Vol 1: Oct 2004
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
In 1995, the Midwest Marketing Association undertook the bold step of changing its name to the Marketing Management Association, and the organization has not been the same since. It tossed aside its long-standing reputation as a sleepy regional association, and had the audacity to begin to think and act like it was a member of the big leagues. The results have been no less than amazing.
In the time since the name change, the MMA has (1) introduced a highly successful annual Fall conference with an education theme; (2) instituted a Lifetime Innovator Award and an Awards Breakfast with speakers the caliber of OC Ferrell, Jag Sheth, Phil Kotler, and Valarie Zeithaml; (3) introduced a new education journal (JAME) and dramatically improved MMJ; (4) introduced a doctoral consortium and an early career professor consortium; (5) introduced a Master Teacher Competition; (6) created the MMA Foundation; (7) instituted a Marketing Excellence Award for industry practitioner experts and added expert sessions to each conference; (8) generated financial sponsors for key value-added activities; (9) developed a website with a global address; and (10) grew to over 400 members. Whew! That’s an impressive list!
Our parent organization, the Midwest Business Administration Association, also has an opportunity to join the big leagues with a name change and repositioning at this time. Unfortunately, there are a number of MBAA followers who are stuck on tradition and are unwilling or unable to see the benefits of a break from the past. There is no question that the "regional" name of MBAA is placing a damper on membership growth.
At many institutions where we attempt to draw membership, regional association involvement is devalued and discouraged. In annual performance evaluation plans, papers presented at regional meetings count much less than papers presented at national or international meetings. With limited travel funding, faculty members desire to attend conferences where they receive a bigger payoff on their limited travel dollar. You have to present multiple papers at MBAA to equate to one at a “national” meeting, so why bother with the regional meeting?
Across business disciplines, traditional regional conference associations have been renaming and successfully repositioning to good effect. MBAA can do the same. In fact, in order for MMA to continue its successful growth, we need MBAA to shed it’s regional name. You see, there is a flaw in MMA’s current approach. Despite our global name, attendance, program and website, when someone registers for our Spring conference, they do not write the check to the Marketing Management Association, but rather they must write it to the Midwest Business Administration Association. Prospective conference attendees are suddenly confronted with cognitive dissonance. If MMA is a national or global organization, why is it a part of a regional parent?
It would be much more consistent with our positioning if that check were written to the Multinational Business Administration Association, the Association of Business Educators or to some other new name that doesn't connote regionality. MMA could logically promote its involvement in such an umbrella association without mixing messages to prospective members.
This IS a real issue for MAA, and the time is right to address it. I welcome your input and encourage you to contact one of the members of the current MBAA board and advise them on where you stand on this issue (contact information is on the MBAA website). They need your assistance in making a good decision for the future growth and vitality of the organization.
Dr. Brian T. Engelland
Associate Professor of Marketing and
Chair of Marketing, Quantitative Analysis and Business Law
Mississippi State University
College of Business & Industry
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Marketing Insights is a publication of the Marketing Management Association