The Future of B2B Marketing Communication: New Approaches, Touchpoints, and Theoretical Frontiers

Call for Papers – The Future of B2B Marketing Communication: New Approaches, Touchpoints, and Theoretical Frontiers

Journal: Industrial Marketing Management
Publisher: Elsevier
Submission deadline: 1 August 2026

This special issue explores how B2B marketing communication is evolving beyond traditional rational‑informational campaigns into integrated, emotionally resonant, and digitally augmented stakeholder engagement. It invites empirical work that examines new touchpoints, channel strategies, and theoretical frameworks across the B2B buyer journey, with a focus on hybrid work, immersive technologies, and purpose‑driven communication.

Types of research this SI invites

Guest editors

Dr Miriam Guenther, University of Liverpool, UK, Email: miriam.guenther@liverpool.ac.uk
Prof Peter Guenther, University of Liverpool, UK, Email: peter.guenther@liverpool.ac.uk
Dr Ghasem Zaefarian, University of Leeds, UK, Email: g.zaefarian@leeds.ac.uk

List of suggested topic areas

• Strategic communication in evolving B2B contexts:

  • Integrated multi‑touchpoint strategies (sales teams, trade fairs, online content, PR, social media)

  • Emotions, storytelling, and brand narratives in B2B

  • Communicating intangible value (sustainability, DEI, innovation)

• B2B channel strategies and cross‑format coordination:

  • Cross‑channel orchestration (ads, PR, events, digital, and in‑person interactions)

  • Influencer, advocacy, and employee‑driven B2B communication

  • Internal marketing aligning staff with external brand and firm identity

• Theoretical frontiers:

  • Signalling theory, institutional theory, narrative transportation, and stakeholder‑theory‑based models

  • Cognitive and affective processing in professional buying centres

  • New models of B2B communication effectiveness and ROI

• Buyer journeys and stakeholder ecosystems:

  • Personalisation and customisation across B2B journey stages

  • Communication for non‑decision‑maker influencers (technical users, champions)

  • B2B communication in platform ecosystems, networks, and supply chains

• Empirical and methodological innovations:

  • Multi‑touch attribution and communication impact measurement

  • Neuro‑marketing, eye‑tracking, and physiological methods in B2B

  • Longitudinal and experimental designs on brand‑equity and communication impact

  • AI‑augmented communication and content generation in B2B

Submission information

Submission opens on 1 June 2026 and closes on 1 August 2026.
Manuscripts (6,000–8,000 words) must be submitted via the Editorial Manager system:
https://www2.cloud.editorialmanager.com/immgt/default2.aspx

Select article type “VSI: The Future of B2B Marketing Communication” and follow the journal’s Guide for Authors:
https://www.elsevier.com/journals/industrial-marketing-management/0019-8501/guide-for-authors

Papers must be original, not published or under review elsewhere, and will undergo double‑blind peer review. Poorly written or non‑compliant manuscripts may be desk rejected.

Guest Editors (names only, for reference at the end):
Miriam Guenther, Peter Guenther, Ghasem Zaefarian

ServiceSetu Academics — Premier Platform for Academic Opportunities & Research Collaboration

Visit official website of the publisher