychology), showing that marketing is a successful academic discipline. In terms of practical significance, the findings indicate a 24 % success rate, which translates to the change in market behavior if we apply the knowledge that has been produced by marketing research. The effect sizes vary across subject areas with pricing showing the strongest effects followed by consumer behavior; methods and new product development show the weakest effects. This finding reveals different degrees of knowledge production and varying benchmarks to assess the contribution of future research outcomes in these subject areas. Marketing knowledge follows a discontinuous model of progress: knowledge has increased over time, but at a decreasing rate, and the research field that is nowadays characterized by fragmentation and specialization has reached a stage of maturity. The findings provide implications for future research in marketing and for the academic community on how to measure, evaluate, and progress knowledge in marketing.

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