Some Reflections on the State of Business-to-Business Marketing Research

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose This interlude mirrors some of the issues raised in Tanner’s recent paper (2021) on areas of contribution, made to the field: a review of several inflection points that led to the evolution of business-to-business (B-to-B) marketing research, the lack of relevance of B-to-B marketing research, and the challenge of little B-to-B research reaching mainstream journals. Acknowledged is that the issues addressed are timely and relevant to an inquiry into the current state of B-to-B research. It is agreed that B-to-B research remains under-represented in marketing literature and that B-to-B marketing research should be of value, if more practical. However, it is also argued that a more thoughtful discussion on the journals that publish B-to-B marketing studies is needed. There is a rising trend in the number and impact of Journal of Business to Business Marketing (JBBM) publications per year, not fully captured in Tanner’s study. This paper, augments that paper, by reflecting on some of the issues raised, while discussing implications beneficial for all our organizational marketing researchers. Design/methodology/approach This is both an assessment of historical data, literature review, and a contemporary analysis of business marketing research. It is based on the author’ interpretation of the case of relevance in B-to-B marketing research and the relative importance of JBBM within the field of B-to-B marketing. Findings A stronger case is made, for the relevance gap in B-to-B marketing research providing insights on, what does managerial relevance involve, why is there a gap between academics and practitioners, and how the gap can be bridged. Academics and practitioners agree that academic research should be of more practical value. However, their respective priorities differ. For academics publishing in refereed journals is the first priority and influencing practice is lower priority, while practitioners are not interested in the methodological and theoretical advances of business marketing research; their priority is to satisfy day-to-day practical needs. In addition, this article corrects the record on the relative importance of B-to-B journals in the contribution of studies of B-to-B marketing. JBBM’s growth in quality and influence to the field is documented. Practical implications The study provides academics with guidance concerning how B-to-B marketing research can have a greater effect on the practice of marketing. Originality/value This article contributes to the research base by identifying and discussing constantly emerging aspects of the academic/practitioner gap. The study also offers insights into how managerial relevance in marketing research can, practically, be improved. Also, this article reveals the impact that JBBM is achieving by fostering the evolution of business marketing.