Benchmarking marketing productivity using data envelopment analysis

Abstract Benchmarking has not received much attention in marketing literature because of the lack of appropriate methodological tools to aid the benchmarking process. This paper tries to fill this gap in research and suggests a rigorous quantitative approach to benchmarking marketing productivity. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is suggested to aid traditional benchmarking activities and to provide guidance to managers. DEA is useful in identifying the best performing units to be benchmarked against as well as in providing actionable measures for improvement of a company's marketing performance. An illustration is provided to demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of DEA as a benchmarking tool. Implications for managers and directions for future research are discussed.