Abstract:

This paper provides a brief review of what relationship marketing (RM) is and can be, and what the consequences are for marketing management and marketing research. It is based on almost thirty years of research and experience concerning relationships, networks, and interaction in marketing. The results are reported in the author's book Relationship Marketing: From 4Ps to 30Rs (in Swedish in 1995 forthcoming in English). The author's preoccupation is the practical and theoretical relevance of new approaches in marketing and the use of common sense and good judgment in research and scholarly work. The paper ends with a discussion of relationship marketing being real or just the emperor's new clothes.