Marketing in an Information-Intensive Environment: Strategic Implications of Knowledge as an Asset

The author presents a framework for thinking about the impact of information and information technology on marketing. The focus is on the concept of “information” or “knowledge” as both an asset to be managed and a variable to be researched. After developing a particular operationalization of the value of information in marketing contexts, which can be used to describe firms in terms of their relative levels of “information intensity,” the author presents a series of propositions examining the consequences of increasing information intensity for some key components of firm strategy and organizational structure. The concepts discussed are illustrated with a description of the transaction-based information systems that are being implemented in a variety of firms in pursuit of competitive advantage.