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This paper addresses the question of when market leaders are most likely to be attacked. It does so by discussing the circumstances associated with competitors' attacks on 21 market leaders. These circumstances and the 21 competitive encounters are used to present a twelve‐point checklist which market leaders can use in answering the title question.

Describes a study reviewing recent histories of new product ideas in order to devise a framework of their sources. Proposes a classification of sources for new product ideas through laboratory, management, company situation, distribution, supplier, consumer, marketplace, foreign products, and government regulations. Surmises that successful innovation requires an understanding of the sources of new ideas, and that the proposed framework is more effective than other paradigms.

According to most textbooks, the widely accepted Booz, Allen and Hamilton (BAH) conceptual framework is supposedly the best way to go through the new product development process. That is, the textbooks imply that companies will achieve the best results if they follow the BAH conceptual framework. The authors studied ten new products to identify how marketing research was utilized during their development and introduction. The actual “practice” of marketing research usage was then compared with the BAH framework. The comparison showed that marketing research usage in practice was noticeably different from the usage implied by the BAH conceptual framework, thus suggesting that the latter does not hold up perfectly. The authors offer some suggestions as to when the conceptual framework for marketing research usage should be modified, and what the nature of those modifications might be.

In my forty years of academic research, I have seen the scope of consumer behavior expanded in many directions, both theoretical and practical. One direction has been a dramatic growth beyond behavioral responses to marketing efforts and simple decision making to include the understanding of how consumers process and internalize information and respond to market stimuli at both conscious and subconscious levels.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the development and application of marketing theory and practice over time and its current status. The terms “brickbats” and “bouquets” are used as metaphors to extend praise or criticism for marketing. In doing so, the authors draw upon the views of leading theorists over time and apply these in the current environmental context.

The approach adopted is discursive, critical and conceptual.

Following literature review, and drawing upon current examples, marketing as a discipline is subject to both kudos and criticisms. Nonetheless, it is concluded optimistically in that marketing can be an even greater source for societal good. That “goodness” is partly based upon the added impetus of social media adoption and use by consumers, the need for growth and accelerative innovation in the digital age coupled with the democratisation of consumption. Nonetheless, the authors offer the caveat that free competitive markets lead to market failures, and the need for market regulation by governments is becoming more evident.

The implications of the paper are profound. Academics should be concerned in and involved with marketing theory. Questions need to be raised concerning non-robust definitions of marketing and its application. The authors wait for a consumer-led approach to marketing to add depth to the marketing theory.

Marketers need to be made more accountable for their actions. Consumers need to become part of the marketing process. Marketing claims need to be verified by delivered benefits. Companies need to take steps to ensure that the marketing process does not end at purchase. Satisfaction needs to be made manifest. Likewise, dissatisfactions need to be managed well as part of the marketing process.

Too much marketing currently is relatively unregulated in the sense that there are so few opportunities to evade its myriad reach and – despite social media – little chance of changing marketing practice for the good of societies. Many criticisms of marketing practice are not being addressed in the literature.

Marketing is a vibrant force in all nations and markets. It is deeply rooted in business practice. It is contemporaneous and relevant. It is global and national. But, it is not entirely all good news. There are caveats and criticisms as well as kudos and praise. While both are addressed here, the topic needs to be considered for marketing and its accompanying theory and practice to change.

The purpose of this paper is to discover factors that led to the rise of relationship marketing in practice and academics, and what factors are likely to reshape the future direction of relationship marketing.

This autobiography sums up the life story of one of the contributors to the history of inquiry and instruction in the field of marketing, with special attention to the historical developments that have influenced the study of consumer behavior and the concept of branding.

This paper is an autobiographical essay, a personal history.

The reminiscence illustrates the way life experiences evolve, showing the interaction among personal growth, education, career choices and work experience that led to Professor Levy’s contributions to the field of marketing education and its research literature.

The paper describes a unique life, and an unusual explication of the personal life sources of influential ideas. It is novel in its large perspective and integrative narrative, and the unusual exposure of its various conceptual issues and links. It should be of interest to marketing historians, managers and scholars of marketing education.

This study aims to develop an empathetic and user-centric customer support service design model. Though service design has been a critical research focus for several decades, few studies focus on customer support services. As customer support gains importance as a source of competitive advantage in the present era, this paper aims to contribute to industry and academia by exploring the service design model.

The study adopted a theories-in-use approach to elucidate mental models based on the industry’s best practices. In-depth interviews with 62 professionals led to critical insights into customer service design development, supported by service-dominant logic and theory of mind principles.

The ensuing insights led to a model that connects the antecedents and outcomes of empathetic and user-centric customer service design. The precursors include people, processes and technology, while the results are user experience, service trust and service advocacy. The model also emphasises the significance of the user’s journey and the user service review in the overall service design.

The model developed through this study addresses the critical gap concerning the lack of service design research in customer support services. The key insights from this study contribute to the ongoing research endeavours towards transitioning customer support services from an operational unit to a strategic value-creating function. Future scholars may investigate the applicability of the empathetic user service design across cultures and industries. The new model must be customised using real-time data and analytics across user journey stages.

The empathetic and user-centric design can elevate the customer service function as a significant contributor to the overall customer experience, loyalty and positive word of mouth. Practitioners can adopt the new model to provide superior customer service experiences. This original research was developed through crucial insights from interviews with senior industry professionals.

This research is the original work developed through the key insights from the interview with senior industry professionals.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is used by banking services primarily to automate systems; however, this ecosystem does not work in emerging markets because human intervention is needed, and there are concerns related to infrastructure. There is plenty of research on AI-mediated banking services, but the existing discussions are cumbersome, and studies on AI's service features in banking for emerging markets are limited. Furthermore, the ongoing discussions are centred on developed markets where automation in banking services is noteworthy and accepted. Through this paper, the authors emphasise the relevance of AI mediation in emerging markets and the possible role of strategising AI in banking services for personalised experiences.

The authors' article followed an exploratory, inductive approach through in-depth interviews and thematic analysis. In total, 36 financial experts were interviewed, and the relevant perspectives were analysed to develop the research process and framework for a personalised banking experience.

The authors' paper introduced five key themes and presented those themes accordingly. The first theme details the importance of AI-mediated banking and the skills necessary for operational capacity. The second theme is on the relevance of AI-mediated banking awareness amongst users. The third is about channelling the importance of AI-driven interfaces through managers and employees. Fourth, the authors emphasised the relevance of human intervention due to users' demographic patterns. The fifth theme led to a discussion on personalised AI-mediated banking services.

The authors recommend that managers understand the relevance of quality service amongst users. The authors' paper discusses the relevance of AI and human intervention in banking services; however, the process for seamless, personalised banking experiences is not provided. Thus, this paper encourages managers to build a banking ecosystem that delivers a seamless banking experience through AI.

The authors' paper highlights the importance of human intervention in AI-driven banking by introducing personalised service experience elements and highlighting the role of customer experience in AI-driven banking services in emerging markets.