Building a Successful Digital Communication Strategy: Towards Delivering a Seamless Customer Experience
Call for papers
Digital transformation is forcing companies to change their business models and communication strategies to adapt to the new market reality. Interestingly, this change is being driven by customers and not by companies. More specifically, customers expect relevant content in relation with what they are doing at any point of time and anywhere they are, in a format appropriate for their own device. Thus, it is the customer’s journey that dictates corporate communication strategy. To keep up with this new kind of “always-connected” customer, businesses must embrace technology to deliver an unmatched customer experience.
In 2019, advertising spending worldwide surpassed US$560 billion, with 46% of the world’s population being regular internet users. With nearly half of the population having access to global informational and promotional sources at their fingertips, it is not surprising to see that online global ad spending has received the highest share (51.99%), which is roughly double the share of television advertising spending (26.53%) (Statista, 2019). Currently, digital channels such as search, social and connected TV are now driving brand focus, with 55.5% of overall 2022 ad spend, which is valued at $409.9bn.
Accordingly, organisations are increasing their investments in technologies that can boost customer experience. However, identifying the appropriate communication medium and impactful stimuli, while achieving a payoff from these technology investments — in terms of both customer experience and financial returns — remains a work in progress.
Corporate and marketing communications are necessary in building, managing, and sustaining brand experience. With this in mind, the following questions arise:
- How can digital communications be used to create an experience for the mind and the heart?
- What is the relevance of cognitive information processing and hedonic experientialism and how can they be built into the communication strategy?
- Given that the competitive domain is not just national in scope, how can marketing and digital communications be integrated, and what is the extent to which digital communications can be standardised (global) or adapted (domestic) to create a seamless consumer brand experience?
- With the continual and accelerating move from verbal to visual and sensory representation, how can different stimuli be used to create extraordinary and unique experiences?
- As customers become the driving force behind a successful branded business, how can the business identify and assign value to customers of different types to assess their communication efforts?
- Given that the highest-volume customer is not always the most profitable, how can companies allocate the budget to better meet customer expectations, improve operational efficiency, ROI and gain competitive advantage?
- In the context of political branding, how can political communications assist in creating the intrinsic relational dimension associated to any brand building process and the symbolic construction of the brand?
- Does the attempt to measure return on investment constitute a ‘search for the holy grail’ in marketing communications especially in the digital domain?
The 27th International Conference on Corporate and Marketing Communications (CMC) is for academic researchers and educators as well as practitioners seeking to promote and advance knowledge in the domains of corporate and marketing communications, brands and branding.
Key dates
Paper submission opens: Immediately
Deadline for paper submission: 30 January 2023
Feedback to authors: 28 February 2023
Early bird registration: Closed
Deadline for early bird registration: 15 March 2023
Deadline for conference registration: 3 April 2023
Fees
Registration
| Presenter | Non-Presenter | PhD student |
| £550 | £600 | £300 |
Submission guidelines
The 27th International Conference on Corporate and Marketing Communications conference will consider both theoretical and empirical papers, working papers, and extended abstracts for review, and ideas for special session proposals would be welcomed.
An electronic copy in Microsoft Word should be sent to conference e-mail address CMC2023@cranfield.ac.uk no later than 30 January 2023. The submitted papers will be reviewed by the Committee of the conference.
Prizes will be awarded for the best competitive paper and for the best working paper as judged by a panel of experts. The best competitive paper will receive automatic acceptance by the Journal of Marketing Communications, subject to requested editorial changes. Successful authors will present their papers at the conference and all competitive papers accepted for the conference will be reviewed by the Editor for consideration to be submitted to the Journal of Marketing Communications (JMC).
Upon acceptance, the authors agree the following:
- to return the manuscript (abstract) in correct format and time to be included in the conference proceedings,
- at least one author will present the manuscript at the conference and will register (by 10 March 2023) and
- in case that an author presents more than one manuscript, each manuscript will require the registration of a different co-author.
Manuscript preparation
Full paper
Papers should follow the Journal of Marketing Communications style. English is the language of the Conference and all related publications.
Full-length articles: 6,000 words in total, including references and a maximum of 5 tables/figures.
Working paper
A working paper will generally not exceed 4,000 words. However, these papers, which are still work in progress, are expected to cover a short literature review, main research questions, methodological frame or preliminary results of research in order to get constructive feedback during the presentation.
Extended abstract
A typical extended abstract will generally not exceed 1,000 words excluding tables, figures and references. The extended abstract should include keywords at the beginning and the list of relevant references at the end. While writing your abstract, please consider covering the research objectives and questions, the research method, results or findings and originality of paper.
Before submitting your paper, you MUST ensure that you have fulfilled all of the journal’s style requirements. Consider hiring a professional copyeditor to assist with your revision if necessary. Please see the Instructions for authors and the General template characteristics.
Speakers
Conference tracks
Location and travel
Cranfield University is located at the very heart of the UK – within the innovation triangle between London and the cities of Oxford and Cambridge.
Our central location provides easy access from the M1, excellent main line rail service as well as proximity to key international airports. Set in rolling countryside, Cranfield offers a rich, rural landscape complemented by thriving towns and picturesque villages.
- Road: We are just 10 minutes from Junctions 13 and 14 of the M1 motorway. There is free parking on campus.
- Rail: Milton Keynes or Bedford
- Air: London Luton (22 miles), Heathrow (50 miles) or Birmingham (70 miles)
Accommodation
A full range of hotels near the Cranfield campus (College Rd, Cranfield, Wharley End, Bedford MK43 0AL), with a wide range of cost options are available to browse at Booking.com. Cranfield campus-based accommodation is limited so please book as soon as possible.
