Research

The group’s research projects are ‘real-world’ problem-oriented and conceptualised to address timely and important societal and marketing issues. Our vision is to build on, and expand, our distinctive expertise by furthering thought leadership in our two key themes:

Marketing and consumption research for societal change

• Research in this stream focuses on fostering behavioural, social, business and policy change.  It engages with a wide range of policy, public, industry and community stakeholders to understand and address important social problems.
• Areas of substantive focus include consumer physical and mental wellbeing, dietary change, plastics, fast fashion harms, food poverty, food waste, gambling harms, advertising ethics and policy, credit and debt, health and gender inequalities.
• Existing partners for projects, research and student employment include a wide range of public, charitable, and private stakeholder groups. Examples include Bristol City Council, British Cycling, PLN, YGAM, Worthing Football Club, Sport England, Forestry England, Unilever, among others.

Digital transformations and innovations in marketing and consumption

• Research in this stream focuses on marketing and consumption transformations that are associated with digital technologies and innovation.
• Areas of substantive focus include: digital technologies (artificial intelligence, immersive technologies such as AR/VR/metaverse, social media, smart devices, Internet of Things) and their deployment for marketing and consumption purposes in retailing, tourism and hospitality, home and other settings; digital wellbeing (online harm, body image, mental health); marketisation of technologies; word-of-mouth; technology acceptance, and science entrepreneurship.
• Researchers in this stream collaborate with UK-based and international partners such as studio Holition, agency QReal, BT, Conception X.