Abstract
It's a great time to be a policy researcher. The present state of the world has cultivated an increased interest in credible research that makes a difference from academic, business, and policy constituents alike. As we find ourselves in a time marked by extensive changes—in consumer values, business practices, policy making, political systems and leadership, and reactions to and opinions of policy and policy makers—research at the intersection of marketing and public policy has never been more important and relevant. Cutting-edge topics are often risky and work grounded in substance is usually messy. We speak here to those researchers who have gone or are seeking to go “into the woods” to find the important questions that need answers.
The Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (JPP&M or the Journal hereinafter) occupies a unique space in the field of academic publications, both within and outside of the marketing domain, that express interest in publishing research that purports to make the world a better place to live. This research asks questions that address society's most pressing problems and relies on science to inform solutions. JPP&M is well-positioned as the premier outlet for marketing research that aims to drive positive change for people and society. In this editorial, we introduce our strategic vision for the Journal and offer some tactical updates that we hope will move our field of policy research forward in meaningful ways while honoring the rich legacy of the Journal.
It is a tremendous honor and privilege for us to serve as Coeditors in Chief for JPP&M. We are excited about the opportunity to continue the legacy of impact initiated and carried out by past editors, and we acknowledge the remarkable dedication of Tom Kinnear, Pat Murphy, Michael Mazis, Debbie Scammon, Craig Andrews, Joel Cohen, Ron Hill, Dave Stewart, Scot Burton, Pam Ellen, Josh Wiener, and of course Kelly Martin and Maura Scott. The Journal stands on the shoulders of these academic giants as well as those of the contributing authors and a fantastic team of associate editors (AEs), Editorial Review Board (ERB) members, and ad hoc reviewers. We are fortunate to have spent the entirety of our academic careers immersed in the vibrant marketing and public policy community, with mentorship from scholars who not only have had immeasurable impact on our professional and personal lives but also have spent their careers focused on research for good. We thank you for investing in us, and it is with immeasurable gratitude that begin to implement our strategic initiatives for JPP&M.
Before we do so, we believe that it is important to briefly share our perspectives on the Journal and on policy research, more generally. As we have mentioned (though it is certainly worth mentioning again), JPP&M is positioned as the go-to journal for research that seeks to make a difference. As such, the Journal draws submissions from scholars who conduct research designed to impact public policy, as well as topics related to individual, societal, and environmental well-being. The wide readership of academics, practitioners, and entities involved with policy creation count on the Journal to publish rigorous research related to issues that impact public policy. The community of marketing scholars and those outside the field look to the Journal as a place for thought leadership on topics that relate to understanding and driving policy and efforts aimed at promoting well-being. JPP&M has a long history of speaking to these audiences. In many ways, we view the Journal as being ahead of the curve with regard to publishing business research focused on the greater good. Indeed, this has always been core to the vision and mission for JPP&M.
While we are enthusiastic about the prospect for JPP&M to continue to serve as a beacon of knowledge to inform the creation, implementation, and evaluation of public policy, we also recognize significant headwinds that pose threats to the integrity of policy research and undermine the impact we aspire to achieve. Polarized reactions to policy initiatives point to the need for systemic inquiries into issues and evidence-based solutions to underlie policy solutions. It is unclear what risks rapid advancements in technology, and more specifically artificial intelligence, might pose for the advancement of science. Controversy surrounding which topics are appropriate for academic inquiry may serve to quiet scientific voices in important policy discussions. We are confident that our community is well suited to address these challenges and continue to conduct impactful research on the most pressing problems at the intersection of marketing and public policy.
In the sections that follow, we outline our strategic priorities aimed at building and engaging our broad community, promoting rigor in the approach to substantive solutions, and drawing from diverse perspectives. These efforts are made with the ultimate goal of initiating and continuing important policy conversations centered on rigorous and relevant policy research. We follow with a description of some specific initiatives that will help us achieve our vision for growing the marketing and policy community and maximizing the impact of the research published in JPP&M.
Community as Our Core Competency
A distinct strength of the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing is the scholarly community of academics and practitioners who value and support evidence-based public policy. Former Coeditors Kelly Martin and Maura Scott emphasized the importance of nurturing the marketing and public policy community in their first editorial (Martin and Scott 2021), and previous editorial teams have been strategic about extending the breadth and influence of the journal and increasing awareness among a wider range of disciplines and constituents (Wiener, Ellen, and Burton 2018, 2020). The loyal community of marketing and public policy scholars publish in JPP&M, attend the American Marketing Association’s (AMA’s) Marketing & Public Policy Conference (MPPC), and are members of the AMA’s Marketing & Society special interest group (MASSIG). In essence, the core group of scholars that make up the community are highly engaged and committed to the mission of the Journal. Indeed, we attribute the strong position of JPP&M as a leading outlet for impactful research to a longstanding history of editorial leadership and the commitment of an incredible group of scholars who continue to elevate the work published in the Journal (Hill 2010). While there are many potential opportunities to strengthen and grow our community, we view two constituents as especially important: policy makers and young scholars. We believe that a strategic focus on these two segments is essential for us to achieve the ambitious growth and impact outcomes we have set for the Journal during our editorial term.
The term “policy makers” is used often as authors articulate the public policy implications of their research. We view policy makers generally as a group of entities that includes—but is not limited to—governmental agencies, political interest groups, nongovernmental organizations, social impact organizations, and other groups that influence or otherwise provide input into the public policy process (Andrews et al. 2022). Toward the goal of impacting policy with the research published in JPP&M, it is important that we are intentional about strengthening relationships these constituents. The proximity of MPPC, biennially in Washington, DC, to policy makers is helpful in disseminating research to those working in the U.S. capital. Additionally, our scholars have served as visiting scientists at federal agencies and/or advisory members on policy committees, which allows for learning from both a policy maker and academic researcher perspective. To the extent that these have resulted in the identification of pressing policy issues that call for research (see Andrews et al. [2014] as one example), these outcomes highlight the importance of channels of communication between our research community members and policy stakeholders that enrich our body of work.
While there have always been direct ties between JPP&M and policy making entities, it is not always easy to find evidence of impact. In some cases, we can point to laws that were directly informed by work published in JPP&M, such as Kristen Walker's (2016) article that is cited on the Federal Trade Commission's public record (for other examples, see Andrews et al. [2022]). However, it is often unclear if the “policy implications” that are required in all published articles appearing in the Journal reach the intended audience of public policy makers. We seek to do more with regard to measuring the impact of the research published in JPP&M and documenting demonstrated influence on public policy. This will require closer relationships with the federal, state, and local entities involved in policy creation to understand the role academic research plays in the process so that we can improve the dissemination of research to policy constituents and better measure the impact of research published in JPP&M. We also see a research opportunity in partnering with those directly involved in the policy making process, as collaboration may offer additional perspectives and ensure that results are communicated to constituents who can use them in creating, implementing, and evaluating policy solutions (see Bublitz et al. 2022). To the extent that we can strategically strengthen relationships with policy makers, we will certainly increase the probability that the research published in JPP&M will play a role in shaping public policy and efforts aimed at promoting consumer, societal, and environmental well-being.
The second community segment that we will engage strategically is young scholars. Toward nurturing the pipeline of high-quality research to the Journal, it is important to continue to find creative ways to engage with doctoral students and junior faculty. The MPPC preconference workshops have historically been an excellent mechanism to mentor doctoral students and faculty new to the public policy community. We had the good fortune of attending these sessions during our time as doctoral students and junior faculty, and now have the pleasure of representing the Journal to attendees. We have also sought to expand the ERB to include prominent early-career scholars and are working to expand the trainee reviewer program to bring those with fresh perspectives into the editorial process.
Recognizing that policy-adjacent work is increasingly valued in the marketing community, we continue to seek out opportunities to attend additional doctoral workshops to connect with scholars who may be interested in conducting policy research but who may not have significant exposure to the JPP&M network for mentorship. The opportunity to champion the Journal to young scholars is one of the most exciting aspects of this leadership role. We believe that it is our duty to continue to increase the stature of the Journal to encourage and reward top junior scholars for sending their work to JPP&M. While the marketing and public policy community reports favorable opinions of the Journal by promotion and tenure committees (Scott, Hassler, and Martin 2022), we must continue to be strategic in demonstrating the quality of the research published in JPP&M to constituents outside of our community so that young scholars continue to see the Journal as a productive outlet for their best research.
Staying True to Substantive Contributions with an Emphasis on Rigor
If we believe that the research in JPP&M truly makes an important difference through informing public policy (spoiler alert … we do!), it is critical that we have a high level of confidence in the findings reported in the Journal. Consistent with the aims and scope of the Journal, we view the emphasis on substantive contributions for policy makers and stakeholders as the hallmark of JPP&M. As we have discussed, there is a long history of how research published in JPP&M has had a meaningful impact on consumer groups and society (e.g., Scott, Hassler, and Martin 2022). However, these substantive contributions, which often take the form of policy implications, must be substantiated by foundations in theory and rigorous methodology (Brinberg and McGrath 1985).
Fortunately, the quality of the work published in JPP&M is truly outstanding. The Journal is widely recognized as a top-tier outlet that historically, and at present, ranks among our field's top journals on relevant metrics such as impact factor. The JPP&M ERB and team of AEs are leaders in the field and work to maintain an appropriately high standard when reviewing submissions. As Coeditors, we are devoting efforts to find new ways to ensure that the substantive policy implications of the research published in JPP&M can be trusted at a level that will continue to warrant legitimate consideration from policy making entities and other change making organizations.
It goes without saying that the credibility and integrity of research methods and data have important implications for the advancement of science. Phenomena such as p-hacking and publication bias are popular topics of discussion across many disciplines, including marketing. While research integrity is important for all academic journals, we view these issues as especially important for JPP&M, given that the intent of the research published in the Journal is to influence public policy. To the extent that research published in JPP&M is informative for rules, laws, and regulations designed encourage desirable behaviors for the benefit of people, businesses, society, and the environment, it is critical that the research used to create policy is conducted with integrity and rigor. Ultimately, heightening the emphasis on research integrity will generate higher levels of confidence in the research published in JPP&M, resulting in greater impact.
An Inclusive Approach to Policy Research
Consistent with the vision of marketing and public policy impact through rigor, relevance, and inclusivity (Martin and Scott 2021), we believe that the inclusion of diverse perspectives from authors, reviewers, ERB members, and the AE team is critical to the future of JPP&M. Here, we identify three key areas of focus for continuing to foster an inclusive approach to policy research: encouraging diversity-related submissions, working to ensure that research connects to the populations it explores, and welcoming diverse perspectives from authors and those involved in the editorial process.
Certainly, we view JPP&M as an outlet for research focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion at the intersection of marketing and public policy. These topics have been well represented in the Journal, with examples including a particularly impactful special issue devoted to diversity and inclusion in the marketplace (Henderson and Williams 2013), as well as inquiries exploring how marginalized communities are disproportionally impacted by the marketing of potentially hazardous products (Grier 2023) and even “faux” diversity as it relates to gentrification (Grier and Perry 2018). We actively and enthusiastically encourage submissions on these important topics.
Toward continuing to amplify the impact of work published in JPP&M by embracing a variety of marketplace perspectives, we also welcome work that examines global issues (Shultz et al. 2022). We believe that there is an opportunity for greater representation of inquiries conducted outside of the United States that might have implications for the country or region explored, as well outside of it—like pandemics (e.g., Lima and Belk 2023), privacy regulations (e.g., Andrews et al. 2023), sustainability (e.g., Wallach and Popovich 2023), and extremism (Frazer 2023). While policy implementation might differ across countries, such international perspectives are important and allow for the exploration of policies that might be adopted by other entities.
Beyond seeking inquiries that directly explore topics related to diversity, it is important to actively work to ensure that the Journal authorship approaches policy topics through a variety of lenses. Varied disciplines, different schools of thought within disciplines, and divergent methodologies all contribute to the richness of JPP&M (Martin and Scott 2022). The work published in JPP&M, largely due to the efforts of past editorial teams, spans multiple domains within marketing (e.g., macromarketing, ethics, Consumer Culture Theory, Transformative Consumer Research, experimental work, quantitative modeling) and beyond (e.g., public health, economics). These address different policy issues and perspectives (i.e., macro/meso/micro) but also employ different methodologies. We will continue to actively seek ways to ensure diversity in submissions as it relates to topics and methodologies. This might take the form of special issues or fostering connections with other research communities (e.g., macromarketing, Transformative Consumer Research). While submissions to other journals may follow an expected format (e.g., three lab studies and one field study), we support authors in following the path that fits their research aims. We do not subscribe to the notion that there is one best approach to scientific inquiry, particularly for the types of research questions that are explored in JPP&M.
In terms of article selection, we see JPP&M as a place to publish rigorous research that can generate important policy conversations. This underscores the importance of a diverse ERB composed of members with different backgrounds and experiences and ensures a presence of those from underrepresented groups. The previous editorial team has done a truly fantastic job of creating a board that is more racially and ethnically diverse, as well as one that has representatives from across the globe. We seek to continue to prioritize diversity in this way, as it is more reflective of our community of scholars. Further, it simply works to promote good research. Welcoming diverse perspectives in the publication process increases the likelihood that papers are evaluated through lenses that might align with an author's perspective, as well as those that might offer constructive pushback. Doing so helps ensure that inquiries will be appropriately evaluated.
Finally, it is important to continue to work to intentionally create an inclusive environment. As career-long members of the community of marketing and public policy scholars, we have both appreciated and contributed to full participation from all. We seek to continue and celebrate this culture by maintaining and growing partnerships with marketing affinity groups (like The PhD Project and MASSIG) while also exploring new opportunities for outreach to doctoral students and junior faculty, as well as international scholars.
From Vision to Action: Initiatives to Drive Impact
While the prior sections introduce our vision for our editorial term, the remainder of this editorial will offer more tactical directions that will support these key areas. As we have discussed, the Journal is in a position of strength, and we believe this allows us to focus on initiatives that work to further JPP&M's position as a thought leader in the field of policy and a home for diverse ideas and perspectives. It also allows us to explore creative ideas for driving impact in the policy space. Finally, given the central role of the JPP&M community in promoting and maintaining the mission of the Journal, it is of central importance to continue engage this group in meaningful ways.
Thought Leadership on Topics That Matter
The Journal has a rich legacy of publishing research on a wide variety of topics geared toward informing different aspects of the policy making process that relate to marketing (for a review, see Andrews et al. [2022]). As the social, geographical, technological, and political landscapes change, new issues will emerge. For instance, cannabis legalization will necessitate wide-ranging new policy at the local, state, and federal levels around how this product can be marketed and distributed (Kelly et al. 2021; Wilson 2022). Rapid advances in technology have elevated the concern around misinformation and its impact on the perception of truth, First Amendment rights, and national security (Diaz Ruiz and Nilsson 2023; Mende et al. 2024). An increased awareness of social justice issues has resulted in citizen and corporate activism calling for policies that ensure equal economic, political, and social opportunities both in the United States and throughout the world (Weber et al. 2023). Advances in artificial intelligence pose questions on topics ranging from employment policy to privacy to what it really means to be human (Du and Sen 2023).
While we have identified the substantive relevance of JPP&M articles as an important differentiator for the Journal, we also recognize that research with implications for well-being appears with increasing frequency in the pages of other journals—both in special issues and regular submissions. This increased emphasis on research with policy, ethics, well-being, and societal implications comes as businesses grow their own engagement with such issues. Moreover, associations like the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) call on scholars to reinvent themselves in ways that allow them to explore social impact (Berry et al. 2021) and initiatives such as Responsible Research in Business and Management (RRBM; www.rrbm.network) arise to inspire and reward such work (Cross et al. 2022). This movement toward research for the common good is exciting and in line with the work that has been published at JPP&M since its inaugural issue in 1982. It is critical for the Journal to continue to be a primary source on these and other pressing topics so that public policy can be informed by evidence-based research to deliver positive change to people and communities. In addition, inquiries that initiate and continue conversations on these and other important and emerging policy discussions have a home in JPP&M. We will continue to communicate this as a central part of our mission by publishing articles that approach important topics to solidify our position. Moreover, special issues are important in this capacity, and we also see opportunity for additional article formats that bring new ideas and different perspectives to stakeholders (more on that subsequently).
Toward the goal of advancing knowledge with good science, it is important that evidence drives research, not agendas. We recognize that our research community is composed of people who feel strongly about the issues they study; we believe that this passion is ultimately what ties together our community of scholars. Diversity of perspectives ensures that the work published in JPP&M is grounded in science, and points to the importance of having an ERB that consists of people who acknowledge this. As we have seen through the decades, JPP&M is a journal where authors are likely to tackle important issues that might be polarizing; recent examples include critical race theory (Poole et al. 2020), vaccines (DiDomenico, Nunan, and Pitardi 2022), mental health (Kemp, Davis, and Porter 2023), and abortion (Fitzgerald et al. 2023). We continue to encourage submissions of these and other issues; certainly, there are many to find in the woods.
Encouraging a Broad Range of Perspectives, Topics, and Approaches
A core pillar of our strategic vision is focused on community and broadening the reach and diversity of ideas and authors. We see tremendous value in publishing work from disciplines outside of marketing and from scholars outside of the United States. That said, we recognize that in order to welcome this work we need to clearly articulate what we are looking for in JPP&M articles, and how this might differ from journals both within and outside of the field of marketing. In our relatively short time as Coeditors, we have observed that a key obstacle standing between a new-to-JPP&M author and the review process is adequate positioning for the Journal. In response, we have implemented more extensive and constructive feedback for authors who are not familiar with the Journal, which we hope will help them better target their work for the JPP&M audience. In addition, we will be introducing some more proactive measures to help authors craft their manuscripts appropriately for the Journal. Our goal is to reduce the number of manuscripts from new authors that are desk rejected by providing submitting authors helpful tips and some requirements. While some of these will be specific to JPP&M (e.g., a new required policy contribution statement upon submission), many others will serve as good rules of thumb for preparing a manuscript for submission to any reputable journal. We hope that our concerted efforts on this front will serve to enhance the likelihood of publication for scholars who are highly capable researchers but less experienced in understanding the norms of publishing in top-tier journals (e.g., doctoral students, out of field authors). Our Journal and discipline can certainly benefit from a more diverse set of papers from a broader set of authors. Moreover, we plan to host virtual forums where new authors are encouraged to join to learn more about the Journal and expectations for submission.
Driving Impact and Initiating Important Policy Conversations: New Article Formats
In addition to continuing to publish traditional full articles, we will offer article formats designed to mirror the pace of change in the world, and to ensure that policy inquires aimed at addressing our most important issues initiate dialogues as quickly as possible in order to drive impact. These will include special issue and commentary formats familiar to the JPP&M readership, as well as new formats that we expect will complement traditional articles.
Commentaries and special issues
Commentaries have become a staple in the Journal, and we see great value in continuing to publish papers in this format. In the pages of the past three volumes, commentaries on infodemics (Mende, Vallen, and Berry 2021), big data (Kopalle and Lehmann 2021), food waste (Bolton and Reczek 2022), social impact (Nardini et al. 2022), race (Grier 2023), artificial intelligence (Du and Sen 2023), and vulnerabilities associated with homelessness (Hill 2023) have offered timely thought leadership on research topics of importance to marketing and society. We view commentaries as an excellent format to stimulate research, and we will continue to strategically publish commentaries from scholars on pressing issues. We also will continue to offer themed special issues to fuel research in understudied substantive areas that are important for public policy. In addition to this special issue, recent JPP&M special issues have focused on transformative consumer research (Mende and Scott (2021), analytics (Davis, Grewal, and Hamilton 2021), and radicalization (Radanielina Hita and Grégoire 2023). Planned upcoming special issues will offer perspectives on peace and sustainability and artificial intelligence.
In addition to special issues and commentaries, we will be introducing two additional article formats designed to help us achieve our strategic initiatives around driving impact and connecting to policy stakeholders. These formats will allow research on current and highly relevant topics to be published more quickly, and with the intention of initiating timely policy discussions. Typically, the time from idea generation to manuscript submission is long, and multiple rounds of review further delay a paper from reaching its intended readership. In most cases, it is appropriate and necessary for manuscripts to be developed and strengthened to realize their full contribution. However, our two new article formats are designed to more quickly disseminate important findings for policy areas that need timely empirical examination and stimulate scholarly dialogue for topics that are highly nuanced and warrant multiple perspectives.
Policy Notes
Our Policy Note manuscript format (an evolution distinct from the Policy Watch pieces) will feature shorter empirical papers that present important substantive findings with direct implications for a timely public policy topic. Policy Notes provide a potential avenue for authors to publish impactful results from a single study that have a high probability of being of interest to policy makers, decision makers, and/or researchers. Policy Notes will feature findings-forward papers with exceptionally strong length-to-contribution ratios. Standards for rigor in methods would be no different from standard submissions; rather, the focus here would be work with clear and immediate contributions for policy that would be brought more quickly to stakeholders. Toward the goal of bringing important findings to the public quickly, we will seek to make decisions on Policy Note papers in one round of review with a smaller team of expert reviewers.
Research Dialogues
Our Research Dialogues will consist of invited papers on emerging or otherwise underexplored policy topics that present a full-length article as well as a set of discussions that center on the policy implications of the paper. Comments for the discussion might be provided by scholars with expertise in the substantive areas or key related disciplines, managers and/or policy makers who engage with the issue, and/or special interest groups that engage with individuals, businesses, or communities that are impacted by the issue at hand. This format is designed to invite multiple perspectives on current issues so that we can ensure that problems and solutions connect scholars in our community with those who may be impacted by the work found in the pages of JPP&M. In some instances, it may make sense to offer a point–counterpoint series of articles on a topic. This approach can be constructive in demonstrating that sometimes methodologically sound research conducted by reputable scholars can support divergent viewpoints. We welcome these conversations in the Journal.
Community and Outreach
At present, JPP&M has a strong relationship with in-field conferences through the AMA that allow for multiple touchpoints with potential authors. We believe that there is continued opportunity to promote the Journal through conference sessions and, in particular, sessions on emerging issues like those presented in special issues. As Coeditors in Chief, we plan to work closely with the chairs of the AMA’s Summer and Winter Academic Conferences and MPPC to promote JPP&M content, as well as to provide more training-oriented sessions around developmental topics (e.g., reviewing, positioning work for JPP&M) and guidance on emerging topics in the field (e.g., data reporting and quality). We see value in bringing together scholars, practitioners, and stakeholders to generate research agendas that define pressing issues ripe for evidence-based solutions, and also to discuss important issues related to scholarship. These sessions will be aimed at promoting the work of the Journal, nurturing new scholars and editors, and showing that JPP&M is at the forefront of the discipline.
We also strongly believe in the importance of communicating with doctoral students and junior scholars to promote JPP&M as the first stop for all high-quality research with impact. This can be accomplished through networking opportunities afforded at AMA conferences as well as preconference sessions (e.g., the MPPC preconference) and specialized doctoral student symposia (e.g., the AMA-Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium). As we both attribute much of our career success and enthusiastic support of research with impact to our own interactions with the community of marketing and public policy scholars, continued efforts to support dialogue and mentorship related to the Journal are high on our priority list.
Toward the goal of maintaining the stature of the Journal, it is important to communicate more directly with universities to ensure that JPP&M is appropriately regarded as a high-quality and high-impact journal. We can provide data-driven insights that support the quality of JPP&M (e.g., impact factor, metrics) to the leadership of AACSB-accredited schools and leading international institutions. Here, we believe that the umbrella AMA journal brand helps lend credibility to our messaging, and we are grateful for the support of the AMA team in generating initiatives aimed at raising the image of the JPP&M brand.
Ensuring Rigor Through Enhanced Transparency
As leading journals make efforts to ensure appropriate disclosures related to research transparency and integrity, we will engage in conversations with other journal editors and in-field experts to consider what editorial policies make the most sense for JPP&M. To be clear, we are not suggesting that the Journal follow any one-size-fits-all strategy for data transparency or reporting. Certainly, the disparate methodological approaches seen in the pages of the Journal warrant careful consideration to ensure adequate protections for those who provide insights and participate in data collection, including businesses and individuals. Nor are we promoting the idea that methodological contributions should be the primary contribution of the research published in JPP&M. In fact, we recognize that in order to continue to strengthen the Journal's reputation and stature among entities and agencies responsible for policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation, it is important to continue to nurture the pipeline of research for good with an emphasis on the substantive contributions of the articles published in JPP&M. We do intend to further focus on appropriate methodological rigor and to include small changes to customary reporting practices and disclosures to increase confidence in results and evidence-based policy solutions that stem from those results. Conducting research that informs solutions to address society's most critical issues is at the heart of the Journal. Rigorous research that is relevant for people and society will continue to drive JPP&M’s impact and further enhance its reputation.
In addition, we recognize and encourage the important work at JPP&M that explores relevant research questions in vulnerable or otherwise marginalized communities. In fact, these are often the inquiries that stand to most meaningfully impact individual and societal well-being. Through our term, we will strive to build a research culture that supports this work, but also one that ensures equity. Following in the footsteps of out-of-field journals (e.g., www.nature.com), we now encourage authors of these types of inquiries to disclose the steps that they have taken to minimize the possibility of “helicopter science,” wherein researchers conduct studies in such relatively underprivileged settings without appropriate involvement from members of those communities in the design, data collection, or publication of the research. We believe that studies based on fieldwork can offer unique and sometimes immediate contributions to the populations studied; we encourage this type of work, and also hope to take action to ensure that it is done with respect for those communities in which research takes place.
Enhancing Impact on Public Policy: Engaging Policy Practitioners and Community Members
Any author who has published in JPP&M certainly understands the importance of drawing out the policy relevance and implications of the research. In our experience as reviewers, AEs, and now Coeditors in Chief of the Journal, we see many constructive comments from review teams that are focused on making the public policy implications more evident throughout the manuscript. These clear policy implications are critical in driving one of the operationalizations of impact that we have articulated in our vision: the direct and measurable link between results of studies published in JPP&M and the policy making process. To help ensure the relevance of research findings to public policy in practice, we plan to expand our AE team and ERB to include seasoned scholars employed or associated with agencies and organizations involved in creating, implementing, and evaluating public policy. These scholar-practitioners will provide input on manuscripts with a directive to help authors draw out the most important and relevant public policy implications from the research findings. This perspective may be shared early in the review process to help authors to better position their work for JPP&M or perhaps further along to assist authors in how to best articulate and communicate the relevance of their findings to policy. The addition of policy practitioners to our team also helps us achieve our vision for a higher level of engagement from this critical constituent group. The involvement in the review process of those actively participating in policy creation and implementation will also give these individuals early access to important findings that may provide additional data points in timely policy conversations, directives, or decisions.
While articulating clear policy implications is an important step, ensuring that they reach the intended audience is also particularly important. We are fortunate to be working with the JPP&M Impact Task Force, initiated by the previous editorial team. This group of engaged policy scholars has generated and put effort toward a number of exciting initiatives aimed at driving impact by promoting work in JPP&M to stakeholders. These range from a comprehensive effort to identify relevant impact partners (policy makers, leaders of social impact organizations, etc.) who have previously interacted with our scholarship community to novel ideas such as conference research showcases and efforts to distill research insights into more easily digestible formats (e.g., infographics). We plan to continue to leverage the JPP&M Impact Task Force to enhance impact—as defined by more standard metrics as well as altmetrics or other measures that capture the true impact of the work published in JPP&M.
Into the Woods with the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing
Unprecedented challenges in our world have fostered a heightened interest among academic and policy stakeholders in credible research that aims to create meaningful impact. Certainly, the complex issues we are facing as individuals and in communities would benefit from evidence-based inquiries that initiate policy conversations and shed light on potential policy solutions that improve consumer, societal, and environmental well-being. By housing and promoting relevant and rigorous research, JPP&M is well positioned to serve as a connecting point between scholars and stakeholders who seek to make the world a better place. Indeed, the Journal occupies a distinct space amid marketing journals and is well-regarded by marketing scholars as well as those in other disciplines. As we have noted, we believe that the positioning of JPP&M is strong, and that additional efforts to communicate the Journal as the premier outlet to disseminate research for impact can grow the field—bringing in high-quality work from both junior scholars as well as those well-ingrained in our research community.
In closing, we would like to thank the marketing and public policy community for providing us with the opportunity to serve as editors of JPP&M. It is our goal to build on this incredible foundation to ensure that JPP&M is the premier journal for research at the intersection of public policy and marketing. We are grateful for the opportunity to share our vision and plans to drive impact through rigorous and always relevant policy research. We look forward to listening to, talking with, and working alongside our dedicated community of scholars to support your research journeys. May they take you into uncharted territory and lead to impactful solutions that make our individual and collective lives better.
Footnotes
Authors Contributions and Acknowledgments
Jeremy Kees and Beth Vallen are Coeditors in Chief of the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. Editor names appear alphabetically and contribution is equal. They gratefully acknowledge the dedicated service of former Coeditors in Chief Kelly Martin and Maura Scott, and all of those who have served the Journal previously in editorial roles. They also express deepest gratitude to their advisors, Scot Burton and Lauren Block, for introducing them to the JPP&M community and for just being all around exceptional mentors and friends. We should all be so lucky as to know them.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.