The Future of B2B Marketing Communication

Introduction

New Approaches, Touchpoints, and Theoretical Frontiers, Special issue of Industrial Marketing Management; Deadline 1 Aug 2026

INTEREST CATEGORY: INTERORGANIZATIONAL
POSTING TYPE: Calls: Journals

Posted by: Selma Kadić-Maglajlić

INDUSTRIAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT

Call for Papers

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

Deadline for submission: August 1st, 2026

Overview and Purpose of the Special Issue

Business-to-business (B2B) marketing communication is undergoing a significant transformation (Bamberger et al., 2025). No longer confined to rational messaging and information-heavy campaigns, today’s B2B communication strategies embrace a broader set of touchpoints and engage stakeholders through emotional resonance, value alignment, brand narratives, and long-term relational signals (Barry & Gironda, 2019; Dutt et al., 2024). As decision-making increasingly unfolds across multifunctional buying groups and distributed customer journeys, firms are turning to diverse and integrated communication formats, including digital content, PR, advertising, social media, augmented/virtual reality, events, influencer and advocacy marketing, and internal communication (e.g., Agnihotri et al., 2016; Arcodia, 2022; Cartwright et al., 2022; Mero et al., 2023; Milan, 2016; Terho et al., 2022).

This evolution raises fundamental questions about how firms communicate in B2B settings and how these communication practices influence awareness, brand equity, buyer trust, firm reputation, and ultimately commercial outcomes (e.g., Guenther et al., 2024; Rose et al., 2021; Saha et al., 2023). These developments are driven not only by advances in technology but also by shifting generational expectations, organizational decentralization, and the increasing importance of purpose-driven messaging. As such, the traditional rational-informational paradigm in B2B marketing is no longer sufficient. This special issue aims to recast B2B communication as a multidimensional, emotionally nuanced, and socially embedded process that builds long-term stakeholder engagement and strategic differentiation.

This Special Issue calls for cutting-edge research that theorizes, maps, and empirically examines the rapidly shifting terrain of B2B marketing communication. The urgency of this shift is underscored by post-pandemic digital acceleration, the normalization of hybrid work, increasing global instability, and the rise of Gen Z professionals in B2B buying teams, each bringing new expectations for communication style, authenticity, and interactivity. These forces challenge traditional assumptions and compel us to reconceptualize B2B communication as a multidimensional, emotionally nuanced, and socially embedded process. We particularly invite contributions that challenge the dominant rational-informational paradigm by drawing on interdisciplinary theoretical perspectives such as psychology, communication theory, and media studies. Submissions may also explore the role of immersive technologies (e.g., augmented reality, virtual reality, digital twin communication), customer experience management, and purpose-driven messaging in shaping communication outcomes and firm performance. Contributions may draw from diverse theoretical perspectives—such as communication theory, emotion theory, media richness theory, signaling theory, institutional theory, or stakeholder theory—and use a variety of empirical methodologies. We especially welcome contributions that explore novel contexts (e.g., emerging technologies, sustainability) and/or use up-to-date methodology and objective data to demonstrate impact (e.g., effects on firm-level performance).

Sample Topics

Acknowledging the changing nature of B2B marketing communication, submissions can employ a range of methods (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods) or introduce methodological innovations, but should be empirical in nature. We particularly encourage studies that go beyond single-channel or purely rational views of B2B communication. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  1. Strategic Communication in Evolving B2B Contexts
  • Integrated multi-touchpoint communication strategies in B2B, including the coordination of digital and interpersonal formats such as B2B sales teams, trade fairs, industry events, and business meetings.
  • The convergence of B2B and B2C communication techniques.
  • The role of emotions and storytelling in B2B settings.
  • Communicating intangible value: e.g., sustainability, DEI, or innovation narratives.
  1. B2B Channel Strategies: Advances and Cross-Format Coordination
  • Cross-channel orchestration: aligning B2B advertising, PR, events, digital channels, and in-person interactions to deliver a coherent communication experience to business customers.
  • The growing role of influencer, advocate, and employee-driven communication in professional buying contexts.
  • Effectiveness of social media and digital content marketing in B2B markets.
  • Internal marketing communication as a tool for aligning employees with external brand messaging and firm identity in business markets.
  1. Reframing B2B Marketing Communication: Testing Novel Theoretical Foundations and Conceptual Models
  • Reframing B2B marketing communication through signaling theory, institutional theory, or narrative transportation.
  • New conceptual models of B2B communication effectiveness and ROI.
  • Identity, values, and emotional appeals in complex buying center decision-making.
  • The role of cognitive and affective processing in professional audiences.
  1. Communication Strategies Across B2B Buyer Journeys and Stakeholder Ecosystems
  • Personalization and customization of B2B communication across stages.
  • Communication strategies for targeting non-decision-maker influencers in business markets (e.g., technical users, champions).
  • B2B communication in platform ecosystems, networks, and supply chains.
  1. Empirical and Methodological Innovations in B2B Communication Research
  • Advances in measuring multi-touch attribution and communication impact.
  • Use of neuro-marketing, eye-tracking, or physiological methods in B2B.
  • Advances in longitudinal research designs to capture the impact of communication and development of brand equity over time in B2B markets.
  • Advances in experimental, quasi-experimental, and simulation-based approaches that can uncover dynamic cause-effect relationships or emergent behaviors within B2B communication ecosystems.
  • AI-augmented communication and content generation in B2B.

Preparation and Submission of Papers

Submitted papers must not have been published, accepted for publication, or be under consideration elsewhere. Manuscripts should be between 6,000 and 8,000 words in length and must comply with Industrial Marketing Management’s guidelines for authors. All submissions will undergo double-blind peer review in line with Industrial Marketing Management’s special-issue guidelines (Kadic-Maglajlic et al., 2023). Submissions should be made through the by selecting “VSI: Future of B2B Communication” in the dropdown menu.

Authors are advised to refer to the prior to submission. Papers that do not comply with the Guide for Authors or are poorly written will be desk rejected. Manuscripts within the scope of the special issue (as described above) and for which there is a reasonable chance of conditional acceptance after no more than two rounds of revisions will enter the double-blind review process.

Important Dates

  • Submission opens: June 1, 2026
  • Deadline for submission: August 1, 2026

Guest Editors

References

Agnihotri, R., Dingus, R., Hu, M. Y., & Krush, M. T. (2016). Social media: Influencing customer satisfaction in b2b sales. Industrial Marketing Management, 53, 172-180.

Arcodia, C. (2022). The routledge handbook of business events. London: Routledge.

Bamberger, B., Reinartz, W., & Ulaga, W. (2025). Navigating the future of b2b marketing: The transformative impact of the industrial metaverse. Journal of Business Research, 188, 115057.

Barry, J. M., & Gironda, J. T. (2019). Operationalizing thought leadership for online b2b marketing. Industrial Marketing Management, 81, 138-159.

Cartwright, S., Liu, H., & Davies, I. A. (2022). Influencer marketing within business-to-business organisations. Industrial Marketing Management, 106, 338-350.

Dutt, A., Dharun, K., Rob, A., & and Singh, J. (2024). The future of marketing and communications in a digital era: Data, analytics and narratives. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 32(8), 1435-1443.

Guenther, P., Guenther, M., Rahman, M., Koval, M., & Iurkov, V. (2025). Advertising in business markets – the obscured bottom-line effect and need for appropriate analytics. Industrial Marketing Management, 126, 185-196.

Kadic-Maglajlic, S., Arslanagić-Kalajdžić, M., Lindgreen, A., & Di Benedetto, C. A. (2023). Special issues in Industrial Marketing Management: Past, present, and future. Industrial Marketing Management, 109, 2-6.

Mero, J., Vanninen, H., & Keränen, J. (2023). B2b influencer marketing: Conceptualization and four managerial strategies. Industrial Marketing Management, 108, 79-93.

Milan, L. (2016). Business-to-business public relations In A. Theaker (Ed.), The public relations handbook (Vol. 5). London: Routledge.

Rose, S., Fandel, D., Saraeva, A., & Dibley, A. (2021). Sharing is the name of the game: Exploring the role of social media communication practices on b2b customer relationships in the life sciences industry. Industrial Marketing Management, 93, 52-62.

Saha, V., Das, M., & Paul, J. (2023). Can masstige brands be introduced in the b2b markets? An exploratory study. Industrial Marketing Management, 114, 32-46.

Terho, H., Mero, J., Siutla, L., & Jaakkola, E. (2022). Digital content marketing in business markets: Activities, consequences, and contingencies along the customer journey. Industrial Marketing Management, 105, 294-310.