Bridging the research gap between marketing academics and practitioners

This paper argues that the most useful academic research does not get used by practitioners until many years later. Like any innovation, there is a diffusion process before a method proposed by academics becomes mainstream or at least widely accepted by leading practitioners. Key barriers to faster adoption are identified and some solutions suggested. Rapid knowledge diffusion is important to marketing, since it still lags behind many business functions in rapid productivity enhancements. Academics, practitioners, universities, business and government all have a role in creating faster knowledge diffusion. Academics need to make their work more accessible and easy to use. Universities need to recognise their faculty members' contributions, when their work changes accepted practice. Business organisations create the environment and the culture for practitioners, and if the culture fosters risk taking, encourages learning and aligns reward systems for pioneering activities, faster adoption can occur. Finally, government can help facilitate the knowledge transfer process by funding university-based institutes, with the specific charter of creating faster knowledge dissemination.