About CREAM

The Centre for Research in Marketing (CREAM) is directed by Professor John M.T. Balmer. The centre is the focus for the school's marketing research community of around 30 PhD scholars and seven marketing faculty (including Professor T.C. Melewar and Visiting Professor Stephen A. Greyser of Harvard Business School). The centre's mission aims to celebrate, communicate, develop, and facilitate and the marketing group's activities vis a vis research and scholarship and published scholarly output. The vision of Professor John M.T. Balmer, director of CREAM, is that the centre's marketing research should be of international standing: research that should make a strong theoretical contribution and research that should, in addition, strive to "marry the cerebral with the practical". His aim is that the group should engage and maintain their status as a community of scholars which produces not merely top research but, importantly, focusses on leading and pioneering research activities. As such, the centre seeks to produce research – especially ground-breaking research - that not only advances knowledge but, in addition, has a wide institutional, instrumental, and societal utility. Our research meaningfully informs our teaching. The latter is in accordance with the corporate brand ethos of Brunel University (and Brunel the man). It is a tradition which materially draws on many of the diverse precepts of the almost one thousand years old British University tradition. The group are proud custodians of this unique provenance

Marketing faculty enjoy an unparalleled international research profile international especially in the fields of corporate marketing, corporate identity, and corporate brand management. In addition, our marketing scholars are also known for their scholarship and published output relating to international marketing, B-B marketing, CSR/ethical marketing, and heritage identity among other areas.; Industy/sectoral research strengths include Monarchical Management, the Business of Sports, and Heritage/Luxury brands and identities. Several members of our group are undisputed pioneers in the respective fields of scholarship cited above. As a lively, hard-working, and collegial group of scholars we are active on a variety of research projects and scholarly initiatives in the UK and overseas. Our impact vis a vis marketing research and scholarship is very much in accordance with the English University research tradition which we are proud to belong. Following this enviable tradition in that our group –in so very many ways- "punches above its weight".

Marketing faculty publish their work in leading academic journals including:

• California Management Review
• Industrial Marketing Management
• European Journal of Marketing
• Journal of Marketing Management
• Journal of Business Ethics
• Journal of Business Research
• Journal of World Business
• International Studies of Management and Organizations
• Journal of General Management
• Long Range Planning
• The British Journal of Management

Marketing faculty are active as guest editors of special editions of leading international journals and many serve as members of editorial boards of top marketing journals.

The group supports a variety of research-based initiatives which include a bespoke marketing symposia series which reflects the research strengths, interests and needs of scholars within the group. For instance, symposia will – in 2012/13- focus on corporate identity and branding; sustainability; business to business marketing etc. Recent symposia organised by faculty members at Brunel Business School have focused on corporate heritage brands and identities, the corporate brand management of business schools and on B-B marketing. Key-note presentations at these events have been given by C.E.O.s, senior consultants, the Editor in Chief of The Economist along with many leading academics from North America, Continental Europe, and the Commonwealth etc. In addition, occasional seminars-delivered by visiting academics-are arranged. Typically, two away-days take place during each academic year where common research interests are discussed and where presentations on contemporary research issues in marketing are given by leading academics, A well-established tradition of the marketing research group are half-day symposia (presentations and discussions) devoted to research undertaken by our PhD students. We engage in a two-pronged research development activities which respectively seeks to (i)  support new researchers and (ii) more established scholars. The marketing professoriate (Professors Balmer, Melewar and Greyser) as a closely-knit and collegial grouping are active in providing support for the above research initiatives.

The research of marketing faculty has informed the marketing activities of a variety of organisations and institutions. Details of some of these studies-undertaken by current and former marketing faculty are outlined below

Digital Signage for Shopping Malls and Retail Stores
Digital screen (DS) technology (screens in a public place showing corporate and marketing-related videos) is an underexplored area of marketing research. This study (undertaken by a former member of the marketing faculty-Professor Charles Dennis as the lead researcher) examined the degree to which consumers welcomed this mode of marketing communication and also examined the effectiveness of this communications channel. The original 2003 study was commissioned by Instrumental Media Group, an early innovator in the field. Additional studies were commissioned by the Mall Corporation (the UK’s biggest community shopping mall owner) and studies for the Uxbridge Town Centre Manager. A further project has been carried out in partnership with the iconic London emporium: Harrods.

Both hypotheses were confirmed. The research has led to most shopping malls carrying DS advertising and, as a consequence of the study, has made these advertisements more entertaining and effective. Harrods, for instance, has increased their number of DS screens from 100 to 150.

The study has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Consumer Research (2013).