Personal Chair in Digital Marketing and Consumer Behaviour and Director of Research Degrees
Roles and Responsibilities
- Director of Research Degrees
- Course Coordinator (Lecturer) for Introduction to Business ResearchÌý
- Online survey champion
Background
- BSc Financial Economics (First Class), University of Leicester
- MSc Marketing (Distinction), University of Leicester
- PhD Marketing/Information Systems, University of Bath
Research Interests
My research interest surrounds social and commercialÌýconsumer behaviour linked to the use of digital technologies, more specifically I am a social media nerd. Since 2015 I have had 40+ articles accepted at well-known journals, such as the Journal of Retailing, Journal of Service Research,ÌýJournal of Advertising Research, Psychology & Marketing, European Journal of Marketing, Industrial Marketing Management, International Marketing Review,ÌýComputers in Human Behavior, Journal of Travel Research, New Technology, Work and Employment, Journal of Health Psychology, and the Journal of Business Research. This work has received quite a lot of media attention, includingÌýThe New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Havard Business ReviewÌýand the BBC.ÌýI draw mainly from social psychological theory and I am pragmatic with regard to research methodology havingÌýexperience in both quantitative and qualitative techniques. However, I am predominately a quantitative researcher andÌýlikeÌýexperiments best.
MyÌýpaper on the 'Chilling Effect' of social media became the most read paper in the world for a short period in 2017, according to ResearchGate. This paper was the first to evidence that being a social media user constrains our actions in reality. For example, people are less likely to let loose at parties now as they may be snapped.
At present, I am particularly interested in Instagrammability, whetherÌýsocial media surveillance makes people 'better' service employees, human factors related to AI,Ìýthe dark sideÌýof impression management linked to technology, impact of emojis/GIFs, vertical video formats (e.g. TikTok), digital size, online games,Ìýaugmented/virtual reality, onlineÌýreviews, virtual items in the games/Metaverse,Ìýinfluencers,Ìýand the impact of viewing those slightly annoyingÌýbraggyÌýposts on social media.Ìý
Beyond research, I really love teaching digital marketing,Ìýdiscussing/debating new digital phenomenon with students andÌýsupervising research in my area (particularly that employing quantitative methods)
I am also passionate about initiatives to improve wellbeing of students and academics.
Please check out some of my blog posts:
Research Video
Ben Marder discusses his research on revealing the unintended consequences of marketing technologies, particularly in the context of online reviews, uncovering how the mere imagination of reviews prompts employees to provide exceptional service.