International Journal of ELSEVIER Intern. J. of Research in Marketing 14 (1997) 147-161 Beyond the one-dimensional marketing manager: The discourse of theory, practice and relevance Douglas Brownlie, Michael Saren * Department of Marketing, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK Received 15 August 1995; accepted 29 November 1996 Abstract 'Relevance' is a quality widely attributed to research that closes the gap between theory and practice. It is an attribute well worth attracting these days. For some marketing scholars and practitioners closing this gap has assumed the proportions of an heroic and perennial struggle between the high-mindedness of marketing theory and the low deeds of marketing practice. Many different perspectives are offered by way of an analysis of the origins of this particular species. Yet, despite our best efforts to the contrary, the beast continues to prosper and to defy understanding. Through critically appraising the social location of marketing management and its ensuing rhetoric, this paper provides an alternative understanding of this gap and the 'slings and arrows' we suffer in our quest to achieve the 'Holy Grail' of closure. This understanding implicates the marketing academy in the perpetuation of the belief that the gap exists 'out there' and that it should and can be closed. Controversially, we suggest that, despite the marketing academy's declared quest for 'relevance' through providing clues to better marketing practice, perhaps it is in the academy's own interest to continue to perpetuate this particular marketing myth. We argue that if this is so, then the marketing management discourse is in danger of being trapped in the aspic of its own prejudices. The paper maps out the contours of this danger. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. Keywords: Marketing; Management; Discourse; Relevance 1. Introduction We live in an era when the 'relevance' of market- ing research to the problems faced by managerial communities is a vital consideration in attracting funding. Having obtained funding and successfully completed the study, the 'actionability' of its man- agerial implications is then a key measure of the perceived quality of the research. Embedded in the culture of 'relevance' is the understanding that the- * Corresponding author. Tel.: (+44) 1786-467380; fax: (+44) 1786-464745; e-mail: m.a.j.saren@stirling.ac.uk. ory and practice are somehow different, in ways that are well understood by the marketing discipline; and that there is a 'real' gap between them 'out there' that must be closed, or at least bridged, through putting in place mechanisms by means of which to ensure research 'relevance'. 'Relevance' is then a quality that is attributed to research that is perceived to bring the worlds of marketing theory and practice together. That a gap is perceived to exist between market- ing management practice and theoretical accounts of this practice is taken to be symptomatic of tensions residing within the marketing management discourse, 0167-8116/97/$ 17.00 Copyright © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII S0167-8116(96)00036-5