Exploring advertising client-advertising agency relationships in China: The applicability of organizational buying theory

The 1980s and 1990s have seen the development of an interesting, diverse and relevant body of literature on the advertising client-advertising agency relationship. Recently an area of focus has been the application of organizational buying behavior principles to companies who are purchasing advertising services from advertising agencies. However, little is known about such issues in China. This article reviews the literature relating to the application of organizational buying behavior principles in the advertising industry, and provides a background to China's advertising industry. Then, based on insights from both the literature and in-depth interviews in Shanghai, this article lists a set of propositions relating to organizational buying behavior in the context of the agency-client relationship in China. Future researchers can use these propositions to develop testable hypotheses relating to the agency-client relationship in China.