Call for Papers | Journal of Marketing: Special Issue on Organic Marketing Theory

Special Issue Editors: Ajay Kohli, Page Moreau, Rebecca Slotegraaf, and Jan-Benedict Steenkamp

Organic marketing theory provides insights into marketing phenomena, their causes and consequences, and conditions under which these causes and consequences are stronger or weaker. Theory papers frequently include a set of formal propositions describing causal relationships among well-defined constructs, and arguments in support of the propositions (what causes what, and why).

The special issue is open to “pure theory” papers advancing novel constructs and propositions (frequently, but not always, inducted from qualitative data) as well as “theory + empirical” papers that develop novel propositions, operationalize them as hypotheses, and empirically test them. Note that a very strong theoretical contribution will be expected in all types of papers. Below, we provide more details on what a strong theoretical contribution would include. We also provide guidance on the types of papers that would and would not be a fit for this special issue.

Contributions to Organic Marketing Theory

The following represent contributions to organic marketing theory. Note that some are more likely to be acceptable for the special issue than others.

Development of novel construct(s) reflecting marketing phenomena. Relationships with and distinctions from extant closely related constructs should be provided. A discussion of the importance of the constructs for marketing should be provided. Formal propositions linking the construct(s) to other constructs, supported by conceptual arguments, should be offered.

Novel Propositions

Novel propositions about the functional forms of relationships between known/existing constructs related to marketing phenomena, together with supporting arguments.
Novel propositions that a well-accepted general theory from another discipline does not “work” in a marketing context, together with supporting arguments (these propositions tend to be rare, but could be important if the well-accepted theory is widely used).
Novel propositions describing causal relationships between known/existing constructs related to marketing phenomena, together with supporting arguments (these propositions/arguments are unlikely to be accepted for publication unless a strong case for their importance can be made).

It is important for authors to be aware of extant research in order to ensure that proposed constructs or propositions are novel (and not repetitive of existing research). Novel arguments that support known relationships are unlikely to be accepted for a publication unless a strong case can be made for their importance. See key selection criteria section below.

Organic Marketing Theory and Overlap with Phenomena of Interest to Other Disciplines

At its core, marketing is about exchanges between/among entities, and people, processes, and institutions that enable and encourage exchanges.

Given the breadth of marketing, it is natural for marketing phenomena to overlap with phenomena of interest to other disciplines such as economics, psychology, sociology, strategy, organizational behavior, operations, information technology, among others. As such, organic marketing theory may potentially have insights of value to disciplines other than marketing.
Who develops organic marketing theory is not material. What is material is that the theory (or theoretical contribution) provides novel insights into important phenomena that are uniquely/primarily about marketing, ideally with relatively little overlap with other disciplines.

What Is NOT of Interest for the Special Issue:

There are many different types of conceptual contributions (MacInnis 2011). The special issue is interested in organic theory, a particular type of conceptual contribution described above. It is NOT interested in other types of conceptual contributions, valuable as they may be. For example, a conceptual paper that summarizes extant empirical evidence to derive conclusions is a review paper (empirical papers with this goal are meta-analyses). While these types of papers are beneficial, they are NOT aligned with this special issue. Similarly, a paper that advocates for a particular position on an issue would NOT be a good fit with the special issue.
Relatedly, the special issue is NOT interested in work that takes one or more theoretical propositions from another discipline and applies them in a marketing context to generate new insights about marketing phenomena. While the work may well be important and eminently publishable, it would not be a good fit with the special issue because it would not reflect original theory but rather the application of an existing theory. For example, the following two cases would NOT be a good fit with the special issue:
– Straight application: Taking a theoretical proposition in another discipline and applying the proposition to a marketing context to explain or predict marketing phenomena.
– Adapted application: Adapting constructs in a theoretical proposition in another discipline and applying the adapted/modified proposition to a marketing context to explain or predict marketing phenomena.

Key Criteria for Publication in the Special Issue

Key criteria that will be used to assess a submission include:

Novelty of the insights.
The extent to which the novel insights are organic (i.e., uniquely/primarily about marketing phenomena). In general, novel constructs and propositions that are uniquely/primarily about marketing phenomena are more organic.
The extent to which the novel constructs and/or propositions are different from those available in other disciplines.

Importance of the novel insights will be assessed by:

The number of people likely to change their behavior based on the research (in the short or long term). These include managers, public policy makers, consumers, and other marketing academics.
The magnitude of their behavioral change and/or its impact.
The standing or position of the persons who will likely change their behavior (as an indicator of the impact of their behavioral change).

Examples of Papers Advancing Organic Marketing Theory

The following papers, listed in order of publication date, are some exemplars of organic theory building research. The list is not exhaustive, but it provides concrete examples that span both time (four decades) and subfields in marketing (strategy, consumer behavior). While these papers are challenging to write, their citation counts reflect their significant impact on the field. (Citation counts are from Google Scholar as of May 30, 2025.)

Parasuraman, A., Valarie A. Zeithaml, and Leonard L. Berry (1985), “A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and Its Implications for Future Research,” Journal of Marketing, 49 (4), 41–50. Develops a new theory of service quality (GAPS model). 48,729 citations.
Zeithaml, Valarie A. (1988), “Consumer Perceptions of Price, Quality, and Value: A Means-End Model and Synthesis of Evidence,” Journal of Marketing, 52 (3), 2–22. Uses means-end chain theory developed in marketing to develop a new theory on the relations between price, quality, and value with propositions. 35,504 citations.
Aaker, David A. and Kevin Lane Keller (1990), “Consumer Evaluations of Brand Extensions,” Journal of Marketing, 54 (1), 27–41. Develops a theory to explain when brand extensions are more likely to be positively evaluated by consumers. 7,146 citations.
Kohli, Ajay K. and Bernard J. Jaworski (1990), “Market Orientation: The Construct, Research Propositions, and Managerial Implications,” Journal of Marketing, 54 (2), 1–18. Develops the construct of market orientation and advances propositions about its antecedents and consequences. 16,525 citations.
Keller, Kevin L. (1993), “Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity,” Journal of Marketing, 57 (1), 1–22. Develops a theory of brand equity and advances propositions linking it to brand awareness and brand image. 31,433 citations.
Aaker, Jennifer L. (1997), “Dimensions of Brand Personality,” Journal of Marketing Research, 34 (3), 347–56. Develops the novel construct of brand personality and its five dimensions. 17,098 citations.
Fournier, Susan (1998), “Consumers and Their Brands: Developing Relationship Theory in Consumer Research,” Journal of Consumer Research, 24 (4), 343–73. Develops a theory of consumer-brand relationship quality. 14,240 citations.
Brakus, Joško, Bernd H Schmitt, and Lia Zarantonello (2009), “Brand Experience: What Is It? How Is It Measured? Does It Affect Loyalty?” Journal of Marketing, 73 (3), 52–68. Develops the novel construct of brand experience and advances propositions linking about its consequences. 8,363 citations.
Lemon, Katherine N. and Peter C. Verhoef (2016), “Understanding Customer Experience Throughout the Customer Journey,” Journal of Marketing, 80 (6), 69–96. Develops the construct of customer experience, its component stages, and contributing touch points. 8,494 citations.
Molner, Sven, Jaideep C. Prabhu, and Manjit S. Yadav (2019), “Lost in a Universe of Markets: Toward a Theory of Market Scoping for Early-Stage Technologie s,” Journal of Marketing, 83 (2), 37–61. Develops the novel construct of market scoping mindset and advances propositions linking it to its consequences.
Siebert, Anton, Ahir Gopaldas, Andrew Lindridge, and Cláudia Simões (2020), “Customer Experience Journeys: Loyalty Loops Versus Involvement Spirals,” Journal of Marketing, 84 (4), 45–66. Develops a novel typology of customer journeys and advances propositions linking them to its consequences.
Burchett, Molly. R., Brian Murtha, and Ajay K. Kohli (2023), “Secondary Selling: Beyond the Salesperson–Customer Dyad,” Journal of Marketing, 87 (4), 575–600. Develops the novel construct of secondary selling and advances propositions linking it to its consequences.

Submission Deadline: August 1, 2026

All manuscripts will be reviewed as a cohort for this special issue of the Journal of Marketing. All submissions will go through Journal of Marketing’s double-anonymized review and follow standard norms and processes. Submissions must be made via the journal’s ScholarOne site, with author guidelines available here. For any queries, feel free to reach out to the special issue editors.

Special Session

The special issue editors are organizing a special session at the 2025 AMA Summer Academic Conference in Chicago on August 23, 2:00–3:15 pm. Everyone interested in learning more about this special issue is invited to attend this session. For conference information and registration, click here.

Reference

MacInnis, Deborah J. (2011), “A Framework for Conceptual Contributions in Marketing,” Journal of Marketing, 75 (4), 136–54.

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