in terms of customer loyalty and retention, are privately owned, and
are mutuals or are public companies where there is high investor
loyalty. This is illustrative of research starting to focus on financial
influence markets as they are increasingly recognized as an impor-
tant part of relationship marketing.
Environmental influence markets
Environmental influence markets represent a key group for many
organizations involved in industries such as petrochemicals, mining
and manufacturing. Many environmental bodies and pressure
groups are now becoming highly active and sometimes militant in
their behaviour and have the potential to make a very significant
negative impact on organizations whom they target as being envi-
ronmentally unfriendly. Environmentalists not only focus on organ-
izations whom they view as polluting the environment but also
those who abuse scarce resources, hunt or use animals in testing
procedures, or manufacture products where satisfactory natural
substitutes could be used instead. For example, the impact of animal
activists has led a number of leading department stores around the
world to stop retailing products made of fur. As environmental
influence markets become increasingly vocal, organizations need to
develop relational strategies for dealing with these groups.
A further example relates to the events which followed Shell’s
decision to dispose of its Brent Spar platform in the North Sea.
Activities which included the occupation of the Brent Spar platform
by Greenpeace, highly militant action by activists in countries like
Germany where Shell petrol stations were fire-bombed, and other
events, including probable behind-the-scenes involvement by the
British Government, led Shell to reverse its decision regarding the
disposal of the Brent Spar platform. It is clear, from a review of the
events surrounding the Brent Spar affair, that Shell failed to develop
appropriate relational strategies with these key environmental
groups and failed to communicate effectively with them.
By contrast, The Body Shop (see Case Study 4.3) is an excellent
example of an organization which has managed its relationships
with environmentalists and other influence market groups very
well. For example, it has formed various alliances with Greenpeace
and Friends of the Earth and developed very close relationships
with other influence market groups, such as local communities, by
ensuring that every one of their retail shops develops local commu-
nity projects.
The referral and influence market domains 241