Calls for papers

 

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising

 

Special Issue on: “A Consumer Stance at Search Engine Marketing”

Guest Editors:
Claire Gauzente, University of Angers, France
Christine Gonzalez, University of Nantes, France

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is concerned with the optimisation of a firm's visibility on search engines’ results pages. It covers three major types of communication that are based on the exploitation of search engine page results (paid results, organic results and XML-trusted feeds).

Although consumer unions and marketing companies have devoted various efforts to the understanding of consumers' search behaviour and satisfaction on the Internet, very few academic efforts have been devoted to the SEM topic, and yet the subject is of huge economic importance. Google generates 99% of its revenues through paid results and the credibility of search engines is linked to the relevance of both their organic and paid results. IT researchers have begun to explore the phenomenon, but to date no marketing or advertising research has been dedicated to this important topic. There is a need to create appropriate marketing knowledge that would help to understand consumer behaviour in face on paid and organic results.

Subject Coverage
Topics of relevance to this special issue include (but are not limited to):

• Consumer perception of paid versus organic results
• Impact of paid results on consumer assessment of search engines quality
• Case studies of consumer prepurchase search behaviour and the integration of search engines results in prepurchase search information
• Consumer searching motivations and SEM perception
• XML-trusted feeds and consumer behaviour
• Consumer relative preference for paid results, contextual links, organic results
• Vertical search engines, paid and organic results: a step toward greater efficiency?
• Relevance of SEM for experience versus search product
• Paid and organic results for familiar and non-familiar brands
• Potential transposition of ad effectiveness models
• Demographic and psychographic antecedents of attitude toward paid results
• SEM objectives: notoriety vs. traffic
• Ad scepticism and SEM

Original contributions and thoughtful position and case studies papers, from both research and industry, are welcome.

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere

All papers are refereed through a peer review process. A guide for authors, sample copies and other relevant information for submitting papers are available on the Submission of Papers web-page.

Important Dates

Due date for full paper submissions: 15 October 2007

Outcomes of initial screening sent to authors whose papers are rejected in the first round. First round reviews begin for remaining papers: 15 November 2007

Outcomes of first round reviews are sent to corresponding authors: 15 February 2008

Due date for resubmission of papers with required revisions: 15 April 2008

Final decision: 15 June 2008

Due date for authors of accepted papers to submit papers formatted according to instructions: 1 June 2008