Potter and the Service-Dominant Logic of Marketing: A Cautionary Tale

Much has been written about Service-Dominant Logic, Vargo and Lusch's vaunted contention that service isn't an add-on to goods but goods are tangible reminders of service. Most of these writings are conceptual rather than empirical, however. This paper adds an empirical dimension to SDL by means of a qualitative study of the Harry Potter phenomenon. It shows that although Harry Potter can be successfully viewed through V&L's lens, the picture is not crystal clear. So vague is the resultant image, in fact, that SDL should be handled with considerable care and more than a modicum of caution.