Marketing’s next era: The scope and impact of marketing’s future, the reach and legacy of Shelby Hunt

Abstract

Shelby Hunt’s career epitomized the ideal of substantive contributions and lasting impact. Moreover, his work stands as exemplary for how meaningful theoretical and conceptual academic research is done. This paper takes up what may arguably be Hunt’s last and most significant research agenda, the future of marketing. Hunt’s final research program was essentially a response to marketing’s past, an evaluation of its present state, and thoughtful conjectures on possible trajectories into its future. Building on this work, the authors reassess the progress of marketing relative to other business disciplines by updating the citation analysis of Clark et al. (2014). The authors also take up Hunt’s third prescription for the re-institutionalization of the field as it enters Era V by offering recommendations for the reform of marketing doctoral programs. Finally, the paper takes up and extends Hunt’s seminal R-A theory and applies it to, 1) shed light on the discipline’s declining influence and competitive disadvantage, and 2) shed light on Hunt’s own success and competitive advantage as a scholar.