From theory to practice: Practical implications as a translational bridge between research relevance and impact

Academic research in marketing and in business and management has been criticized for its lack of relevance for practice, with calls for stronger interaction between academia and practice, to improve impact and benefit to the world. The practical or managerial implications included in journal articles are important in bridging this divide. Yet the role of these implications in ensuring academic research has wider economic and social impact is significantly under-researched. This article addresses this gap by developing a generalizable conceptual framework for examining the practical implications associated with academic research findings. A systematic literature review that focuses on digital marketing is used to assess the usefulness of this practical implications framework. Insights are provided into the dimensions that underpin how effectively these practical implications bridge the theory-practice divide and support economic and social impact. Multilevel archetypes of practical implications are developed to guide best practice in developing and reporting practical implications for researchers, journal reviewers, editors and publishers. • Develops a generalizable practical implications framework. • Undertakes a systematic literature review within industrial digital marketing. • Develops multilevel practical implications archetypes for best practice. • Provides guidance how to address the theory-practice divide through implications.