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William L. Wilkie

  • Bill Wilkie in 3 Eras
  • Bill Wilkie Bio

    Bill Wilkie in 3 Eras:

    Era 1: “The Rise of Consumer Research
    (ACR, JCR, UF, multiattribute attitudes, consumer information, etc.)”

    Professor Wilkie got his PhD from Stanford and joined Purdue University in 1970, when he also attended the first formal ACR Conference in Amherst, MA. He chaired the ACR Annual Conference in Miami in 1978, and was elected as ACR President in 1980. His multi-attribute attitude (M/A) model article in JMR (with Edgar Pessemier) was the most-cited marketing article of the 1970’s, another M/A JMR article (with Frank Bass) was 12th, and a JM article on the FTC (with David Gardner) was also in the top 50 (45th) for the decade. During this time he also served on the inaugural Editorial Board of the Journal of Consumer Research, as well as the Boards for JM and JMR. Taking a leave of absence from Purdue, he served as the first “Behavioral Science Expert” from Marketing at the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. He then moved to the Harvard Business School as a visiting faculty member, while also serving as Visiting Research Professor at the Marketing Science Institute (MSI). In 1974, he moved to the University of Florida (UF) to join with Joel Cohen in building an academic center of excellence in consumer research. He reports. “I’m lucky to have been able to participate in such an exciting time in our field!”

    Era 2: “The Evolution of Marketing and Society Research”

    While at the FTC, Wilkie began to give talks, write articles, and create conference sessions on public policy topics. He also worked with Commissioner Mary Gardiner Jones and several others to create “Project MAC,” a program through which marketing academics would rotate through designated FTC expert positions while on leave from their schools. Project MAC was a huge success: some 30 profs participated over the next 10 years, improving FTC operations and building expertise for themselves and their future students. This created a roster of experienced public policy researchers in the Marketing field, a factor in Thomas Kinnear’s deciding to create the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing in 1982, a development that has fostered the remarkable growth of this area of inquiry. In 1989, at a time when heated debate and recriminations about FTC activity were rife, Professor Wilkie and Pat Murphy convened, at Notre Dame, an invitation-only symposium of experienced attorneys, economists, marketers and FTC administrators, to debate the future of the agency (the Murphy and Wilkie book of these commissioned essays, published by Notre Dame Press, has long been listed as one of “Five Superlative Sources on the FTC” by staff of the Library of Congress). Many Project MAC alums attended, and decided that this type of annual meeting should continue, and it has ever since, as the annual Marketing and Public Policy Conference (MPPC), now run by the AMA (Professor Wilkie co-chaired the 10th and 20th MPPC’s). The AMA has been a strong supporter of marketing and society research. It sponsors the Marketing and Society Special Interest Group (MASSIG), which recognized Professor Wilkie with its Lifetime Achievement Award, and also coordinates with the AMA Foundation, which in 2012 inaugurated its annual “William L. Wilkie ‘Marketing for a Better World’ Award.”

    Era 3: “Lessons in/from/for Scholarship in Marketing”

    Professor Wilkie was also always attracted to scholarly issues. He enjoyed serving on ACR decisions, MSI steering groups to encourage useful research directions, on the FTC’s Consumer Information Task Force, and on the AMA Task Force on Marketing Thought (its work summarized in a 1988 JM article). As the decade of the ’80’s ensued, moreover, he began to notice that the field he had grown into was changing, seemingly in many strong but possibly unguided ways. When he joined Notre Dame, he no longer had PhD students to work with, and decided to focus his attention to addressing “What is Marketing, anyway?” His work with Betsy Moore produced the 1999 JM article, “Marketing’s Contributions to Society,” which introduced the new ‘Aggregate Marketing System’ (AGMS) framework that links to macromarketing’s larger view of Marketing. They then took an extended look at changes over time in academic marketing, in their 2002 JPPM article that introduced the “4 Eras of Marketing Thought” framework. He also teamed with Greg Gundlach, Betsy Moore, and others to have the 2004 AMA definition of Marketing withdrawn as too narrow, and served as a committee member with Don Lehmann, Shelby Hunt, and others to write the new AMA definition for the field. Wilkie provides insights into his perspectives in an invited essay, “On Books and Scholarship…” in JM 2002.

    Marketing is a very different business field: it is constantly evolving with developments in the marketplace, doesn’t fit well with fixed paradigms, and seems to benefit from new mental frameworks that capture essential relationships. Professor Wilkie enjoyed developing such frameworks (his personality nickname is “Architect”). He developed his “5 C’s” framework of constraints to which marketing managers must adapt (Customer, Company, Competition, Channels, and Conditions) while he was a Stanford PhD student, to accompany his ND prof’s (Jerry McCarthy) “4 P’s” framework for marketing decisions. His journal articles frequently presented new mental frameworks, as did three editions of his Consumer Behavior textbook, used by an estimated 100,000 students globally.

    Bill Wilkie Bio

    Professor William L. Wilkie, a distinguished figure in the field of marketing, has been celebrated as a “pioneer,” a “genius intellect,” and the “Professor’s Professor” by his peers. His exceptional contributions to marketing education, research, and public policy earned him the prestigious 2001 American Marketing Association/Irwin/McGraw-Hill Distinguished Marketing Educator Award. This honor recognizes long-standing leaders in the discipline who have made extensive and sustained contributions to marketing education and the profession.

    Wilkie completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame in 1966 before pursuing advanced degrees at Stanford University, where he earned a Sloan degree in management (1967), an MBA in marketing (1969), and a Ph.D. in marketing (1971). His career spans academia, research, and public service, with teaching roles at renowned institutions such as the University of Florida, Harvard Business School, Purdue University, San Jose State University, and his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame.

    Widely regarded as one of the foremost scholars in marketing and public policy, Wilkie has significantly shaped the discipline. His pioneering research in the public policy domain earned accolades, including the Best Article Award from the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing for his groundbreaking work during the journal’s formative years. He has also served on the editorial boards of leading publications like the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, and Journal of Public Policy and Marketing.

    Wilkie is the author of a highly respected consumer behavior textbook and has mentored numerous doctoral students who have gone on to have distinguished careers. His influence in academia is matched by his professional impact, having served as an in-house consultant for the Federal Trade Commission and holding positions with Westinghouse Electric Corp. and United States Steel Corp.

    Professor Wilkie’s enduring legacy lies not only in his scholarly achievements but also in his dedication to advancing marketing as a discipline that bridges academic rigor with real-world impact.

    Professor Wilkie has been cited widely across multiple disciplines. Some of his most cited papers are:

    • “Issues in marketing’s use of multi-attribute attitude models” (with Edgar Pessemier), Journal of Marketing Research, 1973, Named “A citation classic in the social sciences” by the Institute for Scientific Information.
    • “Consumer Behavior, John Wiley & Sons, 1986.
    • “Scholarly research in marketing: Exploring the “4 eras” of thought development” (with Betsy Moore) Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 2003.
    • “Buyer uncertainty and information search” (with Joe Urbany and Peter Dickson), Journal of Consumer Research, 1989.
    • “Passing the torch: Intergenerational influences as a sources of brand equity” with Betsy Moore and Rich Lutz), Journal of Marketing, 2002.
    • “Marketing’s contributions to society” (with Betsy Moore) Journal of Marketing, 1999.
    • “Fear: The potential of an appeal neglected by marketing” (with Mike Ray) Journal of Marketing, 1970.
    • “Comparison advertising: Problems and potential” (with Paul Farris), Journal of Marketing, 1975.
    • “The American Marketing Association’s new definition of marketing: Perspective and commentary on the 2007 revision” (with Greg Gundlach), Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 2009.
    • “A comparative analysis of attitudinal predictions of brand preference” (with Frank Bass), Journal of Marketing Research, 1973.
    • “Analysis of effects of information load”, Journal of Marketing Research, 1974.