Developing successful theories in marketing: insights from resource-advantage theory

All disciplines require both (1) the development of theories that explain and predict important phenomena and (2) empirical research that tests the theories. Purely conceptual/theoretical articles are central to theory development and are generally more influential than empirical articles. However, not all conceptual articles are equally successful. This article addresses the issue of why some theoretical articles are more successful than others. Using a highly successful theory in marketing, resource-advantage theory, as a case-example, this article develops five guides for authors seeking to develop successful theories: (1) focus theory development on important issues in macromarketing and/or micromarketing, (2) craft theories with high explanatory and predictive power, (3) respect other disciplines’ literatures, (4) publish the theory in nonmarketing journals, and (5) explore the normative implications of the theory.