Call for special issue on “Brand and Innovation Interdependency”

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

Call for Papers for a Special Issue on

“Brand and Innovation Interdependency”

Guest edited by Barry L. Bayus, Tim Oliver Brexendorf, and Kevin Lane Keller

The topics of brand and innovation management are strongly interrelated. Strong brands are not only supported by innovation, but they are also an important path to and source of innovation.

Brands give new products and services meaning and guidance and facilitate and support the process of the new product and services launch. The brand allows ownership of the innovation, adds credibility and legitimacy, enhances visibility, and supports communication. Concurrently, successful product/services innovations strengthen brand equity because they may reinforce and in some cases broaden brand meaning, help to revitalize brands, act as an effective measure against private labels, and improve brand value and profitability.

A lot of research is done in the fields of brand management and product innovation management separately. Although both the search for product innovation excellence and for brand leadership have clearly become important management priorities and points of differentiation for many companies (e.g., Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Henkel), the relationship between product innovation and branding is still under researched. Preliminary research findings indicate complex interactions among product innovation and brand management. Nevertheless, little integration of these two streams with each other has appeared.

To address these issues, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science is issuing a call for papers that explore the relationship between innovation and brand management. Submissions should address gaps that exist in the research of product and service innovation and brand management and investigate related research questions. Critical questions include:

• How should a brand be managed as a growth platform for innovations?
• What does the brand need and how can the brand support an innovation?
• What is the effect of existing product and brand portfolios on successful launch strategies?
• How can the long-term new product potential of a brand be assessed?
• What are successful branding strategies for different forms of innovation?
• What kind of brand associations facilitate or inhibit the introduction of new product or service innovations?
• Are there any downsides of innovation for brand equity? Can innovation lead to consumer confusion, frustration, or mistrust?
• How do brand credibility and brand trust influence the perception of new products?
• What is the impact of new product preannouncements on brand perceptions?
• How do various launch strategies strengthen brand equity?
• How do brand values influence product development processes?
• How does brand position influence the organization of innovation activities?
• How does the breadth of a firm’s brand portfolio influence its R&D processes?
• What is the relationship between product design and branding?
• How can product design enhance a firm’s branding strategy?

Papers targeting the special issue should be submitted using the JAMS submission system (www.edmgr.com/jams) and will also undergo the same review process as regularly submitted papers. The deadline for submission is February 15, 2014. Questions pertaining to the special issue should be directed to Tim Oliver Brexendorf (tim.brexendorf@whu.edu) or the JAMS Editorial Office.

JAMS Editorial Office

G. Tomas M. Hult, Editor

Anne Hoekman, Managing Editor

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI 48864-1121, USA

Phone: +1-517-353-4336

Email: jams@msu.edu