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CBR 2013 Call for Papers
The (R)evolution of Consumer-Brand Relationships

This conference, co-chaired by Susan Fournier, the founder of the brand relationships discipline, and colleagues Mike Breazeale and Jill Avery, showcases rigorous and theoretically and/or practically useful papers that advance knowledge of the art and science of consumers’ relationships with their brands. The conference is intended for those with an interest in consumers’ brand relationships, with equal relevance for young and established academic researchers, Ph.D. students, and marketing practitioners charged with building strong relationships with brands. The recent success of our very own Consumer-Brand Relationships: Theory and Practice (2012)—a volume of 19 projects and case studies drawn from conference contributors— attests to the multi-disciplinary relevance and significance of the brand relationship applications shared in this event. Continuing in this tradition and building on conference submissions, additional edited books are planned. 

This year’s conference theme—“The (R)evolution of Consumer-Brand Relationships”— acknowledges that both academics and practitioners increasingly recognize the role that brand relationships play not only in product selection, satisfaction, and retention, but also in the very fabric of society. As the field advances, brand relationship theory is rightfully applied to situations as diverse as politics, public policy, social issues such as obesity and financial overextension, global culture studies, celebrity and entertainment, neuropsychology, business-to-business, and even the recruitment tactics of terrorist organizations. As appreciation of the importance and scope of relationships continues to evolve, so must our understanding of the nature and process of brand relationships –the good, the bad, and the ugly. To this end, we encourage Completed Papers as well as developed Works-in-Progress reflecting a range of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches to understanding, creating, nurturing, managing, and leveraging brand relationships, particularly as related to this year’s conference theme:

  • Brand Relationships in Underexplored Domains: e.g., politics, public policy, social issues, access-based consumption markets, cause marketing, health care, financial services/products, celebrities and entertainment
  • The ‘Social Side’ of Brand Relationships: Brand communities, Cultural differences in relationship behaviors, Social identity and brands, Relationship co-creation, Societal effects of brand relationships
  • Negative Brand Relationships: Vices, Addictions, Abuses, Adversaries and Enemies, Master-Slaves and other Dysfunctional or Pathological Brand Relationships 
  • Brand Relationships on the Web: Brand relationships in digital and virtual worlds, Building brand relationships using social media
  • Brand Relationships on the Inside: Brand relationships applied to internal marketing efforts and organizational recruiting
  • Marketplace Effects of Brand Relationships: Empirical models exploring relationship effects on mindshare metrics, marketing performance indicators such as share and sales, and shareholder value; Links between CLV and brand relationship equity
  • Brand Relationships Metrics, Measurement Systems, and Dashboards
  • Managing Brand Relationships: Relationship-building strategies, Relationship-based market segmentation, How brand factors such as personality and brand mythology affect brand relationships, CRM enhancements and critiques, Building relationship-sensitive corporate cultures

Important Dates, Deadlines and Information

  • Conference Dates: May 15-17, 2013
  • Submission Deadline: January 15, 2013
  • Notification of Acceptance: February 15, 2013
  • Early Registration Deadline and Fees: $450 (if registered by March 15, 2013)
  • Late Registration Deadline and Fees: $550
  • Special Student Rate: $350 (by March 15, 2013)/ $450 after
  • Conference Location: Simmons School of Management, Boston, Massachusetts USA

The registration fee includes attendance to the conference, welcome reception, breakfasts, lunch, coffee breaks and conference material. Tickets to a gala conference dinner and other entertainment will be made available at time of registration. 

Submission Details, Formats and Acceptance Criteria

The conference will boast a mix of sessions intended to generate vigorous review and debate – Full Paper presentations, Doctoral Research Mentor Workshops, and a new venue, SnapTalks. Continuing a tradition we began last year, we will review submissions from doctoral students for consideration in Mentor Workshops that will partner students with seasoned researchers in focused sessions designed to advance the student’s work. A new feature this year will be the addition of SnapTalk sessions. In these sessions authors will present their work using a 10-minute format typical of TED Talks. There will be no poster sessions this year. As an output of the review process, the conference organizers will assign accepted papers to the most appropriate presentation format, simplifying the submission process for all.  

All authors are invited to submit non-published work that has, as a focal point, consumers’ relationships with brands. Both Full Paper Submissions and Works-in-Progress are encouraged, as follows:

  • Full paper submissions present completed research projects that have not been published elsewhere, though the paper may be under review consideration at a journal outlet or other conference. Full papers are 6,000-8,000 words or approximately 20 pages in length (12 font, double-spaced) including cover page, tables, figures and references. 

  • Works-in-progress comprise theoretically sound projects for which empirical research has been initiated but for which data collection and analysis has not yet been completed. Work-in-progress papers are about 3,000 words or approximately 10 pages in length (12 font, double-spaced). Works-in-progress require a written commitment to complete data collection and analyses by the time of the conference to allow for scholarly discussion of the work. 

Reviewers will evaluate each paper on the basis of: a) Quality of the research; b) Contribution or potential contribution to the brand relationships field; c) Innovation and novelty; and d) Interest of the topic to brand relationship researchers and practitioners. In addition, Work-in-Progress Papers will be evaluated based on e) Stage of completion of the research to be presented. Coherence and readability of the submission are also very important to acceptance decisions. Please adhere to high standards of spelling and grammar. If this is your first English submission, or if English is your second language, please consider having a copy editor review your materials prior to submission. 

Online Submission Process and Requirements

Authors must submit their papers electronically before January 15, 2013 to Michael Breazeale at the conference submission website (https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=cbr2013). Please contact Michael at (mbreazeale@unomaha.edu) with any questions about the submission process.

After creating a user profile on the conference submission website, the primary author should log in and click on the “Submit Paper/Proposal” button. In addition to the items under "Submission Procedures," your paper submission requires the following:

a)(First page) Type of submission (i.e., Full or work-in-progress paper) and Title of the submission (without the authors’ names or affiliations);

b)(First Page) A short 50-100 word abstract. This “teaser” abstract will be reproduced in the conference program and should concentrate on the big picture contribution(s) of the paper;

c)(Second page) 750-1,000 word, single-spaced, extended abstract that provides a summary of the paper in five categories: Conceptual Background, Research Questions/Hypotheses, Method, Major Findings, and Contributions. No tables or figures should be included in the extended abstract. Work-in-progress papers may or may not include a description of interim findings but should include a description of potential contributions of the paper when completed. Extended Abstracts provide useful research summaries for reviewers and solicited editors for a possible book;

d)(Next Page) Following the extended abstract, the next page should restate the title (again without authors’ names or affiliations) and begin the body of the paper. The body of full papers should not exceed 8,000 words or 20 double-spaced pages (12-font) in total length, including all tables, figures, notes, and full references. The body of work-in-progress papers should not exceed 10 double-spaced pages (12 font). Papers must follow the current style of the Journal of Consumer Research (http://ejr.org/style.htm).

Contributor Commitments

At least one author of each accepted paper/proposal must attend the conference and present the work.  
By submitting a paper all authors agree to provide thoughtful, quality reviews of up to three papers. 
Authors may serve as lead author and presenter on only one submission: a submission limit of two contributions per author applies.

Conference Chairs and Contact Information


For all submission and program-related queries, e-mail Michael Breazeale at mbreazeale@unomaha.edu.
For all administrative questions (e.g., hotel, payment, registration), e-mail Jill Avery at jill.avery@simmons.edu.

More information will be posted soon regarding registration and accommodations.

© 2012 CBR 2013. All rights reserved. 23
Consumer Brand Relationships 20133
May 15-17, 2013
Boston, Massachusetts  USA
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