Researchers from TU Dortmund University and RWTH Aachen University published a new Journal of Marketing article that examines how specific types of marketing knowledge contributions have developed over the past few decades and suggests ways to move the field toward “big picture” theories that will have greater impact.
The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled “Conceptual Contributions in Marketing Scholarship: Patterns, Mechanisms, and Rebalancing Options ” and is authored by Bastian Kindermann, Daniel Wentzel, David Antons, and Torsten-Oliver Salge.
Does research in marketing fail to make meaningful theoretical advancements? Recent analyses have examined the lack of theoretical advancements from various angles, including fragmentation of knowledge, lack of practical impact, tendency for excessive complexity, and the missed opportunity for homegrown theories. These studies shed light on the issue but have limitations that prevent them from fully diagnosing the problem.
The research team provides a differentiated analysis of how specific types of knowledge contributions have developed over the past 32 years. The results both support and question the overall trend of marketing research becoming less disruptive.
Kindermann says, “we conducted computer-aided text analyses of published research articles from the four major marketing journals to trace the development of different types of knowledge contributions. We find that marketing researchers have focused more and more on identifying new phenomena and explaining relatively well-defined problems. At the same time, there has been less focus on building ‘big-picture’ frameworks and theories and launching critical debates.” As a result, marketing academia may find it challenging to provide answers to complex, practical marketing problems.
“To better understand the reasons underlying such trends, we conducted a large interview study with 48 thought leaders in marketing, including journal editors, department heads, and authors. Based on these interviews, we find that the identified patterns can be traced back to how marketing scholars tend to think about ‘ideal’ research,” adds Wentzel. Anything that cannot be pitched as completely “new,” isn’t 100% conceptually clear, and defies easy quantification will often be brushed aside. As Antons explains, “our findings suggest that marketing does not lack novel ideas, but rather limits its focus to exploring specific types of ideas. The field could do more to ascertain how such novel ideas challenge or disrupt previous knowledge.”
What can be done to counter these developments and help scholars provide better answers to the challenges marketing practitioners currently face?
This research offers important implications for the marketing field:
Full article and author contact information available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429231196122
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The Journal of Marketing develops and disseminates knowledge about real-world marketing questions useful to scholars, educators, managers, policy makers, consumers, and other societal stakeholders around the world. Published by the American Marketing Association since its founding in 1936, JM has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the marketing discipline. Shrihari (Hari) Sridhar (Joe Foster ’56 Chair in Business Leadership, Professor of Marketing at Mays Business School, Texas A&M University) serves as the current Editor in Chief.
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Journal of Marketing
Conceptual Contributions in Marketing Scholarship: Patterns, Mechanisms, and Rebalancing Options
7-Aug-2023