CUSTOMER NEEDS AND SOLUTIONS (CNS)
CALL FOR PAPERS FOR SPECIAL CNS ISSUE ON BRAND/SERVICE POSITIONING

Positioning refers to the marketing strategy involving the attempt to make a brand/service occupy a desirable and distinct position, relative to competing brands/services, in the mind of the target customer. Positioning thus involves a thorough comprehension of the brand’s/service’s competitive market structure and competition, market segmentation, targeting, preferences, perceptions, pertinent attributes, and respective marketing mix effectiveness. It is the final step in the STP process (Segmentation – Targeting – Positioning) which has become the basis of marketing strategy, and involves both static and dynamic aspects.

Customer Needs and Solutions (CNS) is preparing a special issue on Brand/Service Positioning to be published by mid 2021. The aim of the special issue is to ideally stimulate new and relevant behavioral, managerial, and/or quantitative research that includes both academic (both marketing and non-marketing) and practitioner marketing domains. We encourage interdisciplinary research that aims towards the development of the next generation of research scholars, as well as new fertile research areas in this important arena. We are aiming for innovative research that aims to stimulate marketing and non-marketing academics to bring their skills and perspectives to the area of Brand/Service Positioning. We expect the Special Issue to provide an important reference source for future work in this particular area.

Examples of relevant potential research topics in Brand/Service Positioning of particular interest include issues involving optimal positioning, positioning multiple brands, the behavioral basis of positioning, global positioning, implementing multiple strategies of positioning, positioning in multiple target segments, dynamic positioning, spatial vs. non-spatial models of positioning, reverse engineering in positioning, the role of artificial intelligence in positioning, stochastic positioning, the economics of positioning, etc. Literature reviews, empirical case studies with data, experimental approaches, methodological development, and thought pieces identifying important research areas are welcome. Joint collaboration involving Marketing academics and non-Marketing academics and/or practitioners are especially encouraged.

Research papers should be submitted to:

http://www.editorialmanager.com/cnso/

by May 15th, 2020. See the Customer Needs and Solutions website for more details of submissions at:

https://www.springer.com/business+&+management/marketing/journal/40547

This Special Issue Editor is Wayne DeSarbo, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Marketing at the Smeal College of Business of Pennsylvania State University, who can be reached at 814-364-2568, or via e-mail at wsd6@psu.edu or analytika@aol.com. Please feel free to contact him should you wish to discuss the appropriateness of your research topic.

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