Conceptual research is fundamental to advancing theory and, thus, science. Conceptual articles launch new research streams, resolve conflicting findings, explain new phenomena, and integrate divergent research areas. Yet, compared with other disciplines, marketing publishes little conceptual research. This article provides a multidisciplinary perspective of conceptual research to help increase the quality and quantity of conceptual research in marketing. First, the authors compare conceptual research approaches across marketing, management, psychology, and sociology to synthesize existing conceptual research frameworks. Second, using citation analyses, the authors provide insights into the academic impact of conceptual research across disciplines, across marketing domains, and over time; they also assess its impact outside of academia. Third, to assist researchers, the article offers a step-by-step process or “how to” guide for developing high-impact conceptual research, based on insights from the multidisciplinary analysis and interviews with conceptual researchers from different disciplines. Fourth, drawing on the interviews and keyword analysis of recent conceptual marketing articles, the authors suggest emerging opportunities for conceptual research and discuss how to increase the value of conceptual papers for practitioners.
AlvessonMatsSandbergJörgen (2011), “Generating Research Questions Through Problematization,” Academy of Management Review, 36 (2), 247–71.
5.
AppelGabrieleGrewalLejoyHadiRashedurStephenAndrew T.YanRuodan (2020), “The Future of Social Media in Marketing,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48 (1), 79–95.
6.
AryaAnilMittendorfBrianSappingtonDavid E.M. (2007), “The Bright Side of Supplier Encroachment,” Marketing Science, 26 (5), 651–59.
7.
BarneyJay B. (1986), “Types of Competition and the Theory of Strategy: Toward an Integrative Framework,” Academy of Management Review, 11 (4), 791–800.
8.
BarneyJay B. (1991), “Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage,” Journal of Management, 17 (1), 99–120.
9.
BarneyJay B. (2018), “Editor's Comments: Theory Contributions and the AMR Review Process,” Academy of Management Review, 43 (1), 1–4.
10.
BaumeisterRoy F.LearyMark R. (1997), “Writing Narrative Literature Reviews,” Review of General Psychology, 1 (3), 311–20.
11.
BelkRussell (2010), “Sharing,” Journal of Consumer Research, 36 (5), 715–34.
12.
BellezzaSilvia (2023), “Distance and Alternative Signals of Status: A Unifying Framework,” Journal of Consumer Research, 50 (2), 322–42.
13.
BemDaryl (1995), “Writing a Review Article for Psychological Bulletin,” Psychological Bulletin, 118 (2), 172–77.
14.
BhagwatYashodaWarrenNooshin L.BeckJoshua T.WatsonGeorge F. (2020), “Corporate Sociopolitical Activism and Firm Value,” Journal of Marketing, 84 (5), 1–21.
15.
BleierAlexanderGoldfarbAviTuckerCatherine (2020), “Consumer Privacy and the Future of Data-Based Innovation and Marketing,” International Journal of Research in Marketing, 37 (3), 466–48.
16.
CampbellJohn L. (2007), “Why Would Corporations Behave in Socially Responsible Ways? An Institutional Theory of Corporate Social Responsibility,” Academy of Management Review, 32 (3), 946–67.
17.
CarverCharles S.ScheierMichael F. (1982), “Control Theory: A Useful Conceptual Framework for Personality-Social, Clinical, and Health Psychology,” Psychological Bulletin, 92 (1), 111–35.
18.
Chmielewski-RaimondoDana A.ShamsollahiAliBellSimon J.HeideJan B. (2022), “When the Honeymoon Is Over: A Theory of Relationship Liabilities and Evolutionary Processes,” Journal of Marketing, 86 (6), 32–49.
19.
ClarkTerryKeyThomasHodisMonicaRajaratnamDaniel (2014), “The Intellectual Ecology of Mainstream Marketing Research: An Inquiry into the Place of Marketing in the Family of Business Disciplines,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 42, 223–41.
20.
CorleyKathleen G.GioiaDennis (2011), “Building Theory About Theory Building: What Constitutes a Theoretical Contribution?” Academy of Management Review, 36 (1), 12–32.
21.
CornelissenJoep (2017), “Developing Propositions, a Process Model, or a Typology? Addressing the Challenges of Writing Theory Without a Boilerplate,” Academy of Management Review, 42 (1), 1–9.
22.
CsaszarFelipe A. (2020), “Certum Quod Factum: How Formal Models Contribute to the Theoretical and Empirical Robustness of Organization Theory,” Journal of Management, 46 (7), 1289–301.
23.
DavenportThomasGuhaAbhijitGrewalDhruvBressgottTimna (2020), “How Artificial Intelligence Will Change the Future of Marketing,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48 (1), 24–42.
24.
DelbridgeRickFissPeer C. (2013), “Editors’ Comments: Styles of Theorizing and the Social Organization of Knowledge,” Academy of Management Review, 38 (3), 325–31.
EaglyAlice H.KarauSteven J. (2002), “Role Congruity Theory of Prejudice Toward Female Leaders,” Psychological Review, 109 (3), 573–98.
27.
EckhardtGita V.HoustonMark B.JiangBinLambertonCarolineRindfleischAdamZervasGeorgios (2019), “Marketing in the Sharing Economy,” Journal of Marketing, 83 (5), 5–27.
GrantAdam M.PollockTimothy G. (2011), “Publishing in AMJ—Part 3: Setting the Hook,” Academy of Management Journal, 54 (5), 873–79.
33.
GrewalRajdeepGuptaSachinHamiltonRebecca (2020), “The Journal of Marketing Research Today: Spanning the Domains of Marketing Scholarship,” Journal of Marketing Research, 57 (6), 985–98.
34.
GronroosChristianVoimaPäivi (2013), “Critical Service Logic: Making Sense of Value Creation and Co-Creation,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41 (2), 133–50.
35.
HaidtJonathan (2001), “The Emotional Dog and Its Rational Tail: A Social Intuitionist Approach to Moral Judgment,” Psychological Review, 108 (4), 814–34.
36.
HannahDouglas P.TidharRonEisenhardtKathleen M. (2021), “Analytic Models in Strategy, Organizations, and Management Research: A Guide for Consumers,” Strategic Management Journal, 42 (2), 329–60.
37.
HenrichJosephHeineSteven J.NorenzayanAra (2010), “The Weirdest People in the World?” Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 33 (2–3), 61–83.
38.
HoffmanDonna L.MoreauPage C.StremerschStefanWedelMichel (2022), “The Rise of New Technologies in Marketing: A Framework and Outlook,” Journal of Marketing, 86 (1), 1–6.
39.
HollebeekLinda D.SrivastavaRajendra K.ClarkMoira K.UrbonaviciusSigitasLimWeng Marc (2024), “Crafting Conceptual Proposition-Based Contributions: The 7C Framework,” Psychology & Marketing, 41 (10), 2396–411.
40.
HuangMing-HuiRustRoland T. (2022), “A Framework for Collaborative Artificial Intelligence in Marketing,” Journal of Retailing, 98 (2), 209–23.
41.
HullandJohn (2020), “Conceptual Review Papers: Revisiting Existing Research to Develop and Refine Theory,” AMS Review, 10, 27–35.
KahnemanDanielTverskyAmos (1979), “Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk,” Econometrica, 47 (2), 263–91.
44.
KellerKevin L. (1993), “Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity,” Journal of Marketing, 57 (1), 1–22.
45.
KindermannBastianWentzelDanielAntonsDavidSalgeTorsten-Oliver (2024), “Conceptual Contributions in Marketing Scholarship: Patterns, Mechanisms, and Rebalancing Options,” Journal of Marketing, 88 (3), 29–49.
46.
KohliAjay K.JaworskiBernard J. (1990), “Market Orientation: The Construct, Research Propositions, and Managerial Implications,” Journal of Marketing, 54 (2), 1–18.
47.
KozlenkovaIrina V.SamahaStephenPalmatierRobert W. (2014), “Resource-Based Theory in Marketing,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 42 (1), 1–21.
48.
KuhnT. (1962), The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. University of Chicago Press.
49.
LangeDavidPfarrerMatthew D. (2017), “Editors’ Comments: Sense and Structure—the Core Building Blocks of an AMR Article,” Academy of Management Review, 42 (3), 407–16.
50.
LeeJenniferKimHyunuk (2023), “Conceptual Articles May Disrupt the Field of Marketing: Evidence from a GPT-Assisted Study,” arXiv, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2308.14724.
51.
LemonKatherine N.VerhoefPeter C. (2016), “Understanding Customer Experience Throughout the Customer Journey,” Journal of Marketing, 80 (6), 69–96.
52.
LeungFine F.GuFlora F.PalmatierRobert W. (2022), “Online Influencer Marketing,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 50, 226–51.
53.
LongoniChiaraCianLuca (2022), “Artificial Intelligence in Utilitarian vs. Hedonic Contexts: The ‘Word-of-Machine’ Effect,” Journal of Marketing, 86 (1), 91–108.
54.
MacInnisDeborah J. (2011), “A Framework for Conceptual Contributions in Marketing,” Journal of Marketing, 75 (4), 136–54.
55.
MacInnisDeborah J. (2016/2017), “Developing Conceptual Articles for JCR,” Journal of Consumer Research, Research Curation, https://academic.oup.com/jcr/pages/developing_conceptual_articles_for_jcr.
56.
MakadokRichardBurtonRichard M.BarneyJay B. (2018), “A Practical Guide for Making Theory Contributions in Strategic Management,” Strategic Management Journal, 39 (6), 1530–45.
MartinKelly D.MurphyPatrick E. (2017), “The Role of Data Privacy in Marketing,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45 (2), 135–55.
59.
MattenDirk W.MoonJeremy J. (2008), “‘Implicit’ and ‘Explicit’ CSR: A Conceptual Framework for a Comparative Understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility,” Academy of Management Review, 33 (2), 404–24.
60.
MiaoFredKozlenkovaIrina V.WangHaizhongXieTaoPalmatierRobert W. (2022), “An Emerging Theory of Avatar Marketing,” Journal of Marketing, 86 (1), 67–90.
61.
MillerJoshua B.SanjurjoAdam (2019), “A Bridge from Monty Hall to the Hot Hand: The Principle of Restricted Choice,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 33 (3), 144–62.
62.
MoormanChristineVan HeerdeHarald J.MoreauCaroline P.PalmatierRobert W. (2022), “From Vision to Reality: Lessons in Creating a Marketplace of Ideas,” Journal of Marketing, 86 (6), 4–12.
63.
PalmatierRobert W.HoustonMark B.HullandJohn (2018), “Review Articles: Purpose, Process, and Structure,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 46 (1), 1–5.
ParasuramanAnantharanthanZeithamlValarie A.BerryLeonard L. (1985), “A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research,” Journal of Marketing, 49 (4), 41–50.
66.
PayneAdrian F.StorbackaKajFrowPennie (2008), “Managing the Co-Creation of Value,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36 (1), 83–96.
67.
PeracchioLaura A.EscalasJennifer Edson (2008), “Tell Me a Story: Crafting and Publishing Research in Consumer Psychology,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 18 (3), 197–204.
PuntoniStefanoReczekRebecca W.GieslerMarkusBottiSimona (2021), “Consumers and Artificial Intelligence: An Experiential Perspective,” Journal of Marketing, 85 (1), 131–51.
70.
QuachSaraThaichonParkMartinKelly D.WeavenScottPalmatierRobert W. (2022), “Digital Technologies: Tensions in Privacy and Data,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 50, 1299–323.
71.
RoschE. (1975), “Cognitive Representations of Semantic Categories.,” Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 104 (3), 192–233.
72.
RudnerRichard S. (1966), Philosophy of Social Science. Prentice Hall.
73.
RussellJames A. (2003), “Core Affect and the Psychological Construction of Emotion,” Psychological Review, 110 (1), 145–72.
SarasvathySaras D. (2001), “Causation and Effectuation: Toward a Theoretical Shift from Economic Inevitability to Entrepreneurial Contingency,” Academy of Management Review, 26 (2), 243–63.
76.
SmithWendy K.LewisMarianne W. (2011), “Toward a Theory of Paradox: A Dynamic Equilibrium Model of Organizing,” Academy of Management Review, 36 (2), 381–403.
StephenAndrew T.ZubcsekPeter P.GoldenbergJacob (2016), “Lower Connectivity Is Better: The Effects of Network Structure on Redundancy of Ideas and Customer Innovativeness in Interdependent Ideation Tasks,” Journal of Marketing Research, 53 (2), 263–79.
79.
StorrWill (2019), The Science of Storytelling. HarperCollins.
80.
SuddabyRoy (2014), “Why Theory?” Academy of Management Review, 39 (4), 407–11.
81.
SwaminathanVanithaLambertonCaitSridharShrihariMarinovaDetelina (2023), “Paradigms for Progress: An Anomaly-First Framework for Paradigm Development,” Journal of Marketing, 87 (6), 816–25.
82.
SwordHelen (2012), Stylish Academic Writing. Harvard University Press.
83.
TanYong-ChinChandukalaSandeep R.ReddySrinivas K. (2022), “Augmented Reality in Retail and Its Impact on Sales,” Journal of Marketing, 86 (1), 48–66.
84.
ThatcherSherry M.B.FisherGreg (2022), “The Nuts and Bolts of Writing a Theory Paper: A Practical Guide to Getting Started,” Academy of Management Review, 47 (1), 1–8.
85.
TropeYaacov (2004), “Theory in Social Psychology: Seeing the Forest and the Trees,” Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8 (2), 193–200.
86.
Van HeerdeHarald J.MoormanChristineMoreauC. PagePalmatierRobert W. (2021), “Reality Check: Infusing Ecological Value into Academic Marketing Research,” Journal of Marketing, 85 (2), 1–13.
WarrenNooshin L.FarmerMatthewGuTianyuWarrenCaleb (2021), “Marketing Ideas: How to Write Research Articles That Readers Understand and Cite,” Journal of Marketing, 85 (5), 42–57.
92.
WernerfeltBirger (1984), “A Resource-Based View of the Firm,” Strategic Management Journal, 5 (2), 171–80.
93.
WhiteKatherineHabibRishadHardistyDavid J. (2019), “How to SHIFT Consumer Behaviors to Be More Sustainable: A Literature Review and Guiding Framework,” Journal of Marketing, 83 (3), 22–49.
94.
WilliamsLawrence E.PoehlmanAndrew T. (2017), “Conceptualizing Consciousness in Consumer Research,” Journal of Consumer Research, 44 (2), 231–51.
95.
YadavManjit S. (2010), “The Decline of Conceptual Articles and Implications for Knowledge Development,” Journal of Marketing, 74 (1), 1–19.
96.
ZahraShaker A.GeorgeGerard (2002), “Absorptive Capacity: A Review, Reconceptualization, and Extension,” Academy of Management Review, 27 (2), 185–203.
97.
ZeithamlValarie A.JaworskiBernard J.KohliAjay K.TuliKapil R.UlagaWolfgangZaltmanGerald (2020), “A Theories-in-Use Approach to Building Marketing Theory,” Journal of Marketing, 84 (1), 32–51.
98.
ZuboffShoshana (2019), The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. Public Affairs.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
