The authors describe commercial friendships that develop between service pr
oviders and clients as one important type of marketing relationship. They r
eport results of five studies that employ quantitative and qualitative data
analysis. They develop a measure of commercial friendship, identify import
ant correlates, and illustrate how friendships form. Context and tension be
tween instrumental and expressive goals circumscribe commercial friendships
, but friendships are associated with satisfaction, strong service loyalty,
and positive word of mouth. Qualitative data illustrate varied temporal or
dering among satisfaction, loyalty, and friendship for both service provide
rs and clients. The authors identify implications of their findings for an
array of industries in which commercial friendships may form.