Knowledge gaps between participants in a triadic relationship

Aims to expand the traditional view of marketing to include a wider network of actors, all of which have a role to play in executing transactions. Measurement has traditionally been a stumbling‐block: while the importance of actors other than those forming the traditional dyad is accepted, it has not been easy to determine empirically what it is that the different partners want from the relationship. In this paper we present a possible way forward. The preliminary work presented here is based on the affinity credit card market which has three clear partners in a triad: the bank, the affinity group itself, and the customers that elect to make use of the card. We present some early results that indicate the extent to which these three partners do, and do not, have an overlapping understanding of each other’s needs.