About

Hi, I am a doctoral candidate in Behavioral Marketing at Columbia Business School and am on the 2024-2025 job market.

Research

I research Marketing for the Greater Good, focusing on marketplace practices that promote individual, societal, and environmental well-being.

I am most creative when leveraging large datasets to answer behavioral research questions. Thus, in addition to traditional lab and field experiments, I use deep learning (e.g., Convolutional Neural Networks), text analyses (e.g., generative AI), simulations, and trend analyses (e.g., algorithmic frameworks).

My dissertation was honored at the MSI Alden G. Clayton Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Competition.

Check out my CV here.

I hold a B.Sc. in Business Administration from the University of Muenster, a M.Litt. in Marketing from the University of St Andrews, and a M.Phil. in Marketing from Columbia University.

Teaching

I have over a decade of teaching experience.

As a Ph.D. student at Columbia Business School, I had the chance to assist in the teaching of several courses, including Marketing Core, Strategic Marketing, Digital Marketing, Executive Ethics, and Foundations of Innovation. A highlight for me was helping my advisor develop and teach the course Sustainable Marketing.

Throughout my undergraduate studies, I taught students in Descriptive Statistics, Probability Calculus and Inferential Statistics, and Operations Research.

As a teenager, I was a competitive dancer and spent every day in the studio. From age 16 to 19, I trained students aged five to 20.

Project (01 / 03)

The Asymmetry of Gender-fluid Trends

with Silvia Bellezza

Revising for 3rd round of review at Journal of Consumer Research

Marketers and consumers are rapidly embracing gender-fluid products that fundamentally challenge the conventional associations of masculinity and femininity. In theory, manifestations of gender fluidity in the marketplace respond to shifting gender norms toward more inclusivity. Accordingly, consumers believe that the representation of traditionally male and female styles in these trends should be even. In contrast with these balanced views, this research demonstrates that gender-fluid trends to date skew toward traditionally male styles and that the corresponding adoption of gender-fluid products is driven relatively more by female consumers. Using a multimethod approach that combines trend analyses on more than 100,000 baby names, deep learning on a data set of more than 250,000 products, and a series of lab experiments, this research defines gender fluidity in marketing and differentiates it from related constructs (gender-bending, unisex, androgyny), shows a skewness in gender-fluid trends to date, and reveals the underlying role of male advantage awareness. Finally, a field study on social media demonstrates that raising men’s awareness of their advantage increases their engagement with gender-fluid products in the marketplace.

Project (02 / 03)

The Vicious Cycle of Status Insecurity

with Derek Rucker and Adam Galinsky

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (forthcoming)

The current research presents and tests a new model: The Vicious Cycle of Status Insecurity. We define status insecurity as doubting whether one is respected and admired by others. Status insecurity leads people to view status as a limited and zero-sum resource, where a boost in the status of one individual inherently decreases that of other individuals. As a result, the insecure become reluctant to share status in the form of highlighting the contributions of others. However, we suggest this reluctance to give others credit is often counterproductive. In contrast to the zero-sum beliefs of the insecure, we propose that giving credit to others boosts the status of both the sharer and the recipient, expanding the overall status pie. Because the insecure miss opportunities to gain status by not elevating others, they reinforce their initial insecurity. We provide evidence for this vicious cycle across 16 studies, including a content analysis of people’s personal experiences with status insecurity, an archival analysis of the final speeches held on the reality TV show Survivor* (using ChatGPT), and more than a dozen experimental studies. To enhance generalizability and external validity, our experimental contexts include consulting pitches, venture capital competitions, and idea generation contests. To demonstrate discriminant validity, we differentiate status insecurity from self-esteem insecurity. Across the studies, status insecurity consistently decreased status sharing while status sharing reliably increased one’s status. Ultimately, status insecurity paradoxically lowers one’s status because it reduces the propensity to elevate and celebrate others.

*This paper involved binge-watching countless seasons of Survivor

Defining and Understanding Vintage in Consumption

with Silvia Bellezza

Revising for 2nd round of review at Journal of Consumer Research

Trendsetters and cutting-edge brands constantly seek new styles and fresh designs that set them apart from previous trends. However, in the past decades, these early adopters and innovators have also increasingly turned to selected pieces from the past, a market phenomenon often referred to as “vintage.” But what are vintage products exactly? This research uses a multimethod approach that leverages data on more than 2,000 individual vintage products across 16 categories collected at vintage fairs, vintage stores, and online retailers to define and validate vintage and examine its implications for marketing and consumption. Vintage is a composite formative construct determined by four dimensions: age, design, scarcity, and quality. Advertising vintage using all its dimensions is more effective than advertising it based on age alone. We also find that educating consumers on the dimensions of vintage discourages them from consuming fake vintage products. This research provides a theoretical foundation for understanding vintage consumption and offers concrete guidance on identifying and positioning vintage products in the marketplace.

Life

Besides research, I am passionate about surfing, hiking, yoga, and meditation. Below is a picture I took while watching the sunset surf in Noosa, Australia.