Human and AI Driven Branding

CALL FOR PAPERS

Journal: European Journal of Marketing

Publisher: Emerald Publishing

Submission Opens: 8 July 2026

Submission Deadline: 8 September 2026

Introduction

The landscape of branding and marketing is undergoing a profound transformation as human intelligence and artificial intelligence increasingly converge. This Special Issue draws upon three key strands of literature to explore this evolving relationship.

First, research on human-AI interaction highlights the importance of a balanced augmentation approach — combining human and artificial intelligence — rather than a purely automative one. Scholars advocate for "co-intelligence," positioning AI as a co-worker alongside human brand professionals. Recent work has identified effective human-AI co-creation in branding as operating at three levels: the individual brand professional, the organisational level of brand management, and the societal level — the external environment in which the brand operates.

Second, a growing body of research focuses purely on AI in marketing and brand development — including the use of chatbots, AI-empowered voice assistants, and AI influencers. A key challenge identified in this strand is the need to bridge the AI-human gap by developing stronger artificial empathy to strengthen the affective and social dimensions of customer experience.

Third, emerging literature emphasizes a renewed and reinvigorated role for people in brand development. Scholars call for a human-to-human (H2H) mindset to rebuild brand trust, highlighting employee empathy, emotional intelligence, verbal communication, and the ability to handle complex situations as core competencies of brand managers in an AI-driven world. This strand also raises important questions about humanistic marketing, brand purpose, authentic brand expression, and the risk that smaller organisations — such as nonprofits — may be left behind in efforts to harness AI for brand relationship building.

Scope & Significance

This Special Issue sits at the intersection of branding, marketing, and artificial intelligence — exploring both the opportunities and challenges that arise when human creativity and AI capability combine in brand strategy and management. It seeks to advance scholarly understanding of how brands can remain purposeful, creative, authentic, and ethically grounded in an increasingly AI-augmented world.

The editors welcome both empirical papers (qualitative and quantitative) and thought-leading conceptual papers.

List of Topic Areas

Manuscripts are invited on themes including, but not limited to:

How augmented brand intelligence can be effectively implemented in strategic and operational brand management and brand control
Whether augmented brand intelligence leads to an increase or decrease in brand purpose, brand consistency, and creativity
The possibilities and limitations of augmented brand intelligence in brand science
The role of AI and humans in consumer-brand interactions
The role of human emotions in the development of consumer-brand relationships in the age of AI
The role of human creativity in brand innovation in the age of AI, especially social innovations aimed at positively impacting society and the planet
Humanistic values brands should embrace to build profitable yet responsible businesses capable of addressing pressing challenges such as climate change and social inequalities
Ethical dilemmas raised by the use of AI in branding and how managers should address them
How the role and skill set of brand managers is changing in the AI age
Best practice examples of AI currently being used by marketers to drive brands and customer relationships

Guest Editors

Dr. Sarah-Louise Mitchell 📧 (contact via journal submission platform)

Prof. Francisco Guzman 📧 (contact via journal submission platform)

Prof. Carsten Baumgarth 📧 (contact via journal submission platform)

Dr. Zoe Lee 📧 (contact via journal submission platform)

Key Deadlines

📅 Manuscript Submission Opens: 8 July 2026

Manuscript Submission Deadline: 8 September 2026

Submission Guidelines

Submissions are made through ScholarOne Manuscripts, the official submission platform of Emerald Publishing. Authors must strictly follow the journal's author guidelines.

When submitting, select "Human and AI Driven Branding" from the special issue drop-down menu at the appropriate step in the submission process.

⚠️ Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication elsewhere while under review for this journal.

For author guidelines and to submit your manuscript, visit the official European Journal of Marketing page on the Emerald Publishing website and access via ScholarOne Manuscripts.

About the Journal

The European Journal of Marketing (EJM), published by Emerald Publishing, is one of the world's leading peer-reviewed journals in the field of marketing. It publishes high-quality research across all areas of marketing theory, strategy, and practice, with a strong international readership among academics, researchers, and marketing professionals.

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