Bedrijfsmatige bemiddeling. Philips en Unilever en de marketing van radio's, televisies en snacks in Nederland in de twintigste eeuw

Mediation practices show a wide variety. This article focuses upon mediation processes initiated by corporations. Within the context of two multinational companies, Philips and Unilever, the development, introduction and diffusion of radio and television sets and snacks in the Netherlands is analysed by looking at the way in which these companies tried to connect the production and consumption of these commodities by initiating and developing marketing practices: in-house product tests and market research, test introductions, large-scale user experiments and various retail activities. By analysing these marketing practices, the authors claim that marketing is more than an instrument or tool: marketing is a heterogeneous process and practice that through experimenting and learning tries to bridge the gap between production and consumption