Fresh thinking in services marketing: contemporary, cutting-edge and creative thoughts

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight and promote fresh thinking in services marketing research. Design/methodology/approach – The topic of the special issue was deliberately chosen to encourage fresh ideas and concepts that will move the discipline forward. The accepted papers have been categorised for ease and convenience of reading by scholars and practitioners, with a short commentary on each category. Findings – There is a wealth of forward-thinking by service(s) marketing researchers that bodes well for the future of the sub-discipline. Research limitations/implications – The special issue does not address fresh thinking in all areas of services marketing research. Other potential areas for fresh thinking are identified. Originality/value – New thinking in a scholarly field is necessary to propel the discipline forward.