Objetivo: tomando por base a voluntary disclosure theory , o objetivo desta pesquisa foi analisar os efeitos da intensidade dos investimentos de marketing e do ciclo de vida das empresas no disclosure dos investimentos de marketing. Método: a amostra possui dados financeiros de 89 companhias brasileiras listadas na Bolsa B3 (Economatica) unificados com dados dos investimentos de marketing das empresas (notas explicativas e relatório da administração). Resultados: tanto a intensidade dos investimentos de marketing como o ciclo de vida das empresas influenciam o disclosure dos investimentos de marketing. As fases de nascimento e crescimento moderam os efeitos da intensidade dos investimentos de marketing, diminuindo o nível de disclosure , especialmente em informações qualitativas. Conclusões: os achados sustentam a voluntary disclosure theory e são baseados em argumentos de julgamento porque mostram que, existindo alta intensidade de investimentos de marketing, o disclosure dos investimentos de marketing é gerenciado passando do status de segredo em empresas que estão nas fases de nascimento e crescimento para o status de recurso de diferenciação em empresas na fase de maturidade.
Objective: drawing on voluntary disclosure theory, the paper’s main goal was to analyze the main effect of marketing intensity and the moderating role of life cycle on disclosure of marketing investments. Method: the sample includes 89 Brazilian companies listed on B3 stock exchange. We collected inancial data from two sources, such as Economatica platform and in the explanatory notes and management report from the companies, which we coded through content analysis. We merged these two datasets and analyzed it using multiple linear regression. Results: both the marketing intensity and the life cycle of companies have effects on disclosure of marketing investments. In addition, the birth and growth phases moderate the main effect of marketing intensity, reducing the level of disclosure. This moderation is identified especially in disclosures of qualitative information. Conclusions: the findings support the voluntary disclosure theory based on arguments of judgment-based disclosure. Outcomes showed that when there is a high intensity of marketing investments, disclosure of marketing investments is managed by moving from the status of secrecy in companies in the birth and growth phases of life cycle to the status of differentiation resource in companies in the maturity phase of life cycle.
