Faculty Publications

Marketing Channels
by Anne T. Coughlan, Louis W. Stern,
Erin Anderson, Adel I. El-Ansary

Marketing Channels stands test of time with publication of 6th edition
Review by Matt Golosinski

Marketing Channels first appeared in 1977, and since then its popularity and value have only grown, resulting in a new 6th edition issued by Prentice Hall.

Written for business professionals by Kellogg marketing professors Anne Coughlan and Louis Stern, along with peers Erin Anderson and Adel El-Ansary, the book fills nearly 600 pages and offers a major revision from previous editions. According to Coughlan, who wrote half the new material, the text, as before, communicates strategies to streamline distribution systems and maximize the collective efficiency of manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and specialized logistics agencies. What's different in this edition is the way content is organized, as well as the inclusion of a chapter that addresses the complexities of online commerce.

"We've modified the framework for analysis, providing readers with more general models up front before moving on to specifics," notes Coughlan.

The new text, she explains, pulls apart this framework to clarify the analytic process. The approach is designed to enable MBA students to analyze an existing channel and understand its elements, then revise the channel so that it works better. The authors also highlight strategies beneficial to professionals working in a variety of industries. "We wanted to give readers a set of tools that they can take into any context," Coughlan explains.

To ensure its contemporary usefullness, Marketing Channels now includes a consideration of e-commerce. "We offer a perspective that helps understand why so many e-tailers die and yet the concept of using electronic communication still works as an institution," says Coughlan.

So what did all those moribund online merchants do wrong? Coughlan believes their concepts were not necessarily intrinsically flawed, but some entrepreneurs funneled too many resources into creating a front end that presented a "nice face to the consumer" without figuring out what channel functions have to happen to make that business plan work in the real world.

"E-commerce was widely trumpeted as something that would cause wholesalers and retailers to die," says Coughlan. "Well, wholesalers today are far from dying. They may be changing, but they're alive and well."

And after almost 25 years, Marketing Channels is also more alive than ever.