Abstract Purpose – Outsourcing has been promoted as one of the most powerful trends in the modernization of marketing operations. The rationale for such an undertaking includes a variety of factors but is generally predicated on fiduciary considerations. The purpose of this article is to examine the issues with, and the empirical consequences of, outsourcing within the intercollegiate marketing context. Design/methodology/approach – This is an exploratory mixed-methods study incorporating qualitative and quantitative data to investigate outsourcing specifically related to the communication-employee commitment relationship. Findings – Results from study 1 reveal that marketing directors perceive outsourcing as critical but also experience dissatisfaction with the level, frequency, and direction of communication. Results from study 2 indicate that an explicit and positive relationship exists between employee satisfaction with communication and their resultant commitment to the organization. Research limitations/implications – Owing to the exploratory nature of the study and a relatively small sample, the conclusions are tempered until subsequent studies have been performed. As well, specific moderating variables (e.g. size, culture, budget) were not included in this initial inquiry and as such may add considerable variance explained to the proposed relationship. Practical implications – First, the authors suggest that managing the “right commitment” is essential for marketing departments when working with an outsourcing agency. Second, the authors call attention to the importance of certain contextual factors (e.g. shared knowledge, mutual dependency, and organizational linkage) that may serve to improve the outsourcing partnership. Originality/value – Few papers have explored the communication-commitment relationship, particularly with regards to outsourcing. Consequently, this study adds to the research by examining how intercollegiate marketing employees perceive and react to an outsourcing partnership. Building on additional work in this area, the research focuses on several aspects of the communication-commitment framework not previously examined. Keywords Marketing, Outsourcing, Partnership, Universities Paper type Research paper

Abstract Marketing strategy is a construct that lies at the conceptual heart of the field of strategic marketing and is central to the practice of marketing. It is also the area within which many of the most pressing current challenges identified by marketers and CMOs arise. We develop a new conceptualization of the domain and sub-domains of marketing strategy and use this lens to assess the current state of marketing strategy research by examining the papers in the six most influential marketing journals over the period 1999 through 2017. We uncover important challenges to marketing strategy research—not least the increasingly limited number and focus of studies, and the declining use of both theory and primary research designs. However, we also uncover numerous opportunities for developing important and highly relevant new marketing strategy knowledge—the number and importance of unanswered marketing strategy questions and opportunities to impact practice has arguably never been greater. To guide such research, we develop a new research agenda that provides opportunities for researchers to develop new theory, establish clear relevance, and contribute to improving practice.

Abstract Firms struggle to manage touchpoints in their customer journey that consumers perceive as dissatisfying. Based on attribution theory and associative learning we examine branded outsourcing as a strategic means to reduce such touchpoints’ negative impact on brand evaluations. We find in the field and in a series of experimental studies that brands can reduce the detrimental impact of dissatisfying touchpoints. This effect is reversed for satisfying touchpoints. Importantly, we find that the explanation for the effect of branded outsourcing goes beyond consumers’ responsibility attributions. Rather, we find evidence that branded outsourcing reduces the extent to which consumers mentally associate the focal brand with the outsourced touchpoint, which results in a shift in brand evaluations. In an additional study we show that a strong thirdparty brand is not always more beneficial than a weak third-party brand, which further enhances the managerial relevance of our findings. Keywords Branded outsourcing . Consumer-based strategy . Brand associations