A citizen's critique of relationship marketing in risk society

Relationship marketing (RM) has come to dominate the (r)evolutionary imagination of marketing thought. This paper discuss the limitations and impotencies of RM in terms of two key dimensions which are of fundamental importance to the development of marketing ideas – namely the legitimate representation and empowerment of consumers and citizens, and the consideration of environmental welfare in risk society. It is proposed that current theories of RM, while promising a more appropriate and credible set of marketing principles, do in fact undermine these two crucial considerations to such an extent that the robustness and social relevance of RM as a meaningful discursive resource is seriously called into question.