4th International Colloquium on Design, Branding and Marketing

The International Colloquium on Design, Branding and Marketing was established to explore aspects of integrative theory and praxis relative to research methodologies, and professional and educational applications that cross perceived boundaries between marketing and design to develop meaningful dialogue relative to complementary approaches in these areas. This includes academic work of merit that spans the areas of branding identity, promotion, product development, retail design, online and/or multimedia consumer engagement. The 2018 Colloquium aims particularly to focus on aspects of the creative process, exploring interdisciplinary connections between research, practice and teaching. The Colloquium seeks not only to bring people together across disciplines, but also crucially to provide enhanced opportunities for publication.

The 2014 Colloquium led to the edited book Multi-channel Marketing, Branding and Retail Design: New challenges and opportunities (2016), and a special edition of the Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management (2016). The 2017 Colloquium led to a Special issue in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. We are planning for a publication to be associated with the Colloquium, and will announce details later on.

Some key questions which we aim to explore in this colloquium are:

• How can we explore the possibility of bringing design, branding and marketing research together to come up with innovative ideas for practice, so ‘better’ experiences and more value are triggered or created?
• What does ‘value’ mean in today’s economy and how does this reflect on research in design, branding and marketing?
• How do we teach students the notion and creation of experiential value?
• Are experiences all we need to satisfy today’s customers?

Venue

The event is hosted by Hasselt University, Faculty of Architecture and Arts, Belgium. The 4th International Colloquium on Design, Branding and Marketing will be held from December 5 to December 7, featuring presentations by leading academics and practitioners in this field at Hasselt University’s city campus. It will be the first ICDBM conference to be organized outside the United Kingdom, after colloquia held in Lincoln, Nottingham and Bournemouth. In this way, we envisage to open up the international ambition of this community of academics and practitioners in this domain.