Can there only be one? Towards a post‐paradigmatic service marketing approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to unlock positions regarding the goods/services dichotomy in service marketing and to offer an argument that treats goods and services on an ontologically equal basis. Design/methodology/approach – A close reading of influential texts that argue in favor of a service‐dominant logic (SDL) and new paradigms in service marketing. Findings – Both the SDL proposal and calls for new service paradigms can be understood as ad hoc solutions that serve to reproduce and even strengthen the asymmetry between goods and services. A post‐paradigmatic analysis opens up new possibilities for service marketing research and practice. Research limitations/implications – By showing how goods and services can be positioned equally, hitherto invisible sites of value creation become potential subjects for analyses in service marketing. Practical implications – Service marketing practices are situated so as to explain the value creating interactions between service providers and customers in a more transparent way than is usual. Originality/value – An ontologically grounded critique of the ad hoc nature of contemporary service marketing theory.