Relationship marketing. Fad or panacea?

Agricultural markets are undergoing fundamental change, which is driven by changing consumer tastes, retail buyer behavior, and trade policy. The wine market provides just one example of such a market, with industry and policy changes causing the industry to shift from a product-oriented craft-based industry to a market-oriented globalized business. As a result of these changes, practitioners have been urged to pay greater heed to marketing, including the formation of market relationships. Policy makers at a government and industry level have also increased their calls for more relationship marketing activity, often raising compulsory levies to fund further research into this area. Yet considerable confusion as to marketing practice in the wine market remains, with some firms having strong brand awareness with little or no marketing, while others that adopt relationship and traditional marketing strategies see mixed success. Building on longitudinal qualitative case studies from the Australian and New Zealand wine industry, our research demonstrates that the adoption of relationship marketing strategies is context dependent. Implications for policy makers and practitioners are explored