Using Information Technology Effectively: a study of marketing installations

The use of information technology (IT) in marketing is clearly on the increase, with numerous studies proclaiming its benefits. Yet as usage increases, reports of the potential difficulties and barriers to using IT effectively and productively for marketing have also emerged. Against this background, we report one aspect of a major research programme examining the impact of IT on the marketing function: the factors associated with the effective implementation of IT. It is concluded that, while it is possible to identify a number of issues linked to the effective adoption of marketing IT applications, many of these issues can be ambiguous when examined in specific instances, and the complexity of contingent circumstances surrounding IT adoption means that broad-based prescriptions for success should be treated with caution. While much of the previous work in this area has focussed on surveys of senior managers, what is needed is more qualitative case-based research accessing a wider range of sources.