What Exactly Is Marketing and Public Policy? Insights forJPPMResearchers

Abstract

In this JPPM article for the 40th Anniversary of the Journal of Public Policy … Marketing, the authors first share what is meant by “policy,” “public policy,” and “marketing and public policy” for researchers in our field. The authors then offer examples of JPPM research informing policy across different stages of the policy making process: problem identification, agenda setting, policy formulation, budgeting, implementation, and evaluation. They also discuss important sources of public policy (e.g., federal, state, and international agencies; self-regulation; the courts; nonprofits; society; industry standards; company policies; personal ethics) and their role in the marketing and public policy process. The authors then offer JPPM application examples (e.g., consumer protection; anti-trust/competition; vulnerability; diversity, equity, and inclusion; nutrition labeling; addiction, cannabis, and anti-drug research; tobacco warning labeling and education; and privacy and technology) and share ideas for developing research that contributes to the marketing and public policy discipline and in making a positive difference in society and people's lives.

Models That Matter: How Quantitative Marketing Research Can Impact Public Policy

“…Quantitative research can be helpful in all stages of the policy-making process (Andrews et al 2014(Andrews et al , 2022: (1) problem identification (influential opinions express dissatisfaction with the status quo), (2) agenda setting (crafting policy alternatives to compete for priorities), (3) policy formulation, (4) budgeting (appropriations that can be based on cost-benefit analysis to determine how much to spend on the policy), (5) implementation, and (6) evaluation internally and by outside evaluators, such as researchers, interest groups, and media (e.g., The Texas Politics Project [https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/txpep/ about.php]). But how do such articles find their way to policy makers?…”

“…In their study context (i.e., a nonprofit serving consumers with arthritis), publications, products, and online engagement by the nonprofit organization significantly and positively change the beneficiaries' behaviors (e.g., losing weight, adhering to healthy diet plans, exercising), thereby improving their wellbeing. Most recently, Andrews et al (2022) offered direct answers to questions such as "What is policy?" and "How does my research fit in?"…”

How Marketer Actions Influence Persuasion Knowledge: Meta-Analytic Evidence of a Nonlinear Relationship

“…In fact, the insights provided by our research could inform marketers about advertising practices to increase clutter in a way that reduces persuasion knowledge development and makes consumers more susceptible to marketplace persuasion. This can, ultimately, reduce consumer well-being and particularly harm vulnerable consumer groups; these unfavorable effects of marketing actions are a public problem and should be addressed by new policy (Andrews et al 2021;Stewart 2014). Public policy could either support persuasion knowledge development or intervene in situations that jeopardize consumers' persuasion knowledge development.…”

“…It also has societal relevance, because marketer actions (e.g., advertising spending) and consumer exposure to advertising have increased considerably over the years (Pieters, Warlop, and Wedel 2002;Sethuraman, Tellis, and Briesch 2011), and persuasion knowledge, as an important consumer capacity to deal with marketplace persuasion, might not have sufficiently kept up with these changes (Tarrahi and Eisend 2021). The way marketer actions and persuasion knowledge are related is relevant for consumer well-being in general as well as for consumer groups who are more vulnerable and susceptible to marketplace persuasion, and it has thus been identified as a relevant problem in the public policy process (Andrews et al 2021).…”

We Get by with a Little Help from Our Friends: Progress Toward the Future and an Invitation to Approach Policy Questions Through Novel Perspectives

“…For example, the Journal celebrated its 40th volume and 40th anniversary in 2021 and 2022. In recognition, we offered special sections that included articles that celebrate the Journal 's founding (Kinnear and Murphy 2021), its global impact (Shultz et al 2022), and the diverse areas of policy it can inform (Andrews et al 2022), among other celebratory work. In addition, we feature two empirical articles: one that considers observable trends around meaningful topics published by the Journal over its 40-year history (Martin, Borah, and Scott 2021) and a forward-looking survey of MPP community members on the future impact the Journal can make in advancing United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs; Scott, Hassler, and Martin 2022).…”