Bridging the Academic-Practitioner Gap in Marketing: An Investigation of the Relevance and Drivers of Academic Marketing Knowledge Usage in Managerial Decision Making

Although the debate on the so-called academic-practitioner gap is not new, most research is conceptual or has been published as (guest) editorials, opinion pieces, commentaries, viewpoints, or short papers in special sections. However, there has been little empirical, in particular quantitative, research on this topic. Therefore, the proposed project aims to investigate the academic-practice gap using a quantitative design. The intended contribution is threefold, related to the academic discipline in general and the two stakeholders of practitioners and academics. This study delivers a quantitative investigation of the actual magnitude of the gap and offers actionable strategies for bridging it, thereby making academic insights more applicable and valuable to marketing professionals and enhancing the contribution of academia to managerial decision-making. For practitioners, this proposed research contributes to understanding the relevance of using academic marketing knowledge (in comparison to non-academic knowledge) in decision-making on key dimensions of marketing managers’ performance. It will provide insight into how marketing managers can benefit from validated, practical insights derived from academic research, thereby increasing the usage of academic marketing knowledge in practice. For academics, this proposed research will provide novel insights into what drives marketing managers to use academic knowledge in decision-making. Based on the study’s results, academics can develop strategies to encourage practitioners to use academic marketing knowledge in decision-making. The study will highlight opportunities for increased collaboration between academics and practitioners, leading to more innovative and effective marketing strategies.