Ideal Relationship Marketing: When Do Relationship Marketing Investments Help? When Do They Hurt?

关系营销是营销研究和实践中的主导概念，因为这种努力被认为可以建立更牢固的客户关系并产生上级公司绩效。虽然营销研究主要集中在调查关系营销投资的预期积极影响，但营销实践抱怨许多关系营销努力的无效性。此外，最近的研究提供了初步的证据，意想不到的负面影响关系营销投资对客户关系。关系营销投资的有效性取决于关系营销投资的各种特征与客户关系的相互作用。一方面，关系营销投资可以根据其价值和亲密度进行分类。价值代表客户通过关系营销投资获得的财务优势。亲密度描述的是投资对客户隐私的侵犯程度。另一方面，客户-公司关系是一种动态现象，关系规范不断发展和变化。关系规范捕捉了客户和公司双方的共同期望，即在关系中哪些互惠行为是适当的，从而表明了关系的强度。根据关系营销投资的价值或亲密程度以及关系规范的强度，关系营销投资可以对客户关系产生积极或消极的影响。一个全面的概念模型的预期和非预期的影响关系营销投资的经验测试使用混合方法（两个实验室实验，与一家公司合作的实地研究）。该研究项目旨在为营销研究提供相关见解，因为它放大了现存的关系营销模式，特别是通过包括研究不足的负面影响。营销实践提供了有效管理客户关系的实用指南。

Relationship marketing is a dominant concept in marketing research and practice, as such efforts are believed to build stronger customer relationships and generate superior company performance. While marketing research mainly focuses on investigating the intended positive effects of relationship marketing investments, marketing practice complains about the ineffectiveness of many relationship marketing efforts. Also, recent research provides initial evidence for unintended negative effects of relationship marketing investments on customer relationships. It is suggested that the effectiveness of relationship marketing investments is contingent on the interplay of various characteristics of relationship marketing investments and the customer relationship. On the one hand, relationship marketing investments can be classified according to their value and their intimacy. Value represents the financial advantage a customer receives by the relationship marketing investment. Intimacy describes the degree to which an investment intrudes into the privacy of a customer. On the other hand, a customer-company relationship represents a dynamic phenomenon, with developing and altering relational norms. Relational norms capture the shared expectations of both the customer and the company about which reciprocal behaviors are appropriate in the relationship and thus indicate the strength of a relationship. Depending on how valuable or intimate a relationship marketing investment is and how strong relational norms are, relationship marketing investments can have positive or negative effects on the customer relationship. A comprehensive conceptual model of the intended and unintended effects of relationship marketing investments is empirically tested using mixed methodologies (two laboratory experiments, field study in collaboration with a company). The research project aims at contributing relevant insights for marketing research in that it amplifies extant relationship marketing models, specifically by including under-researched negative effects. Marketing practice is provided with practical guidelines for effectively managing customer relationships.