Introduction

Book Review: Philosophy of Marketing: The New Realist Approach by Matteo Giannasi and Francesco Casarin

“…However, marketing under the influence of postmodernism and antirealism has downplayed the “things are what they are” aspect in favor of appearances and persuasion. As Giannasi and Casarin (2022, p. 6) note: “it is sometimes claimed that marketing is about the sizzle, not the steak, and even less about the cow.” Thus, the thing called a rose or any other name has no existence or meaning outside a particular perspective. This perspective could be the experience of smell or sight that is evoked (Experiential Marketing) or the value-in-use aspect (SD logic).…”

“…The title of their book Philosophy of Marketing can be confused with a five-volume work published by Sage with the same title (Tadajewski, O'Shaughnessy, and Hyman 2013). However, as the subtitle of their book suggests, Giannasi and Casarin (2022) are not interested in a philosophical exposé of marketing. Instead, their book is “about the theoretical correctness of considering reference to reality as an important element of human experience and thought and about the fruitfulness, for marketing, of taking such a reference into account” (p. 6).…”