From the old to the new generation of a product: unlearn, improve and prosper

Purpose Drawing on the theories of planned obsolescence and dynamic capabilities, this study aims to jointly address marketing and organizational aspects of the transition from the existing to the new generation of a product (i.e. a product rollover). It conceptualizes the relevance of organizational unlearning in rollovers and relates it to the improvement in the marketing mix of multigenerational products to predict product rollover performance. Design/methodology/approach The study reports on a cross-sectoral sample of 179 product rollovers among UK-based manufacturers of multigenerational products. Findings Organizational unlearning is indirectly associated with product rollover performance through the improvement in the marketing mix of the rollover. Environmental dynamism plays a moderating role. Research limitations/implications This study enriches the operations management-leaning rollover literature with evidence about the under-addressed marketing perspective of rollovers. Owing to its theoretical foundations, it makes the rollover literature more cross-disciplinary. Not considering additional product and environmental factors is among its limitations. Practical implications Firms whose products evolve through successive generations can boost rollover performance by deploying an organization-level dynamic capability (i.e. organizational unlearning), which promotes departure from encased knowledge, subject to the competence of channeling this capability in the marketing mix of multigenerational products. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to empirically address rollover marketing mix dynamics from the side of the firm, with underpinnings in economic and organizational theories.