Call for Papers | Deadline: September 15, 2019

The call for papers (in pdf) is available here

As a social construct, race is a key aspect of hierarchy upon which the functioning of marketing is understood and practiced. Racial dynamics remain central to contemporary marketing strategies across the globe, including product development, consumer segmentation, advertising and marketing communication approaches, online and offline service delivery, and pricing policies (Bonsu, 2009; Burton, 2000; Crockett, Grier & Williams, 2003; Davis, 2018; Wilson, 2011).

Despite its continued centrality to market activities, race and racism are largely uncritically addressed in academic research (Grier, Thomas, & Johnson, 2018). The purpose of this special issue is to further the mission of the Race in the Marketplace (RIM) research network. RIM is an international multidisciplinary research network dedicated to innovatively advancing knowledge and critically understanding the role of race and how it intersects with ethnicity, class, gender, religion, sexuality, disability and experiences of migration in global marketplaces, including online and offline (Henderson, Hakstian, & Williams, 2016; Jamal, Peñaloza & Laroche, 2015; Lindridge, et al., 2015; Sobande, 2017). This call for submissions focuses on the management of issues related to race, marketing and marketplaces. It coincides with the biannual Race in the Marketplace (RIM) Forum in Paris, France in June 2019. However, this is an open call, participation in the forum is not a prerequisite for submission.

Broadly, this special issue aims to disseminate race-based market research that critically examines how history, social hierarchies, power, privilege and peoples’ actions shape markets and impact consumer experiences and lives. The special issue is international in scope and equally welcomes conceptual and empirical research. Specific topics/areas of enquiry may include the following:

• How are marketing practices impacted by race? How is the experience of racialization impacted by marketing practices?

• How are markets racialized through the tactics and strategies employed by marketing practitioners?

• How has the integration of big data, algorithms, and artificial intelligence into the practice of marketing served to reinforce, perpetuate and exacerbate existing systems of racism - or help alleviate them?

• How does the dynamic of race and marketing shift when considering online marketplaces?

• What are the impacts of advertising and racialized consumer segmentation tactics on the racial identity projects of consumers?

• What key qualitative differences exist in the relationship between race and marketing as it relates to the lived experience of white and non-white consumers?

• Can racial equity be achieved in marketing or is racial inequity a fundamental aspect of the industry?

• What practical actions can be taken by individuals, collectives, organizations, businesses, and government entities to bring about fair and more equitable marketing practices?

Submission guidelines

Authors should submit manuscripts of between 8,000–12,000 words (excluding tables, references, captions, footnotes and endnotes). All submissions must strictly follow the guidelines for the Journal of Marketing Management.

 Manuscripts should be submitted online using the Journal of Marketing Management ScholarOne Manuscripts site. New users should first create an account. Once a user is logged onto the site submissions should be made via the Author Centre. Authors should prepare and upload two versions of their manuscript. One should be a complete text, while in the second all document information identifying the author should be removed from the files to allow them to be sent anonymously to referees. When uploading files authors will then be able to define the non-anonymous version as “Complete paper with author details”, and the anonymous version as “Main document minus author information”.

To submit your manuscript to the Special Issue choose “Special Issue Article” from the Manuscript Type list when you come to submit your paper. Also, when you come to the ‘Details and Comments’ page, answer ‘yes’ to the question ‘Is this manuscript a candidate for a special issue’ and select the Special Issue Title of Marketing and Managing Racial Dynamics in the text field provided.

References

Bonsu, S. (2009). Colonial images in global times: Consumer interpretations of Africa and Africans in advertising. Consumption Markets & Culture, 12(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/10253860802560789

Burton, D. (2000) Ethnicity, identity and marketing: A critical review. Journal of Marketing Management, 16(8), 853-877. https://doi.org/10.1362/026725700784683735

Crockett, D., Grier, S.A. & Williams, J.A. (2003). Coping with marketplace discrimination: An exploration of the experiences of black men. American Marketing Science Review 4, 1–21.

Davis, J.F. (2018). Selling whiteness? – A critical review of the literature on marketing and racism. Journal of Marketing Management, 34(1-2), 134-177. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2017.1395902

Grier, S.A., Thomas, K.D. & Johnson, G.D. (2018). Re-imagining the marketplace: addressing race in academic marketing research. Consumption Markets & Culture. https://doi.org/10.1080/10253866.2017.1413800

Henderson G.R., Hakstian, A.M. and Williams, J.D. (2016) Consumer Equality: Race and the American Marketplace (Racism in American institutions). Santa Barbara: Praeger.

Jamal, A., Peñaloza, L. & Laroche, M. (2015). The Routledge Companion to Ethnic Marketing. New York: Routledge.

 Lindridge, A., Henderson, G.R. & Ekpo, A.E. (2015) (Virtual) ethnicity, the internet, and well-being. Marketing Theory, 15(2), 279–285. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593114553328

Sobande, F. (2017). Watching me watching you: Black women in Britain on YouTube. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 20(6), 655–671. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549417733001

Wilson, J.A.J. (2011). New-school brand creation and creativity – Lessons from hip hop and the global branded generation. Journal of Brand Management, 19(2), 91–111. https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2011.7