Insatiability: A Conceptual Framework for the Creation of Customer Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction as a Strategy for Successful Marketing

Authors

  • Michael A. McCollough University of Idaho

Keywords:

Customer Satisfaction, Customer Dissatisfaction, Insatiability, Marketing Strategy

Abstract

Contemporary marketing thought and practice identifies the creation of customer satisfaction as key to successful marketing and superior firm performance.  However, in 1932 Charles Kettering, then head of research for General Motors and future CEO, stated, “One of the fundamental purposes of research is to foster a healthy dissatisfaction” (Kettering 1932).    Similar statements concerning the creation of customer dissatisfaction as a goal of General Motors can be found in Sloan (1941, 1963), Oliver (2010), Larson (1993), and Kettering (1929). This conceptual paper explores why GM pursued an objective inconsistent with the satisfaction strategies that dominate current management thought and practice and considers the implications for contemporary marketing.

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Published

2025-04-29

Issue

Vol. 38 No. 1 (2025): The Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior

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Journal Articles

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