The Necessity of Scientific Research and Practical Applications

Topic Relevance: In recent years, the need for professional digital branding has increased, for example

  • Further expansion of the Internet
  • Development of new applications and terminal devices (mobiles, smartphones, the iPad etc.)
  • Swift expansion in the use of Web 2.0/social media/social software
  • Increasing competition in all markets, with the competition focusing less on products and more on communication

Important Key Issues

  • Digital Brand Management
  • Digital Brand Relations
  • Digital Storytelling in Branding
  • Digital Code Management / Digital Brand Design
  • Intercultural Digital Brand Management
  • Digital Brand Literacy

 

Digital Brand Relations

 

Relevance

  • Brand relations have played an important role in marketing for a long time (customer relationship management etc.).
  • This topic plays an essential role in digital branding by means of direct consumer contact, but also by means of criticism arising again and again, potentially causing enormous damage.

 

Necessity

  • Scientific research has not yet produced findings on the peculiarities of forming brand relations in digital media.
  • In practice, there is a lack of concepts and models
    • That show how brand relations can be established systematically in digital media and how they can be shaped successfully in the long term
    • Of how companies can handle criticism
  • Social Media Increase this Need
    • Positively, by means of involving the user in the entire value chain (such as through crowd sourcing)
    • Negatively via phenomena such as a “Shitstorm.”
    • Customer criticism often causes great uncertainty and results in a company investing resources.

 

Objective: Scientific Research

  • Scientific studies on the topic of brand relations in digital media (numerous work already in progress), such as
    • Brand relations as part of the brand’s self-conceived identity
    • Implications for communication and the brand image
    • Shaping of brand relations in digital media (peculiarities, opportunities and limitations)
    • Is there such a thing as a “relationship” to the brand from the user’s point of view?
    • What is the significance of fundamental beliefs with respect to brand relations?
    • Brand relations in times of crisis

 

Objective: Practical Applications

  • Concepts and models to describe brand relations
  • Concepts and models for shaping brand relations (potentially international as well, see below)
  • Checklists for handling brand relations
  • Checklists for handling criticism

 

 

Digital Brand Storytelling

 

Relevance

  • Storytelling is a communication form highly compatible with the way our brains work.
  • In recent years, it has expanded into many areas of life, including in journalism.
  • There is a lack of scientific research into how the peculiarities of digital media can be used optimally in digital branding.
  • In recent months, many companies have established their own units for digital storytelling.
  • An increasing number of companies are using stories in their digital media presence.

Necessity

  • There is a lack of concepts and models backed by scientific research for how storytelling can best be applied to digital media.

 

Objective: Scientific Research

  • Scientific studies on the topic of storytelling in digital media (numerous work already in progress), such as
    • Peculiarities of digital storytelling
    • Digital storytelling for shaping relations (digital brand management)
    • Transmedia digital storytelling
    • Interactive digital storytelling
    • Possibilities for staging digital stories

 

Objective: Practical Applications

  • Application of digital storytelling in branding
    • For shaping brand relations
    • In times of crisis
    • Checklists for optimal digital storytelling

 

 

Intercultural Digital Brand Management

 

Necessity

  • The need for intercultural branding increases in step with continual internationalisation.
  • Digital media in particular make a worldwide approach to branding possible.

= > The question is: what are the peculiarities of digital branding and what are the implications for practical applications?

 

Objective: Scientific Research

  • Scientific studies on the peculiarities of intercultural branding in digital media
    • Cross-cultural differences in digital communication
    • Shaping of digital branding

Objective: Practical Applications

  • Concepts and models for the evaluation of intercultural branding
    • Standardisation, differentiation or mixed models
    • Challenges for own intercultural branding in digital media
    • International digital brand relations
    • Checklists for handling intercultural branding