Presentation delivered at the "Aligning research and practice in digital marketing" workshop, organised by the Academy of Marketing's Special Interest Group in eMarketing.

1. WHERE BOTH ENDS MEET
A collaborative approach to
developing the digital
research agenda
Sarah Quinton and Ana Isabel Canhoto
Senior Lecturers Marketing
Oxford Brookes University

2. Impact of digital
• Transformative for social science „as
Galileo’s telescope was for the physical
sciences‟ (Baker, 2009)
• Allows practitioners to „feel the
heartbeat of today’s society‟ (Casteleyn,
Mottart et al., 2009, p. 439)
Quinton and Canhoto (2014)
2

3. Research question
„What are the research priorities of
academics and practitioners working in the
digital arena?‟
Quinton and Canhoto (2014)
3

4. A collaborative approach
• Growing gap between marketing
practitioners and academics (Hughes et al.,
2008; Tapp, 2004)
• Increasing pressure for universities and
industry to collaborate
• Government funding (Berman, 2008)
• Commercial organisations may have better
data, technology or techniques
Quinton and Canhoto (2014)
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5. Bridging, not closing, the gap
• Very different goals, capabilities and
epistemological stances (Bansal, et al., 2012)
• Exploratory study with practitioners
and academics
• Group discussions to stimulate new ideas
and concepts for further research (Finch and
Lewis, 2003)
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6. Workshop 1: Working together
“…showcasing and sharing the latest
in digital research practice, helping to
set the agenda for tomorrow”.
Quinton and Canhoto (2014)
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7. Benefits of cooperation
Industry and Academic approach
problems with different frames
of mind:
“We don't know what we don't
know and that's where it is useful
to have partnerships with
universities because they think
laterally and not about solving
specific problems.”
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8. Awareness
• Great research done by business but not
known by (or considered) by academics
because it is not peer-reviewed
• Great research done by
academia but
behind paid walls
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9. Role of context
It‟s not (just) about the money:
Collaboration requires right
environment
• Google staff spend time
researching and experimenting
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10. Workshop 2: Developing the
agenda
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10

11. Structure
• 3 x Interventions by practitioners & academics
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12. Structure
• Group discussions
• ID of themes
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12

13. Topics identified
About digital
– relevance
to different
subject
areas
Beyond
digitalimplications
for business
and society
Being
digitalcitizens in a
digital world
Using digital
- methods
and models
for research
in digital
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14. Limitations and moving
forward
• Small sample
• „Digital friendly‟ sample
• Application of themes for
marketing practitioners?
• Hub: http://oxforddigitalresearch.com
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14

15. WHERE BOTH ENDS MEET
A collaborative approach to
developing the digital
research agenda
Sarah Quinton and Ana Isabel Canhoto
Senior Lecturers Marketing
Oxford Brookes University