Frank Bass
Encyclopedia
Frank M. Bass was an American
academic in the field of marketing research
, and is considered to be among the founders of marketing
science. He was the creator of the Bass diffusion model
that describes the adoption of new products and technologies by first-time buyers. He died on December 1, 2006.
, Texas
. He served in the United States Navy
for two years (1944-46).
in 1949, and his M.B.A. from the University of Texas in 1950. After completing his M.B.A. at Texas, he became interested in marketing issues. He worked as a teaching assistant
and assistant professor in marketing
while earning his Ph.D.
at the University of Illinois
in 1954. In 1957 he became an assistant professor in marketing at the University of Texas.
In 1959, Bass was selected to become a Fellow at Harvard
's Institute of Basic Mathematics For Application to Business. It was this exposure to advanced analytic methods that heavily influenced his research for the next 47 years. In 1961 he became a professor of industrial administration at the Graduate School of Purdue University
. In 1969 he published his landmark paper on modeling consumer goods, which became widely known as the Bass diffusion model
. In 1974 he was appointed as Loeb Distinguished Professor of Marketing at the Krannert Graduate School of Management of Purdue University. In 1982 he returned to Texas when he was appointed Eugene McDermott Professor of Management at the University of Texas, Dallas. In 1986 he was awarded the Paul D. Converse Award. In 1990 he was awarded the Richard D. Irwin/American Marketing Association
Distinguished Marketing Educator Award. In 2005 Bass was awarded an honorary Doctorate by the University of South Australia
, and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science at the University was named partially in his honor.
Bass sought to bring a more rigorous quantitative approach to marketing problems. His research contributions over a 52-year career in academics and private consulting ranged widely over a broad set of marketing issues. Using models and advanced statistical techniques often adapted from economics and the social sciences, he made fundamental contributions that revolutionized the way marketing was taught in universities and applied in business. He was a leading voice in the marketing science movement and one of the most frequently cited marketing researchers in professional journals and other scholarly publications.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
academic in the field of marketing research
Marketing research
Marketing research is "the function that links the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information — information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve...
, and is considered to be among the founders of marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
science. He was the creator of the Bass diffusion model
Bass diffusion model
rightThe Bass diffusion model was developed by Frank Bass and describes the process of how new products get adopted as an interaction between users and potential users. It has been described as one of the most famous empirical generalisations in marketing, along with the Dirichlet model of repeat...
that describes the adoption of new products and technologies by first-time buyers. He died on December 1, 2006.
Background and early life
Bass grew up in the small town of CueroCuero, Texas
Cuero is a city in DeWitt County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,571 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of DeWitt County. It is also unofficially known as the "turkey capital of the world"...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
for two years (1944-46).
Academic career
Bass received his B.B.A. from Southwestern UniversitySouthwestern University
Southwestern University is a private, four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts college located in Georgetown, Texas, USA. Founded in 1840, Southwestern is the oldest university in Texas. The school is affiliated with the United Methodist Church although the curriculum is nonsectarian...
in 1949, and his M.B.A. from the University of Texas in 1950. After completing his M.B.A. at Texas, he became interested in marketing issues. He worked as a teaching assistant
Teaching assistant
A teaching assistant is an individual who assists a professor or teacher with instructional responsibilities. TAs include graduate teaching assistants , who are graduate students; undergraduate teaching assistants , who are undergraduate students; secondary school TAs, who are either high school...
and assistant professor in marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
while earning his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
in 1954. In 1957 he became an assistant professor in marketing at the University of Texas.
In 1959, Bass was selected to become a Fellow at Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's Institute of Basic Mathematics For Application to Business. It was this exposure to advanced analytic methods that heavily influenced his research for the next 47 years. In 1961 he became a professor of industrial administration at the Graduate School of Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
. In 1969 he published his landmark paper on modeling consumer goods, which became widely known as the Bass diffusion model
Bass diffusion model
rightThe Bass diffusion model was developed by Frank Bass and describes the process of how new products get adopted as an interaction between users and potential users. It has been described as one of the most famous empirical generalisations in marketing, along with the Dirichlet model of repeat...
. In 1974 he was appointed as Loeb Distinguished Professor of Marketing at the Krannert Graduate School of Management of Purdue University. In 1982 he returned to Texas when he was appointed Eugene McDermott Professor of Management at the University of Texas, Dallas. In 1986 he was awarded the Paul D. Converse Award. In 1990 he was awarded the Richard D. Irwin/American Marketing Association
American Marketing Association
The American Marketing Association is a professional association for marketers. As of 2008 it had approximately 40,000 members. There are 76 professional chapters and 250 collegiate chapters across the United States....
Distinguished Marketing Educator Award. In 2005 Bass was awarded an honorary Doctorate by the University of South Australia
University of South Australia
The University of South Australia is a public university in the Australian state of South Australia. It was formed in 1991 with the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and Colleges of Advanced Education. It is the largest university in South Australia, with more than 36,000...
, and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science at the University was named partially in his honor.
Bass sought to bring a more rigorous quantitative approach to marketing problems. His research contributions over a 52-year career in academics and private consulting ranged widely over a broad set of marketing issues. Using models and advanced statistical techniques often adapted from economics and the social sciences, he made fundamental contributions that revolutionized the way marketing was taught in universities and applied in business. He was a leading voice in the marketing science movement and one of the most frequently cited marketing researchers in professional journals and other scholarly publications.