Thought leadership in marketing theory and method

Doherty, Anne Marie and Kerrigan, Finola and Belk, Russell W. (2020) Thought leadership in marketing theory and method. European Journal of Marketing, 54 (11). pp. 2645-2649. 1. ISSN 0309-0566 (https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-11-2020-977)

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Abstract

As we write this editorial, we are sitting in our respective homes, during a period when we would usually attend annual academic conferences. These conferences provide the opportunity to share research, to have conversations with colleagues regarding what we are working on, hear about new areas of research, new approaches and new methods. Often, we return home tired, but refreshed and inspired. At the same time, such conferences can result in group think, we sometimes recycle old ideas and structures; as pressures of work increase, time and space to think about new approaches or areas of research may decrease. We can often work in isolation in our home institutions as the sheer breath of the field of marketing and consumer research means that departments house colleagues with widely divergent research interests and philosophical and methodological approaches. The tried and tested conference format of short presentations where we distil the highlights of our studies, followed by a few questions from the audience, is often insufficient for the thoughtful dialogue needed when wishing to move our research forward. If we are lucky, we end up in a session with similar papers, likeminded authors and an engaged audience and our discussion can spill out into the coffee or lunch break. But, all too often, such conversations are rushed and end abruptly in an attempt to get to the next session, grab some fresh air, drink bad coffee, or go off in search of better coffee, review the publisher stands or check in at home. For this reason, we proposed a new format for the annual Academy of Marketing Conference starting from 2018. With the introduction of conference workshops aimed at 'cutting edge theory, methods or pedagogy' we aimed to bring together a critical mass of colleagues already working on specific theoretical, methodological or pedagogical approaches or interested in finding out more about what we hoped would be rewarding engagement.

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