The Carlson School Excellence in Marketing
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Building Bridges Bright. Bold. The Carlson School’s interdisciplinary approach to marketing is bringing creative new ideas into focus with rigorous research. Practitioners, policy-makers, academic peers, and curious, motivated students all benefit from the cutting-edge marketing insights that emerge from research at the Carlson School. The Institute for Research in Marketing helps disseminate this research into the wider community. We reach out to marketing executives, government officials, students and alumni, and the press through conferences, a speaker series, and the commissioning of topical white papers. We also build enduring relationships with practitioners that lead to the real-world adoption of our faculty members’ work. Through an advisory board of leading executives from international firms, the Institute invites practical marketing experience back into the school. Advisory board members’ knowledge of best practices and their grasp of pressing marketing issues help blend rigor with relevance in the scholarly research conducted by Carlson School faculty. The Institute provides both a venue and support for dialogue, helping Carlson School marketing faculty generate thought-provoking insights about companies, consumers, and communities.
Putting Research into Practice Research at the Carlson School is not only rigorous, it’s timely and relevant. Practitioners and policy-makers seek out our faculty’s insights and apply their findings to real-world problems.
> Professor Barbara Loken co-edited the National Cancer Institute monograph The Role of Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use. In the monograph, Loken and her colleagues present conclusive evidence that tobacco marketing and the depiction of smoking in movies promote youth smoking. They also demonstrate that current quit campaigns may be ineffective or even counter-effective. Loken has spoken to audiences in Washington, D.C., Mumbai, India, and other venues across the world, urging a new approach to smoking cessation. > Associate Professor Kathleen Vohs, a well-known consumer psychologist, recently participated in a Capitol Hill symposium on the convergence of consumer behavior and healthcare. Vohs has earned a number of honors, including a McKnight Presidential Fellowship and the inaugural SAGE Young Scholars award, with her creative studies on will power, self-control, and the physical and psychological effects of money.
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> Professor and Department Chair George John and Associate Professor Om Narasimhan, along with Carlson School doctoral alum Xinlei Chen, used the 2002 acquisition of Gatorade by PepsiCo to explore the relative merits of switching marketing channels, finding a practical methodology for assessing the unobservable costs, and total impact of a channel switch. Consistent with the authors’ analysis but contrary to press predictions, Gatorade has not switched to a “directto-store delivery” distribution model.
> Professor Akshay Rao and Carlson School doctoral alum William Hedgcock are among the vanguard of neuromarketing researchers looking inside the consumer mind. Using leading-edge fMRI technology, these experts are examining cerebral activity while consumers make decisions. Seeing this process in action may help educate buyers faced with tough choices and show retailers how to make the consumer’s decision problem easier.
Akshay Rao on the “decoy effect” and retailing in The Economist. “The Way the Brain Buys.” December 18, 2008. Kathleen Vohs’s experiments on unconscious priming and the effects of money, reproduced for the BBC1 science show “Bang! Goes the Theory.” “Bang! Goes the Theory: Unconscious Priming.” August 17, 2009. Joseph Redden on recalling variety to battle boredom in an MSNBC article. “Stuck in a Rut? Call on Memory for a Good Time.” June 16, 2009. Vladas Griskevicius on “conspicuous conservation” and consumer behavior in TIME Magazine. “Competitive Altruism: Being Green in Public.” June 3, 2009.
Leading the Conversation Marketing research at the Carlson School is provocative and impactful. Our work is framing the national and international conversation on a wide variety of topics ranging from types of distribution channels to how political candidates should frame their messages. International media outlets look to our faculty for their insights and expert opinions. From cognitive neuroscience and persuasion to brand dilution, materialism, and shopping environments, our professors provide commentary on developing stories and offer perspectives on their own research that is relevant and applicable to practitioners. Carlson School faculty have become go-to experts for highly respected news organizations like The Economist, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, TIME Magazine, National Public Radio, CNN, and the BBC.
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Serving the Discipline Carlson School marketing faculty are internationally known as prolific scholars. They contribute to the discipline of marketing through their academic leadership. Carlson School marketing faculty also serve on the editorial boards of some of the premier peer-reviewed marketing journals in the world, including the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, and the Journal of Marketing. As board members, their principal task is to evaluate and certify the methodological correctness, theoretical sufficiency, and substantive importance of manuscripts submitted to the journals.
Marketing Faculty Professor Rohini Ahluwalia
Professor Barbara Loken
PhD, The Ohio State University
PhD, University of Illinois
Professor Mark E. Bergen
Professor Joan Meyers-Levy
PhD, University of Minnesota Carolyn I. Anderson Professorship in Business Education Excellence
PhD, Northwestern University Holden-Werlich School-Wide Professor of Marketing
Assistant Professor Tony Haitao Cui
Assistant Professor Prokriti Mukherji
PhD, University of Pennsylvania
PhD, University of Southern California
Assistant Professor Jane E.J. Ebert
Associate Professor Om Narasimhan
PhD, Harvard University
PhD, University of Southern California
Assistant Professor Vladas Griskevicius
Professor Akshay R. Rao
PhD, Arizona State University
PhD, Virginia Tech General Mills Chair in Marketing Director, Institute for Research in Marketing
Associate Professor Robert Hansen PhD, University of Wisconsin
Professor Michael J. Houston PhD, University of Illinois Ecolab-Pierson M. Grieve Chair in International Marketing Associate Dean of International Programs
Professor Deborah Roedder John PhD, Northwestern University Curtis L. Carlson Chair in Marketing
Assistant Professor Joseph P. Redden PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Professor Kenneth J. Roering PhD, University of Iowa
Professor Robert W. Ruekert PhD, University of Wisconsin Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs
Assistant Professor Carlos J. Torelli
Professor George John
PhD, University of Illinois
PhD, Northwestern University General Mills/Paul S. Gerot Chair in Marketing Marketing Department Chair
Associate Professor Kathleen D. Vohs PhD, Dartmouth College McKnight Land-Grant Professor McKnight Presidential Fellow
Institute for Research in Marketing Staff Rebecca D. Monro, MBA Associate Director
Letta Wren Christianson Program Coordinator
Lighting the Way Researchers at the Carlson School have ideas with impact. Our original and cutting-edge work is published in the top journals, cited by academic peers, and acted upon by thoughtful practitioners around the world. With 27 articles published or forthcoming in the most respected, peer-reviewed marketing journals in 2009 alone, our faculty continue to be among the most productive group of scholars in the world, lighting the way for new research in the field. 1. “Context Effects from Bodily Sensations: Examining Bodily Sensations Induced by Flooring and the Moderating Role of Product Viewing Distance,” Joan Meyers-Levy, Rui (Juliet) Zhu*, and Lan Jiang, Journal of Consumer Research (forthcoming). 2. “The Length of Product Line in Distribution Channels,” Yunchuan Liu and Tony Haitao Cui, Marketing Science (forthcoming). 3. “The Effect of Need for Uniqueness on Word of Mouth,” Amar Cheema and Andrew M. Kaikati*, Journal of Marketing Research (forthcoming). 4. “Going Green to Be Seen: Status, Reputation, and Conspicuous Conservation,” Vladas Griskevicius, J. M. Tybur, and B. Van den Bergh, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (forthcoming). 5. “Understanding the Role of Trade-ins in Durable Goods Markets: Theory and Evidence,” Raghunath S. Rao*, Om Narasimhan, and George John, Marketing Science (forthcoming). 6. “Emotional Persuasion: When the Valence Versus the Resource Demands of Emotions Influence Consumers’ Attitudes,” Loraine Lau-Gesk and Joan Meyers-Levy, Journal of Consumer Research (forthcoming December 2009). 7. “Variety Amnesia: Recalling Past Variety Can Accelerate Recovery from Satiation,” Jeff Galak, Joseph P. Redden, and Justin Kruger, Journal of Consumer Research (forthcoming December 2009). 8. “Learning from a Service Guarantee Quasi-Experiment,” Xinlei Chen, George John, Julie M. Hays*, Arthur V. Hill, and Susan E. Geurs, Journal of Marketing Research (forthcoming October 2009). 9. “Forecasting and Backcasting: Predicting the Impact of Events on the Future,” Jane E.J. Ebert, Daniel T. Gilbert, and Timothy D. Wilson, Journal of Consumer Research (forthcoming October 2009). 10. “When Should Original Equipment Manufacturers Use Branded Component Contracts with Suppliers?” Mrinal Ghosh* and George John, Journal of Marketing Research (forthcoming October 2009). 11. “The Presence of Variety Reduces Perceived Quantity,” Joseph P. Redden and Stephen J. Hoch, Journal of Consumer Research (forthcoming October 2009). 12. “Sex in Advertising: Gender Differences and the Role of Relationship Commitment,” Darren W. Dahl, Jaideep Sengupta, and Kathleen D. Vohs, Journal of Consumer Research (August 2009). > More information on the latest research from the Carlson School’s marketing faculty can be
found at carlsonschool.umn.edu/marketinginstitute/recentresearch
13. “An Evolutionary Perspective on Humor: Sexual Selection or Interest Indication?” Norman P. Li, Vladas Griskevicius, Kristina M. Durante, Peter K. Jonason, Derek J. Pasisz, and Katherine Aumer, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (July 2009). 14. “Microbes, Mating, and Morality: Individual Differences in Three Functional Domains of Disgust,” Joshua M. Tybur, Debra Lieberman, and Vladas Griskevicius, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (July 2009). 15. “Fear and Loving in Las Vegas: Evolution, Emotion, and Persuasion,” Vladas Griskevicius, C.R. Mortensen, J.M. Sundie, R.B. Cialdini, and D.T. Kenrick, Journal of Marketing Research (June 2009). 16. “Could Ralph Nader’s Entrance and Exit Have Helped Al Gore? The Impact of Decoy Dynamics on Consumer Choice,” William Hedgcock*, Akshay R. Rao, and Haipeng (Allan) Chen*, Journal of Marketing Research (June 2009). 17. “Aggress to Impress: Hostility as an Evolved Context-Dependent Strategy,” Vladas Griskevicius, Joshua M. Tybur, Steven W. Gangestad, Elaine F. Perea, Jenessa R. Shapiro, and Douglas T. Kenrick, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (May 2009). 18. “Self-Affirmation and Self-Control: Affirming Core Values Counteracts Ego Depletion,” Brandon J. Schmeichel and Kathleen D. Vohs, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (April 2009). 19. “It’s Time to Vote: The Effect of Matching Message Orientation and Temporal Frame on Political Persuasion,” Hakkyun Kim*, Akshay R. Rao, and Angela Lee, Journal of Consumer Research (April 2009). 20. “When Brand Personality Matters: The Moderating Role of Attachment Styles,” Vanitha Swaminathan, Karen M. Stilley, and Rohini Ahluwalia, Journal of Consumer Research (April 2009). 21. “Acts of Benevolence: A Limited-Resource Account of Compliance with Charitable Requests,” Bob M. Fennis, Loes Janssen, and Kathleen D. Vohs, Journal of Consumer Research (April 2009). 22. “Field Dependency and Brand Cognitive Structures,” Sharon Ng* and Michael J. Houston, Journal of Marketing Research (April 2009). 23. “Trade-off Aversion as an Explanation for the Attraction Effect: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study,” William Hedgcock* and Akshay R. Rao, Journal of Marketing Research (February 2009). 24. “Aristotle’s Anxiety: Choosing Among Methods to Study Choice,” William Hedgcock* and Akshay R. Rao, Journal of Marketing Research (February 2009). 25. “The Influence of Self-View on Context Effects: How Display Fixtures Can Affect Product Evaluations,” Rui (Juliet) Zhu* and Joan Meyers-Levy, Journal of Marketing Research (February 2009). 26. “Radical Innovation Across Nations: The Pre-eminence of Corporate Culture,” Gerard J. Tellis, Jaideep C. Prabhu, and Rajesh K. Chandy, Journal of Marketing (January 2009). 27. “Values as Predictors of Judgments and Behaviors: The Role of Abstract and Concrete Mindsets,” Carlos J. Torelli and Andrew Kaikati*, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (January 2009). * Current or former Carlson School doctoral student
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Academic Highlights: Bringing Research to Life
Jane Ebert
Thinking Ahead Assistant Professor Jane Ebert’s teaching and research focus on consumer goals and behavior, particularly as they are affected by time. In Ebert’s most recent publication in the Journal of Consumer Research, she created four studies with her co-authors Daniel Gilbert (Harvard) and Timothy Wilson (University of Virginia). Ebert has people use one of two different prediction methods called “forecasting” and “backcasting” to anticipate how an event like a purchase might make them feel. When forecasting, decision-makers predicted their future feelings by first imagining how they’d feel if an event occurred, then imagining how that feeling might change over time. Using backcasting, however, subjects first imagined their feelings in a future period, and then considered the effects of a more current event. The backcasters, Ebert learned, were more optimistic about their purchase decisions. “People make a lot of decisions based on how they think their choice will make them feel. We found that we could easily change a consumer’s expectations of those feelings,” Ebert observes. Having made even a subtle change to hypothetical travel ad copy so that it encouraged backcasting by invoking a customer’s feelings before giving a product pitch, Ebert found the buyers expected to like the trip more. Ebert is enthusiastic about the directions her future consumer behavior research might take. “I find research on timing fascinating. Its role in the errors consumers make and what they come to regret, and, more broadly, when decisions with future consequences are ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than ones involving more immediate consequences, and when, whether, and how consumers can improve their decision making—these are all intriguing research topics,” she says.
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Vlad Griskevicius
Going Green
Most of us think of peer pressure as a bad thing, but when it comes to the environment, Assistant Professor Vlad Griskevicius thinks it might just be the key to unlocking beneficial behavior. Social norms are, Griskevicius shows, low-cost and effective marketing “levers.” In a recently published Journal of Consumer Research article, Griskevicius and his co-authors designed two simple experiments with hotel towel reuse programs to highlight this effect. Traditional placards outlining a hotel towel reuse program were already fairly effective with guests, but when the researchers rephrased the signage to appeal to social norms, the results were striking. “By subtly and tastefully informing guests that the majority of other guests—and, in particular, ‘guests in this room’ —reused their towels at least once during their stay, “we spurred a 10–14% increase in towel reuse across studies.” Griskevicius, a social psychologist by training, notes that he simply hoped to examine the motivation of pro-social behavior in a real consumer setting, but, “considering that many hotel guests never even read the cards in their hotel rooms,” he was amazed at the team’s clear results. It made a big difference to emphasize just how common the “common good” was. Taking his research in another direction, Griskevicius has begun to study a phenomenon he calls “conspicuous conservation.” In a forthcoming article, Griskevicius and his co-authors consider whether sustainability marketing needs to address the fact that many consumers may, in fact, be “going green to be seen.” If that’s the case, researchers say, tailoring market appeals to highlight both environmental and social status benefits may spur the adoption of “green” products and technologies.
Alumni in Action
Elda Macias ’06 Executive MBA
Several years ago, Elda Macias, now director of market segments at Ameriprise Financial, had decided that she wanted to expand her career horizons. And the more she heard about the Carlson School’s Executive MBA program, the more it appealed to her. “I was really impressed by Carlson, especially after I had a chance to talk with former students. In the end, choosing the Carlson School Executive MBA program was the best decision I could have possibly made.” As a student, Macias found that the diversity of her high caliber classmates was itself an advantage of Carlson’s executive program. “The faculty were able to tap into the broad experience of our student group. We had such a wide variety of backgrounds, with people in the military, manufacturing, HR, and small business owners. The opportunity to focus and learn to work together, to go through an intense program and build a lasting network among the Executive MBA students, those were huge benefits.” Eventually, Macias landed her current position at Ameriprise Financial. “It was absolutely the job I wanted at the time I wanted it—the perfect job.” Now in corporate marketing for the financial planning leader, Macias works to identify groups of consumers who are underserved by the financial services industry and tailor programs to their distinct needs. She focuses, in particular, on market segments such as women and the LGBT community. “In this capacity, I put the lessons from my Carlson School finance and marketing strategy classes into action. I’m working from a marketing perspective on how to speak to these unique consumers, but also how to train Ameriprise financial advisors to understand and find solutions for the specific needs of each group.”
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The Carlson School helped me form a marketing strategy perspective that lets me speak both to my group at Ameriprise and to our unique customers.
Daniel Marple ’04 MBA
My time in the Carlson Brand Enterprise taught me to approach a company from an external perspective, pull together my analysis, and then confidently express my opinion on the best strategy.
In his role as director of shopper marketing with ConAgra Foods, Daniel Marple works with retailers to develop insight-driven marketing solutions that speak directly to shoppers. Marple credits his participation in the Carlson Brand Enterprise (CBE) with helping him quickly understand the dynamics and strategic priorities of an innovative venture. “My time in the CBE taught me to approach a company from an external perspective, pull together my analysis, and then confidently express my opinion on the best strategy. For Carlson School students—and their future employers—that experience is a huge advantage.” Recently, Marple helped ConAgra, one of the leading branded and commercial food products companies in the U.S., create an exclusive marketing campaign for its retail partner SUPERVALU. Marple’s team determined that SUPERVALU’s shoppers were looking for products that offered a combination of affordability, convenience, and family appeal. They used extensive customer research to develop “Save Tonight,” a comprehensive marketing campaign tailored to the needs of the SUPERVALU shopper. “Shopper marketing has become a critical way for ConAgra to drive business results with our retail partners,” Marple shares. “And our efforts are paying off, winning marketing awards and customer loyalty.” Because of his Carlson School training, Marple feels confident building collaborative campaigns, even as the competitive landscape changes. “ConAgra realizes that consumer value is beyond price alone, and I try to convey that value in our marketing campaigns. I enjoy that I can bring my brand management experience to bear every day as ConAgra discovers insights and creates growth initiatives with our customers.”
Connecting with Practitioners The Institute for Research in Marketing’s Advisory Board is made up of senior level marketing executives from national and international firms. These talented practitioners help ensure the relevance and rigor of the Carlson School’s research in marketing and provide guidance on the most urgent topics in the marketplace. As the Institute evolves, our board has come to represent an array of industries and services, and we welcome fresh partnerships with top-level corporations and thought-leaders.
Real Business, Real Beauty Philippe Harousseau, Unilever
Philippe Harousseau, vice president of brand development (skin) for Unilever North America, is enthusiastic about his new role as Unilever’s representative to the Institute for Research in Marketing’s advisory board. “These collaborations are extremely valuable; academics and practitioners are complementary by nature,” he says. “As practitioners, we tend to be focused on immediate impact and our business objectives. Scholars, though, are more detached from instant results, and they can apply their vast assets—their brainpower—to help us understand why things happen as they do.” Harousseau offers, as an example of the value of university research in the marketplace, the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, to which he contributed as marketing director for Dove in the U.S. “We had learned from academics who were experts in self-esteem that the common idea of ‘beauty’ was very narrow—too narrow to include most women. And that was completely contrary to our view of the world.” The Campaign for Real Beauty, Harousseau says, brought life to the Dove brand mission. “Dove got to ‘walk the talk,’ trying to broaden definitions of beauty, encourage women to take care of themselves, and commit to improving young girls’ self-esteem.” Through his involvement with the Carlson School, Harousseau is now looking to our faculty for breakthrough marketing insights like those that informed the Dove campaign. Unilever is even supporting a forthcoming Institute for Research in Marketing White Paper. “My work with the advisory board,” Harousseau concludes, “exposes me to top-notch research that can help drive my company’s actions and give me a better understanding of our impact in the marketplace.”
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Advisory Board
Erik Andersen
Vivian Milroy Callaway
Kenneth Coyle
Senior Vice President, Customer Loyalty GfK Custom Research North America
Vice President, Center for Learning and Experimentation General Mills
Executive Director, Consumer Insights AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
JoAnn Fernandez
Philippe Harousseau
Diane Harper
Global Vice President, Marketing 3M Consumer and Office
Vice President, Brand Development, Skin Unilever
Vice President, Customer/Channel-Insights Kraft Foods
James S. Henney
Jim Hield
Carla Kennedy
Senior Vice President, Enterprise Marketing– Customer Insights Wells Fargo
Vice President of Marketing Services Cargill
Vice President, Product Line Management Seagate Technology
Julie Moore Chief Marketing Officer SUPERVALU
Vice President and General Manager, Vehicle Care Ecolab
David Mucha
Kal Patel
Jim Schroer
Vice President, Market Intelligence UnitedHealthcare
Executive Vice President, Emerging Business Best Buy Co., Inc.
Carlson Marketing
Scott Wallace
Kate Whittington
Robert Ruekert
Senior Vice President, Marketing G&K Services
Director, Guest Insights Target
Professor, Associate Dean Undergraduate Programs Marketing & Logistics Management
Bryan Maach Vice President, Market Research & Analysis Cisco Systems, Inc.
Steve Michaelson
Academic Representative to Advisory Board:
Institute for Research in Marketing Carlson School of Management University of Minnesota 321 Nineteenth Avenue South, Suite 3-150 Minneapolis, MN 55455-0438 612-626-7940 carlsonschool.umn.edu/marketinginstitute mktginst@umn.edu Š 2009 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.