Competition, cooperation and open price associations: Relationship marketing and Arthur Jerome Eddy (1859‐1920)

The purpose of this paper is to rethink the historical emergence of relationship marketing using the work of an early economics writer.

The approach of the paper is a historical review.

It is demonstrated that Eddy's major publication, The New Competition, articulates an argument central to relationship marketing, in terms of the value accorded to inter‐firm relationships. In doing so, this paper extends the work of Keep et al. on relationship marketing and Hollander's own reflection on the nature of competition.

Commensurate with studies that explore the “dark‐side” of relationship marketing, this paper shows how close organizational relations do not necessarily increase the efficiency of the market.

This paper undermines the argument that relationship marketing emerged in the 1970s. It thereby adds further weight to the idea that relationship marketing is not a new paradigm in marketing theory or business practice.