In this article, the author shows the development of the metalevel discussion that had a great influence on theoretical research of marketing, and mention problems and the solution in the theory creation. The role of the theoretical research of marketing is confirmed in Section 2, and an outline of the progress of the theoretical research and meta-research of the marketing in the United States is shown in Section 3. In Section 4, the problems of the method and the subject of research in the development are pointed out, and the solution is shown. In Section 5, possibility of the original marketing theory creation is examined in the direction of the solution.

Marketing and advertising professionals have promoted a culture of consumption that makes strong claims about its links to happiness (Markin and Narayana 1976). Yet, the end result is not always satisfaction (Monieson 1975). It can be dissatisfaction (Kilbourne 1999) and unhappiness (Torres 2020). Among early critical interrogators of marketing, one stands out for highlighting the role of the advertising industry in the creation of pathological atmospheres and distorted subject relations, namely, Gordon Blaine Hancock. Hancock was an African American critic of advertising. In this paper, we outline Hancock's biography, the cultural milieu he navigated, the criticisms of advertising in circulation, and Hancock's contribution to these debates. Attention is devoted to unpacking the assumptions threading across the literature, including how practitioners were curating and scholars were theorizing atmospheres as macro, meso- and micro-level phenomena which orient the consumer within their lifeworld.

Research Purpose: Almost all advertising researchers have believed that E. St. Elmo Lewis invented AIDA in 1898 based on Edward K. Strong Jr.'s studies in 1925. However, this is a big misunderstanding caused by inaccurate and insufficient historical research. This paper aims to research the origin of the AIDA model by reviewing previous studies and some literature newly discovered in this study.

Design/method: This study is based on the method of the historical study of advertising theory that encompasses an extensive range of primary sources, including several previously unknown. We searched the literature by accessing several digital archives and websites on the origin of AIDA.

Findings: The dominant hypothesis that E. St. Elmo Lewis invented and formulated AIDA is unsupported or based on weak evidence. There is no evidence indicating that Lewis invented the prototype of AIDA in or around 1898.

Research implications/limitations: Arthur Frederick Sheldon recognized the importance of the fourth word and the necessity of AIDA's theorization much earlier than Lewis or any other researchers. Sheldon-not Lewis-can be regarded as the originator of AIDA. Frank H. Dukesmith and Arthur Frederick Sheldon-not Lewis-contributed decisively to the formulation of AIDA.

Originality/value: Our critical finding has not been almost unknown in previous studies and provides a more accurate history of the representative advertising theory. Accurate history is essential for the proper development of the discipline, and advertising theory is no exception.

Isamu MITSUZONO, Women Who Care for Consumers: The Postwar History of “HEIB” and “Femineity”, Tokyo: Seidosha, 2022. (Reviewer : Yumiko TODA)