Overview
The Center on Consumers and Marketing Strategy (CCMS) is a Center of Excellence of the Research Institute of the Louvain School of Management Group, a research association of three Belgian Universities: UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve and Mons, University of Namur and University Saint-Louis in Brussels.
Mission
The Center of Excellence provides a platform for furthering research, teaching in doctoral programs, and executive education in the area of consumer behavior and marketing strategy. The activities of the CCMS are expected to enhance the respectability of marketing as an academic discipline and to improve the international visibility of the center.
The CCMS focuses on investigating consumers, in their cognitive, behavioral and phenomenological dimensions, as well as on the most effective ways to address these from a marketing strategic perspective. The CCMS encourages both conceptual and empirical research, multidisciplinarity and methodological eclecticism. Quantitative and qualitative studies are equally valued.
Activities of the CCMS articulate around the following areas: scientific research, participation to symposia and conferences, publications of international level, training and supervision of doctoral students, hosting of researchers and of guest professors, involvement in national and international research networks, organization of seminaries and symposia, executive education and business partnerships.
Research themes
As suggested by the labeling of the center of excellence, CCMS’ major research themes revolve around consumers and marketing strategy.
As for consumers, the CCMS focuses on issues related to decision making and to cognitive and affective responses to marketing stimuli (e.g., advertising). The CCMS also investigates more societal and phenomenological questions, such as responsible consumption, consumers’ health, and symbolic consumption. To provide such a comprehensive understanding of consumers, CCMS aims at both individuals and groups, with a particular focus on children, teens, and informal groups (friends, virtual communities). Services and leisure (tourism, culture and shopping) are among the preferred fields for applications.
When considering marketing strategy, three major fields of research are prioritized in current and future activities of the CCMS’ members: (1) communication strategies and consumer responses to advertising; (2) brand management and product/service innovation, and (3) retail management (offline and online).
Contact
Director : Prof. Pietro Zidda
University of Namur
Department of Business Administration
Rempart de la Vierge 8
B-5000 Namur – Belgium
pietro.zidda@fundp.ac.be
Deputy director: Prof. Valérie Swaen
Université Catholique de Louvain
Louvain School of Management
Place des Doyens, 1
B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve – Belgium
valerie.swaen@uclouvain.be
