To be effective, decision aids for marketing managers should match with the thinking and reasoning processes of the marketing decision makers who use them. The authors take a cognitive approach to problem solving in marketing. They develop a classification of “marketing problem-solving modes” and distinguish four modes: optimizing, reasoning, analogizing, and creating. They also present a typology of what they call “marketing management support systems.” In an integrating framework, they then link the four marketing problem-solving modes with the most appropriate marketing management support systems. The authors conclude with a discussion of the implications of this “demand-side” approach to marketing management support systems.
The Integration of Marketing Problem-Solving Modes and Marketing Management Support Systems