Editorial - First issue of 2016

As we begin 2016 I want to let you know some of the exciting developments underway at IJRM:
1. We have implemented a dramatic new look for the journal, bringing the journal's graphical image in line with the journal's editorial excellence. All of the articles and authors will now be listed on the front cover, and the bold new look of the journal is in keeping with the journal's eagerness to embrace bold new topics, in contrast with the conservatism sometimes seen at other top journals.
2. The pages are also redesigned to be more readable, with larger font and better spacing, and a one-column design that reduces the likelihood that equations will be split into multiple lines, and facilitates online reading.
3. Although the official name of the journal will remain the “International Journal of Research in Marketing,” we will make heavy use of the acronym, “IJRM,” as our primary brand identity.
4. The Replication Corner, instituted by the previous editors, Jacob Goldenberg and Eitan Muller, and ably edited by Eric Bradlow, Joel Huber, Don Lehmann and John Lynch, will be moving to EMAC's other journal, the Journal of Marketing Behavior, with the same editors in charge. The Replication Corner is an important asset to the marketing community, but at the rate of 700 new submissions per year, IJRM simply needs to focus on its full-fledged regular articles.
5. Subsequent issues of IJRM will see several exciting special articles and special sections, including the EMAC Distinguished Scholar Award article from Gary Lilien, a special section on attribution online, a special section on the theory and practice in marketing, and a very exciting special section on the future of marketing, in line with IJRM's positioning as the most futureoriented top marketing journal.
6. We have instituted the new Senior Editor structure, with a stellar team of Senior Editors, including several former Editors-in- Chief—Tomas Hult (JAMS), Ajay Kohli (Journal of Marketing), Don Lehmann (IJRM and Marketing Letters), and Steve Shugan (Marketing Science). Also I have prior Editor-in-Chief experience at the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Service Research. Given the heavy submission load, we will be expanding the Senior Editor list somewhat, and also expanding the Editorial Review Board.
7. Some of you may have noticed some technical problems with our new submission system that was installed last July, which caused some review time delays. For all submissions going forward, we are now back on the old system, which works, so we should not experience any continuing problems of this kind.
8. IJRM continues to rise in prestige throughout the world. Although our impact factor is artificially lowered to a degree by inclusion of the (lower-cited) Replication Corner articles in the impact factor calculation, the citation trend for IJRM's regular articles is strongly upward, counter to the trend seen at most top marketing journals.
9. I want to reiterate that IJRM will continue to be a broad journal (all topics and all methods welcome), but with special attention to new and cutting edge topics (and methods). As the most future-leaning top marketing journal, IJRM will be especially friendly to topics and methods that might be considered risky or controversial at other journals. Please join us in exploring the future of our field!