The making of marketing decisions in modern marketing environments

Currently, marketing is undergoing a major shift driven by environmental disruptions and advances in marketing technologies. This shift has implications for marketing decision-making. However, research on how marketing managers navigate modern marketing environments' complex, volatile, and data-intensive nature is limited. This study addresses this gap by qualitatively analyzing marketing managers' decision-making processes in 15 companies. Using the naturalistic decision-making approach and the situative perspective on cognition and action as theoretical lenses, we identify three key characteristics of decision-making in modern marketing environments-namely, agility, inventiveness, and reflexiveness. Our findings provide empirically grounded insights into the cognitive and behavioral processes involved in marketing decision-making and contribute to a deeper understanding of how managers navigate-and respond to-modern marketing environments' challenges.

Automated summary

Currently, marketing is experiencing a significant transformation due to environmental disruptions and advances in marketing technologies. This study addresses the limited research on how marketing managers navigate the complex, volatile, and data-intensive nature of modern marketing environments. By qualitatively analyzing decision-making processes in 15 companies, the study identifies three key characteristics, namely agility, inventiveness, and reflexiveness. The findings provide insights into the cognitive and behavioral processes involved in marketing decision-making and contribute to understanding how managers respond to challenges in modern marketing environments.