New book explores how storytelling and imagination can reshape marketing education

In a new book published this today (3 March 2026), Dr S M A Moin, Reader in Storytelling and Brand Communications and Co-Director of BSc Marketing and Management programme, argues that creativity, imagination, and purpose must play a central role in how marketing education is designed and delivered.

Published by Routledge, Creativity in Marketing Education: Storytelling, Imagination and Purpose reimagines the classroom as a creative and inclusive space, where students are encouraged to develop voice, values, and ethical awareness alongside professional skills. Rather than treating marketing as a rigid or purely technical discipline, the book frames teaching and learning as a dynamic, reflective process shaped by narrative, imagination, and social responsibility.

Drawing on interdisciplinary research, reflective practice, and classroom innovation, the book explores how storytelling can support deeper engagement, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence. It invites educators to rethink the role of curriculum design, positioning students as active participants in their learning and educators as guides who help foster creativity, conscience, and purpose.

Dr Moin said: “This book grew out of a simple question: what does it mean to truly educate a marketer today? At a time of rapid technological change, storytelling and imagination offer ways to keep marketing education human, ethical, and inclusive, while still preparing students for professional practice.”

Alongside its conceptual arguments, the book offers practical exercises, ideation techniques, and industry case studies aimed at supporting educators who want to create creativity-centred and inclusive learning environments. It addresses contemporary challenges facing marketing education, including standardisation, digital transformation, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence.

Professor Yasmin Ibrahim, Deputy Dean in the School of Business and Management, highlighted the book’s contribution to wider debates about teaching and learning:

“Storytelling, as explored in this book, is not merely a teaching technique. It is a way of seeing the world. Moin shows how narrative connects emotion and thought, learning and lived experience. His work highlights the power of story to challenge, inspire and transform. The opening chapter, with its imaginative inner voices, draws on literary traditions to explore the moral and reflective dimensions of becoming an educator. Throughout the book, storytelling acts as both guide and compass, shaping how educators and students understand their purpose.”

Dr Moin’s work has received international recognition. In 2024, he was named a Top Scholar by ScholarGPS, placing him among the top 0.5 per cent of scholars worldwide and ranking him ninth globally in the field of storytelling, based on research published over the past five years.

As conversations continue across the sector about the future of higher education, Creativity in Marketing Education contributes to broader discussions about how universities can balance technological innovation with ethical responsibility, inclusion, and human purpose.

Creativity in Marketing Education: Storytelling, Imagination and Purpose is published by Routledge and is available from 3 March 2026.