Abstract
The analysis of the dialectical relationships between marketing ideology and criticism is supported by the distinction between legitimacy and legitimization. Marketing ideology is defined as a relatively stable set of arguments that provide legitimacy to marketers and the market economy. However it does not preclude contradictions and the dissenting voice of criticism. Marketing doctrine also produces legitimization to lessen the tensions between the marketer’s claim to legitimacy and other people’s belief in this legitimacy. As marketing doctrine develops through incorporation of criticism, it follows that the critical process is a never-ending one.