De‐marketing: Putting Kotler and levy's ideas into practice

The concept of de‐marketing was initially proposed by Kotler and Levy in 1971. Since then only limited consideration has been given to this theory or how to apply it in practice. This paper examines existing definitions of de‐marketing and considers a recent attempt to use a de‐marketing strategy on a service (general anaesthesia in general dental practice). The study sought to use both primary and secondary research to identify the nature of the problem and to develop a de‐marketing strategy, whilst ensuring that none of the parties involved would be inconvenienced or disadvantaged. It presents the experience with dentists in the case of de‐marketing general anaesthesia and, in the light of this experience, seeks to better understand the nature of selective de‐marketing. The findings suggest that de‐marketing can provide original insights and allow a different approach when attempting to change service provision. In particular the adoption of a consumer orientation and the use of marketing tools (such as the marketing mix, segmentation, targeting and positioning) can add a new level of sophistication to service planning.