The marketing department’s reputation in the firm

The role, effectiveness and credibility of the marketing function within a firm have been the focus of scholarly research and practitioners’ attention in marketing, and both researchers and practitioners argue that the marketing department’s reputation has been besmirched in recent years. This study makes an initial attempt to empirically investigate antecedents and consequences of the marketing department’s reputation within the firm. We put forward the notion that the marketing department’s reputation is a key factor in the junction of the departmental influence and power-oriented research streams. The results indicate that the customer connection capability, accountability and status of the marketing department are positively related to its reputation in the firm. Conversely, the variable of the resources controlled by marketing is negatively associated with the department’s reputation. The results further show that a reputable marketing department is associated with improved market performance regardless of the generic strategy pursued by the firm. Development of departmental capabilities is vital for marketing to be a respected department in the organization. Marketers also have to build favorable perceptions on and beyond their capabilities within the firm and upper echelons.