Journal of Marketing Research: 2 Ps

The first issue of the Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) was published 40 years ago, at a time when I was still in high school and 4 years before I became interested in marketing. My interest was stimulated after I moved from the Netherlands to the United States. The American Marketing Association had created a new journal in 1964, partly in response to researchers’ demands for an outlet that would publish papers with a scientific orientation. To witness, the president of the American Marketing Association emphasized that the journal was intended to advance science in marketing (Davidson 1964). I note that JMR was initiated just a few years after the Gordon–Howell Report (Gordon and Howell 1959), which stimulated the incorporation of core disciplines in research at business schools. Consistent with this idea, Davidson refers to the intent of JMR to publish applications of quantitative methods and behavioral science approaches to marketing problems. During the 40 years of JMR’s existence, the nature and focus of research in marketing has changed dramatically, yet the two arguments made by Davidson (to advance science in marketing and to publish applications of quantitative methods and behavioral science approaches) are just as applicable today. In this editorial, I briefly review the history of JMR and discuss related developments. By reviewing the published editorial statements, I want to acknowledge the 12 previous editors and then describe my own perspective on the 2Ps that are critical to the management of the journal: positioning and process. I describe selected aspects of JMR’s history, delineate my intended positioning, and finish with a description of the new process I have implemented.