On biography in marketing

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to advance biographical work in marketing, to summarize the status of biography in marketing, and to illustrate the process with an example of a developing study. Design/methodology/approach – The article is based on a literature review of biography and a brief review of biography in marketing; the article illustrates biographical research and writing. Findings – The discussion introduces approaches for undertaking marketing biography, especially the challenges of developing information, assessing its quality, as well as methods for telling the story. Research limitations/implications – Biography is a “flawed process”. It is difficult to fully elaborate the scope of biography in a journal length article let alone apply the principles. Some topics are shortened, others are hinted at, and others are omitted but the discussion points the way to undertaking biography. Originality/value – This article introduces contemporary elements for the development of marketing biography illustrated with elements from the life of E.T. Grether.