JAMS Q & A TMS
We interviewed the guest editors of the upcoming JAMS Special Issue on Transformative Marketing Strategies: Embracing the Future to learn more about the inspiration behind the call for papers, their vision for the topic, and advice for prospective authors. In this Q&A, the editors share valuable insights and discuss how this special issue aims to advance understanding and shape future research in the field.
Guest Editors
V. Kumar (VK), Goodman School of Business, Brock University, ON, Canada
Philip Kotler, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, USA
Ajay Kumar, EMLYON Business School, France
Read the full Call for Papers: https://link.springer.com/journal/11747/updates/27810450
Submission Window: July 1, 2026 - August 31, 2026
1. What inspired you to develop this special issue on Transformative Marketing Strategies?
The motivation for the special issue comes from our forthcoming article on Transformative Marketing Strategies in JAMS. The reference for this article is given below:
Kumar, V., Philip Kotler and Ajay Kumar, (forthcoming), “Transformative Marketing Strategies: Principles, Plan, Purpose and Practice, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.
When working on this article, we sensed that we need to know is bigger than what is known.
In other words, it is about time that our community of scholars worked together to offer better prospects for the future through ethical use of AI and practicing Responsible AI.
Here is the briefing about Transformative Marketing Strategies (TMS) from our article:
“New age technologies (NATs) such as generative AI (GAI), agentic AI, the metaverse, and blockchain, among others, are revolutionizing how firms engage with consumers, deliver value, create new content, and personalize experiences at various levels (e.g., brand, product, product line, business unit, and firm). Based on the growing importance of NATs, TMS explores the following four questions: (1) What are transformative marketing strategies (Principles)? (2) How are they developed (Plan)? (3) Why are they needed (Purpose)? and (4) Where can they be used (Practice)? Accordingly, this study considers seven popular marketing strategies firms use – pricing, distribution, product, promotion, selling, global market entry, and innovation – that are included in TMS. Using various use cases across these marketing strategies, this study discusses how marketing managers can use these NATs to enhance productivity, create personalized marketing experiences, make more informed strategic decisions, and drive higher engagement with minimal manual effort. This study also advances a 2X2 matrix—the relative speed of NAT adoption vs. the relative speed of relevant marketing strategy adaptation—that offers a structured framework to help firms integrate and manage these seven strategies for better performance.”
Through the intersection of NATs and marketing adaptability, we identify several research questions and establish a foundation for the future of TMS in the era of NATs. These questions prompted us to work on a special issue focusing on TMS.
2. The CFP lists several suggested topics and research questions. What do you hope this special issue will achieve for both the academic and practitioner communities?
We hope that the special issue will bring much required insights to the 7 core domains of marketing strategy in addition to other potential areas:
Data privacy and consent complexities: TMS relies extensively on personal, behavioral, and contextual data to deliver hyper-personalized and immersive experiences. However, this dependence raises serious concerns about data privacy, surveillance, and informed consent. The trade-off between customer intimacy and ethical responsibility must be carefully managed.
Implementation barriers and cost considerations: TMS demands substantial investment in the firm’s internal technological capabilities, workforce capabilities, organizational change, and strategic realignment. High implementation costs, associated with such substantial investment for advanced data platforms, AI pipelines, and immersive content systems, can overwhelm firms. This may lead to a situation where firms may initiate TMS pilot projects only to experience a “proof-of-concept plateau,” after which scaling becomes elusive. Should TMS be approached as a phased transformation, with clear governance, experimentation budgets, and risk mitigation strategies?
Organizational inertia and cultural resistance: TMS represents a fundamental reorientation of marketing philosophy, structure, and culture. Many organizations, especially those with hierarchical structures or legacy success, encounter organizational inertia that resists transformation. Does successful TMS implementation depend on transformational leadership, change management programs, and upskilling initiatives to prepare the workforce for new capabilities and mindsets?
Technological readiness and ecosystem dependence: TMS requires digital maturity and infrastructure readiness and does not occur in isolation—it is embedded within a broader technology and platform ecosystem that includes external partners, regulatory frameworks, and user devices. For example, implementing metaverse-based retail experiences or agentic AI-driven personalization often depends on third-party platform readiness (e.g., Apple Vision Pro, Meta Horizon), network connectivity, and consumer tech adoption. How does one navigate the systemic risks, including vendor lock-in, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and reliance on uneven infrastructure, particularly in emerging markets because of the interdependencies.
Unintended social consequences: The new-age technologies involved in TMS can introduce unintended social, ethical, and labor consequences. AI-driven systems trained on biased or incomplete data can reproduce and amplify social inequalities. These risks can erode trust, attract regulatory scrutiny, and damage brand reputation. How does one ensure that firms implementing TMS embed ethical AI principles, conduct bias audits, and build interdisciplinary AI governance teams to mitigate harm?
Strategic overreach: When firms pursue novelty without strategic coherence, they risk diluting brand identity and compromising authenticity. Similarly, over-reliance on algorithmic optimization can lead to short-termism and erosion of deeper brand storytelling. How can TMS be grounded in clear brand values, ensure human oversight, and maintain a consistent voice across all channels and technologies?
Balancing short-term metrics with long-term transformation: The full value of TMS lies in its potential for long-term transformation (e.g., rethinking customer relationships, value propositions, and strategic positioning) over immediate performance gains. This creates a tension between incrementalism and transformation. How can firms address this trade-off of adopting dual-performance metrics, including both short-term operational efficiency and long-term strategic vitality.
Thus, the special issue can result in a plethora of solutions in a timely manner for the firms to embrace and do good to the society.
3. For scholars interested in submitting to this issue, what advice would you give on framing their research questions or methodological approaches?
Our discipline is loaded with talent. There is no specific advice to be given. For a special issue, submitting authors must ensure the following:
a) The study topic should align with any of the themes of the special issue on TMS.
b) The novel contribution must be clearly identified in the domain of TMS.
c) The rigor can be demonstrated through any mechanism – consumer behavior, strategy and/or modeling
d) Relevance to at least one aspect of the firm’s decision on implementing TMS.
e) Most importantly, writing has to be focused and clear. So every manuscript that is submitted should be professionally copyedited for bringing out the clarity.
