Leyland Pitt, Simon Fraser University

Jan Kietzmann, University of Victoria

Joey Lam, Trinity Western University

This special issue addresses the phenomenon of enshittification—the progressive deterioration of products, services, platforms, and brand experiences that initially attracted consumers through convenience and trust, but later reduced quality, added surveillance, intensified monetization, or fragmented offerings. While related issues like service decline and planned obsolescence have been studied separately, this call seeks to establish enshittification as an integrative framework within product and brand management research.

The issue emphasizes the consumer perspective, particularly how degradation affects those who have embedded these offerings in their identities and routines. Drawing on theories of extended self, the call recognizes that product deterioration may be experienced as emotional and personal violation, opening research opportunities around consumer attachment, trust, resistance, and long-term brand relationships. The issue invites conceptual, empirical, and methodological contributions across marketing, consumer research, information systems, strategy, and related fields to advance theory and inform practice.

Appel publié par Journal of Product & Brand Management. Voir l'appel sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Potential topics

• Enshittification as product and brand management phenomenon
• Extended self and consumer responses to product degradation
• Enshittification through addition: surveillance and monetization
• Enshittification through subtraction: feature removal
• Enshittification through division: subscription-dependent ecosystems
• Enshittification through multiplication: product complexity
• Internet of Things and erosion of ownership
• Consumer resistance and coping strategies
• Brand trust and reputational consequences
• Regulatory and ethical dimensions
• Organizational antecedents and shareholder primacy
• Strategies for avoiding or reversing enshittification
• Cross-industry and cross-cultural comparisons
• Methodological approaches to quality deterioration

Timeline

• January 10, 2026: Opening date for manuscript submissions
• January 2, 2027: Closing date for manuscript submissions

Jonatan Södergren, University of Bristol

Anthony Patterson, Lancaster University

Cele Otnes, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

This special issue seeks to establish literature as a valuable resource for marketing and consumer research. While marketing scholars have long studied stories and narratives, literary texts and literary theory remain underutilized in the field. The editors invite researchers to explore how novels, poetry, drama, and other literary forms can deepen our understanding of consumer behavior, brands, and markets in ways that complement traditional empirical approaches.

The issue welcomes three main types of contributions: studies using literary texts as empirical material to examine consumer culture; scholarship applying literary theory concepts to marketing phenomena; and reflections on literary methods and epistemologies in consumer research. Additionally, the editors invite work on how literature itself is marketed and consumed, including phenomena like BookTok, and submissions that experiment with literary and creative writing forms as modes of scholarly contribution when integral to the research.

Appel publié par Journal of Marketing Management. Voir l'appel sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Potential topics

• What insights can fiction provide for understanding contemporary consumer culture and marketing phenomena that remain inaccessible through conventional empirical approaches?
• How can specific concepts from literary theory be used as analytical tools for understanding contemporary consumer culture and branding practices?
• What epistemological assumptions are challenged when novels and other fictional texts are treated as legitimate data sources for understanding consumer culture?
• How can narratological concepts deepen our understanding of consumer journeys and marketing experiences?
• How do actors across the book industry (publishers, authors, booksellers) deploy marketing activities to increase the demand for literary works?
• What role does BookTok and other digital trends play in driving literary consumption?
• How can creative writing practices be integrated into consumer research?
• What forms of scholarly contribution become possible when researchers adopt literary or experimental modes of writing?

Timeline

• June 7, 2027: Manuscript deadline

Appel publié par International Journal of Research in Marketing. Voir l'appel sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Timeline

• October 30, 2026: Full paper submission deadline