Analysis of the five classic service-making models
| Model | Focus | Content | Emphasis | Innovative aspect | Contribution to marketing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shostack’s (1977) molecular model | Visualization of elements of service production in addition to conventional marketing variables and their impact on the customers | Comparison between the tangible and intangible elements of goods and services as marketing entities; demonstrates that goods and service offerings are mostly intertwined | Services often entwined with their human representatives. In addition, conventional marketing variables and marketing effects created by elements in the production process | Emphasis on the need to develop new concepts for marketing to function in service enterprises. The notion that both goods and services offerings consist of tangible and intangible elements | Emphasis on the complexity of the marketed entity. Consideration of marketing as not only comprising conventional variables |
| Eiglier and Langeard’s (1977) servuction model | Describes interactions with customers to produce services and service experiences | Customer contact personnel and physical resources supported by a back-office system, and involved customers interact to shape services. Due to the nature of the interactions, services may be shaped differently | Importance of service production to customers’ experiences and its role in marketing. The role of customers as participants in the shaping of service | Emphasis on how production has a marketing-like impact on customers’ experiences and their participation in service production and marketing | Marketing not only demand stimulation but comprises marketing-like performances by production processes as well. Focus on the active role of customers as subjects |
| Grönroos’s (1978) interactive marketing model | Describes elements of the service offering and their interactions with customers | Service contact personnel, accessibility of the service interact with customers to create marketing impact. In addition to a core service, auxiliary services are required | The importance to marketing of the embedded communication of the service contact personnel and physical resources and of their accessibility. Customers’ influence on the service. Production resources considered carriers of services | Emphasis on the importance to marketing of the communication effects of service contact personnel and of how accessible the service is. The notion that customers participate in and influence service production | Emphasis on the importance of service production to marketing. Involvement of accessibility, communication effects and customers’ influence on the service as subjects as well as conventional marketing |
| Booms and Bitner’s (1982) 7P model | Extends marketing’s 4P model by adding variables that reflect services | Three service-grounded elements (people, process, physical elements) are added to marketing’s 4P model | What must be included in marketing planning in addition to its conventional content demonstrated by the three added elements | Emphasis on the importance of service processes and service contact personnel as well as the role of physical resources to marketing, in addition to conventional marketing | Emphasis on the need for marketing to integrate service-specific elements with conventional variables in marketing planning |
| Berry’s (1983) relationship marketing model | The need of service enterprises to take a long-term approach to marketing | Model focuses on relationship-making strategies: core service strategy, relationship customization, service augmentation, relationship pricing and internal marketing | The need to think in longer terms in service marketing planning. Alternative means of reinforcing relationship marketing | Emphasis on the long-term aspect and the option to choose between focusing on core services or service augmentation. Emphasis on internal marketing | Emphasis on a long-term approach, relationship-based pricing and the need for internal marketing |
| Focus | Content | Emphasis | Innovative aspect | Contribution to marketing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visualization of elements of service production in addition to conventional marketing variables and their impact on the customers | Comparison between the tangible and intangible elements of goods and services as marketing entities; demonstrates that goods and service offerings are mostly intertwined | Services often entwined with their human representatives. In addition, conventional marketing variables and marketing effects created by elements in the production process | Emphasis on the need to develop new concepts for marketing to function in service enterprises. The notion that both goods and services offerings consist of tangible and intangible elements | Emphasis on the complexity of the marketed entity. Consideration of marketing as not only comprising conventional variables | |
| Describes interactions with customers to produce services and service experiences | Customer contact personnel and physical resources supported by a back-office system, and involved customers interact to shape services. Due to the nature of the interactions, services may be shaped differently | Importance of service production to customers’ experiences and its role in marketing. The role of customers as participants in the shaping of service | Emphasis on how production has a marketing-like impact on customers’ experiences and their participation in service production and marketing | Marketing not only demand stimulation but comprises marketing-like performances by production processes as well. | |
| Describes elements of the service offering and their interactions with customers | Service contact personnel, accessibility of the service interact with customers to create marketing impact. In addition to a core service, auxiliary services are required | The importance to marketing of the embedded communication of the service contact personnel and physical resources and of their accessibility. Customers’ influence on the service. Production resources considered carriers of services | Emphasis on the importance to marketing of the communication effects of service contact personnel and of how accessible the service is. The notion that customers participate in and influence service production | Emphasis on the importance of service production to marketing. Involvement of accessibility, communication effects and customers’ influence on the service as subjects as well as conventional marketing | |
| Extends marketing’s 4P model by adding variables that reflect services | Three service-grounded elements (people, process, physical elements) are added to marketing’s 4P model | What must be included in marketing planning in addition to its conventional content demonstrated by the three added elements | Emphasis on the importance of service processes and service contact personnel as well as the role of physical resources to marketing, in addition to conventional marketing | Emphasis on the need for marketing to integrate service-specific elements with conventional variables in marketing planning | |
| The need of service enterprises to take a long-term approach to marketing | Model focuses on relationship-making strategies: core service strategy, relationship customization, service augmentation, relationship pricing and internal marketing | The need to think in longer terms in service marketing planning. Alternative means of reinforcing relationship marketing | Emphasis on the long-term aspect and the option to choose between focusing on core services or service augmentation. Emphasis on internal marketing | Emphasis on a long-term approach, relationship-based pricing and the need for internal marketing |
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