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The purpose of this paper is to explore the virtual consumption communities which cohere around the object of the car. Focusing upon the cultural practice of debadging, the paper intends to reveal forms of connectivity and resistance within communities of car customization.

A netnography in the form of non‐participant observation is used to explore the talk of car aficionados around issues of customization and affiliation.

The paper discusses the importance of internet discussion boards as forums for the exchange of information and advice, but also as a site to express their passion for cars and their affiliation with like‐minded others. The research reveals that the question of aesthetics is a significant one for car aficionados. This enables us to theorize such consumers as akin to designers for whom the discussion boards exist as key reference points.

This is an exploratory study and its primary limitation is one of scope and method. Netnography provides access to web‐based communication. In this sense, a novel channel of access to new forms of expression and ways of doing social relations is employed. Clearly, the insights generated from this study are mediated by the character of the empirical site and the limits of non‐participatory netnography.

The originality of the paper resides in its attempt to theorize the significance of the cultural practice of debadging as a key constituent in community‐formation.

Portfolio analysis has been subjected to considerable scrutiny in recent years. Describes an attempt to recast it in the light of past criticisms and the unyielding importance of competitive considerations to marketing decision making. It does not introduce another new portfolio matrix. Rather it describes a broadly based approach that gives users more control over portfolio design and analysis. Describes a data‐driven approach to the analysis of competitive position that has its origins in a portfolio‐based methodology previously described by Moutinho in 1987. The Stratlogic approach is not driven by a pre‐specified portfolio model and its derived matrix. Instead it involves users in a procedure that combines multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. Inputs include empirical data on the scope and resourcing of marketing strategies as well as the performance of players in a defined competitive set. Describes the proposed methodology. It also draws attention to some technical and managerial issues that arise from the flexibility and control that the stratlogic approach affords the user. This work is part of a programme of funded research into the development of expert systems for areas of strategic marketing decision making.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how discourse and figure nurture the narrative “capital” available to the community of marketing scholars through expanding its horizon of translational frames. It specifically discusses one such translational frame as presented within Holbrook’s (2015) discussion of jazz within a narrative of marketing management and how it enhances the understanding of marketing as a creative cultural force.

Generalising from “jazz” to tropics, the commentary discusses three thematic reflective possibilities inspired by Holbrook’s article: content strategy; visual fluency and marketing creativity; and wider visions. This paper also examines how discussions about the wider public understanding of marketing can draw inspiration from the narrative framework suggested by Holbrook (2015) and his calculus of constructive ambiguity.

As an area of study, tropics enriches the reflexive awareness of how the discipline of marketing is understood within academia and its various stakeholder communities.

The academic discipline of marketing needs to continuously reimagine itself and its relation to the changing social order in order to participate in dialogue with it.

In particular, the commentary examines the jazz metaphor developed by Holbrook (2015) and suggests how this could affect the way that marketing presents itself within wider social contexts.

The purpose of this paper is to explore recent arguments about the nature of the marketing discipline, to state a point of view, and to stimulate debate.

The paper takes the approach of a response to recent viewpoints, with implicit permission to think aloud.

Marketing's “identity” crisis is alive, well and profitable, and has manifested itself most recently as the “critical” movement within contemporary marketing scholarship. The reasons are firmly embedded in conventionalized scholarly tradition and the silent institutions that support it, whereby marketing scholars mobilise convenient rhetorics to shift goalposts and build declarative statements that often confuse ontology with tautology.

The integrative work that the discipline requires will be facilitated by a clearer understanding of the evolving institutional horizon, and how it defines acceptable knowledge‐making practices.

An improved understanding of the functions of institutions in defining admissible knowledge‐making practice will help reform structures by means of which academic practitioners relate to the subjects they research, puncturing over‐inflated and unhelpful debates about relevance, or theory and practice. This will benefit students, consultants, planners, strategists, and everyone in general.

The paper presents a glimpse of oneself, if one is a marketing academic, and how one makes marketing “marketing” in a world of increasing specialization and the canonization of minutiae.

The purpose of this short opinion piece is to focus on the role of marketing, its theory and practice, and its relevance now and in the future.

The article analyses the present situation – which is not new – the perceived divide between marketing theory and marketing practice and, therefore, the issue of what academics should research and teach that might be of relevance to practitioners.

The article shows that if marketers – both academic and practitioner – are to meet and resolve the present challenges then they need to be customer focused, build long‐term relationships with customers, and think of their life‐time value as opposed to their short‐term profitability.

The article highlights issues of relevance to those involved with marketing theory and practice.

The main aim of this paper is to stimulate more relevant and critical ideas about marketing and the wider management field by exploring the actual and potential contribution of metaphor to marketing theory and practice. The subsequent connections made can help contribute towards understanding and coping with the theory/practice gap.

To date, the majority of metaphor application has tended to be literal and surface‐level rather than theoretically grounded. This paper interrogates the literature surrounding metaphor in marketing and management fields, while also examining the contribution of other areas such as art. The paper constructs and debates the conceptual notion of the marketer as an artist.

Incorporation of theoretically grounded metaphors into marketing theory can help develop a form of marketing which is capable of dealing with ambiguity, chaotic market conditions, creative thinking and practice.

Adoption of a metaphorical approach to marketing research helps to instil a critical and creative ethos in the research process. Marketers are concerned with identification and exploitation of opportunities. Metaphor assists in the process by enhancing visualisation of these future directions. We live out our lives to a large degree through the making of metaphorical connections. We should therefore embrace more qualitative, creative associations in marketing theory, as well as practice.

This paper seeks to highlight the significance of the recent debate on the “academic‐practitioner divide” for postgraduate marketing education in terms of informing objectives, chosen scope and structure and service provision.

Data were collected on 60 programmes at 45 UK higher education institutions (HEIs) by desk research and from 129 PG students enrolled at five British Universities by means of a questionnaire.

It was found that these were close parallels between PG and UG programmes in the UK. From the perspective of students intending to become marketing practitioners, five key strengths and weaknesses of current marketing education provision were identified.

Data on current PG marketing programmes was only collected from a sample of UK HEI's and not internationally. Data from students was collected only from five UK Universities.

Suggestions are made for the ways and means by which PG programmes can be enhanced pedagogically and made more relevant to practice. Brief proposals are also made in respect of improving input into programme and class design by current practitioners – especially programme alumni.

It is hoped that all sections of this paper will be of value to postgraduate programme leaders in directing, leading and developing their courses strategically and tactically.

This paper aims to discuss issues concerning the desirability of finding ways to close the gap between academic research and management practice – especially in the case of marketing and consumer research.

The issues are addressed by means of a personal essay.

The discussion adopts the extreme viewpoint that achieving a reconciliation or resolution of the differences between scholarly inquiry and managerial relevance in either research or teaching constitutes an undesirable or even deplorable form of compromise.

The essay concludes that – contrary to the wisdom of Goldilocks – compromise between academic scholarship and practical relevance merits opprobrium rather than approbation.

Aims to delineate and explore the terrain of mainstream literature on strategic marketing management. Draws attention to the important role of judgement in almost everything that marketing managers do and for organizations. Considers the orthodox treatment of uncertainty and judgement in marketing management and strategy and concludes that it is restrictive in that it presupposes an approach to strategic decision making that is the exception, not the norm. Highlights the important role of the personal development and learning of top marketing managers as investments in the quality of marketing judgement.