The Utility of the Relationship Metaphor in Consumer Markets: A Critical Evaluation

Abstract The popularity currently enjoyed by relationship marketing obscures a host of problems relating to the apparent domain extension into consumer markets. Such problems are argued to include: the lack of an accepted definition; fragmented and limited theory development; a boundary-less domain and a limited understanding of exchange relationships (Buttle, 1996; Gummesson, 1997; Wilson, 1995). This paper contends that the root of these difficulties lies in the process of metaphoric transfer (Hunt and Menon, 1995). As such there is a need to review the role of metaphor within academic research generally, and to investigate the extent to which the metaphor of interpersonal relationships remains apposite within the domain of consumer markets. In attempting to address this issue, the paper appraises the process of metaphoric transfer, evaluates the utility of the interpersonal relationship metaphor in the context of mass consumer markets and highlights a number of important implications for theory development in this field. Finally, the paper offers some directions for further research.