Consumer Insights 101

We live through our bodies, present them to others, care for them, measure them, and increasingly turn them into sources of data. But what happens when consumer researchers treat the body itself as a central site of inquiry?

In this episode, Cristel Russell, Ph.D., one of the co-editors of a special issue of the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research on “body building,” joins our own Anne Hamby, Ph.D., to explore the many ways the body shapes—and is shaped by—consumption.

The special issue began with three broad pillars: the body consuming, consuming for the body, and consuming one’s body. But the research that emerged quickly stretched beyond those categories, revealing just how many questions about consumption are also questions about embodiment.

Dr. Russell discusses the body as both an internal experience and an external presentation; as a biological entity, a site of power, and an archive of what we have lived through. The conversation also examines how bodies are continually shaped by experience, culture, and consumption—and how researchers can study those processes through experiments, health-tracking technologies, and the growing streams of data our bodies produce.

It’s a conversation about what the body means, what it records, what it reveals, and why consumer researchers are paying closer attention to it—a growing body of research about the body itself.

For more information, please visit www.acrwebsite.org
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This episode was hosted by Anne Hamby, Ph.D.
Consumer Insights 101 is a production of the Association for Consumer Research.

AI is already changing how students, researchers, and professors do their work. But is using it cheating, collaboration, or simply the next evolution of the tools academics have always relied on?

In this episode, Colin Campbell, Ph.D., challenges the idea that the most important question is whether someone used AI. Instead, he asks a harder one: Who owns the idea?

Dr. Campbell joins our own Jim Mourey, Ph.D., to discuss what authorship means when AI can review literature, organize information, analyze data, help structure an argument, and even generate the words on the page. Where does the machine's contribution end and the scholar's responsibility begin?

The conversation explores the difference between using AI as a shortcut and using it as a genuine research tool, why academic writing may be more formulaic than we like to admit, and how AI can sometimes create more work rather than less. Dr. Campbell also digs into one of the biggest challenges facing universities: how do we teach the next generation to use these tools without allowing them to skip the very processes that teach critical thinking, judgment, and good scholarship?

A thoughtful conversation about AI, authorship, accountability, and what it will mean to be a student or a scholar in the years ahead.

For more information, please visit www.acrwebsite.org
Follow us on Twitter at @JofACR and @aconsres
This episode was hosted by Jim Mourey
Consumer Insights 101 is a production of the Association for Consumer Research

The Ivory Tower can be a lonely place sometimes, but as academic journals place a premium on field studies and engagement with real consumers in actual business contexts, partnering with friendly practitioners has never been more attractive.  In this episode, our very own Kelley Cours Anderson, Ph.D., is joined by Laura Eddy, the Vice President of Research and Insights at Realtor.com.  With over 25 years of consumer insights experience with some of the world’s biggest brands – like Amazon and Walmart – Laura makes the case for the relevance of marketing research and consumer insights in a compelling way. Hear how academic research informs the work of a seasoned practitioner, and how those working in the industry can inspire our research and liven up our ivory tower in this episode of Consumer Insights 101.

For more information, please visit www.acrwebsite.org
Follow us on Twitter at @JofACR and @aconsres
This episode was hosted by Kelley Cours Anderson
Consumer Insights 101 is a production of the Association for Consumer Research

Planning a major, international conference is no small task. Planning a conference in a city that is also hosting the Olympic Games just one month prior is even more challenging! Marketing academics and practitioners from around the world are looking forward to attending this year's Association for Consumer Research conference in Paris, France. In this episode of Consumer Insights 101, our very own Anne Hamby, Ph.D., has a conversation with two of the three co-chairs of this year's conference -
 Cristel Russell, Ph.D., and Joe Goodman, Ph.D., who, along with Hilke Plassmann, Ph.D. - have been planning this major global event for months.   Hear all about the exciting things awaiting conference attendees this September in the City of Light and Love, including a first-of-its-kind closing night gala on the Seine!

For more information, please visit www.acrwebsite.org
Follow us on Twitter at @JofACR and @aconsres
This episode was hosted by Anne Hamby
Consumer Insights 101 is a production of the Association for Consumer Research

Let's start with the obvious: we see the irony in a podcast on the topic of "unplugging" and digital wellness.  Still, we have to meet folks where they are, and these days that "place" is usually somewhere in the digital landscape. In this episode of Consumer Insights 101, our very own Kelley Cours Anderson, Ph.D., has a conversation with two leaders in the digital wellness space - Claudia Erickson (Unplug Collaborative / Global Day of Unplugging) and Anya Pechko (Project Be) - about how our digital drive and, in some cases, digital addictions are negatively affecting various aspects of our lives, as well as how we can take steps to regain control and achieve a better digital balance in our lives. 

For more information, please visit www.acrwebsite.org
Follow us on Twitter at @JofACR and @aconsres
This episode was hosted by Kelley Cours Anderson
Consumer Insights 101 is a production of the Association for Consumer Research

What does a Hershey Bar mean to you?  How do you feel about online dating?  How do you respond to climate change? What may seem like personal preferences may actually be shaped by decades even centuries of history, culture, and social structure though we may not realize it.  In this episode of Consumer Insights 101, our team member, Dr. Kelley Cours Anderson, chats with Dr. Markus Giesler, Professor of Marketing at the Schulich School of Business at York University and a current Editor at the Journal of Consumer Research. Markus explains Market System Dynamics, an approach suggesting that markets are about more than just simple transactions between producers and consumers and, instead, are shaped by policy makers, scientists, political activists, journalists, and even religious authorities. Incorporating historical, social, economic, and cultural factors, this approach to marketing suggests that markets may be worth studying through many new and novel lenses.

For more information, please visit www.acrwebsite.org
Follow us on Twitter at @JofACR and @aconsres
This episode was hosted by Kelley Cours Anderson
Consumer Insights 101 is a production of the Association for Consumer Research

When people hear the word “statistics,” a panic often sets in. Visions of p-values, distributions, and Greek symbols flood the mind. But advances in software and even artificial intelligence are changing our relationship with statistics.  As new approaches allow us to collect and analyze data differently, we also have a better understanding of power, sample size, and the resources necessary to conduct meaningful scientific studies. In this episode, Dr. Stephen Spiller, Associate Professor of Marketing and Behavioral Decision Making at the UCLA Andersen School of Management, shares his deep knowledge and understanding of all-things stats. Dr. Spiller addresses some of the most common mistakes researchers make when analyzing data, the Bayesian v. frequentist approach to stats, and how emerging technology is shaping data collection and analysis. Importantly, he also shares his perspective on what every business student should know when it comes to statistics.

For more information, please visit www.acrwebsite.org
Follow us on Twitter at @JofACR and @aconsres
This episode was hosted by Jim Mourey
Consumer Insights 101 is a production of the Association for Consumer Research

Business schools are a source of innovation, value, and leadership, which requires someone to keep their finger on the pulse of emerging technology, economics trends, and even demographic and societal changes. Often, setting the big picture strategy is the responsibility of the business school dean, a role that requires connecting with and serving several different audiences.  From engaging with alumni, companies, and other external partners to providing support to faculty, staff, and students, deans typically keep a very busy schedule. In this episode, Dr. Darren Dahl, the Dean of the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, takes some time out of his busy schedule to discuss the life of a dean with our colleague, Dr. Anne Hamby. Dean Dahl talks about the importance of giving back, providing resources for success, and even the potential Netflix-ification of business education. Find out the challenges and opportunities of being a Dean in this episode of Consumer Insights 101.


For more information, please visit www.acrwebsite.org
Follow us on Twitter at @JofACR and @aconsres
This episode was hosted by Anne Hamby
Consumer Insights 101 is a production of the Association for Consumer Research

We celebrate Women’s History Month with Professor Susan Dobscha and Professor Laurel Steinfield.  These scholars discuss GENMAC – which stands for Gender, Markets, and Consumers – an academic and advocacy community, and address several important topics like how marketing researchers should think about measuring and asking about gender.  Our guests point out the importance of distinguishing gender research from sexuality research, the need for a more global perspective on gender-related issues, and the importance of digging deeper to “find the why” when gender differences emerge.  Our scholars end the conversation with thoughtful insights about the role the modern business school should play when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

For more information, please visit www.acrwebsite.org
Follow us on Twitter at @JofACR and @aconsres
This episode was hosted by Stacey Finkelstein
Consumer Insights 101 is a production of the Association for Consumer Research

Additional research resources from this episode:

Gurrieri, Lauren, Andrea Prothero, Shona Bettany, Susan Dobscha, Jenna Drenten, Shelagh Ferguson, Stacey Finkelstein Laura McVey, Nacima Ourahmoune, Laurel Steinfield, & Linda Tuncay Zayer (2022) "Feminist academic organizations: Challenging sexism through collective mobilizing across research, support, and advocacy." Gender, Work & Organization. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12912 

Hansman, Beck, and Jenna Drenten. (2023). Centering Transgender Consumers in Conceptualizations of
Marketplace Marginalization and Digital Spaces. Journal of Consumer Affairs.
https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12520

Preston, Alison, Lili Qiu, and Robert E. Wright. (2023). Understanding the gender gap in financial literacy:
the role of culture. Journal of Consumer Affairs. https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12517

Jones, Niusha, Anne Hamby, and Blair Kidwell. (2022). Measuring gender in consumer research: Validity
and consumer welfare. Journal of Consumer Affairs. https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12491

Duncan‐Shepherd, Sophie, and Kathy Hamilton. (2022). “Generally, I live a lie’: Transgender consumer
experiences and responses to symbolic violence. Journ

Professors Brennan Davis and Julie Ozanne join Consumer Insights 101 to discuss Transformative Consumer Research (TCR), a movement in the marketing research community that places the practical and social impact of marketing research at the fore. These scholars discuss TCR's origin within the Association for Consumer Research (ACR) community, its evolution over time, and the way the movement now attracts scholars and practitioners from diverse backgrounds all around the world to tackle large social issues and problems together.  Included in the conversation are several opportunities for marketing researchers and practitioners to engage with the TCR movement, including opportunities at the upcoming annual ACR conference (Denver, October 2022) and a TCR Dialogical Conference (London, summer 2023).

For more information, please visit www.acrwebsite.org
Follow us on Twitter at @JofACR and @aconsres
This episode was hosted by Stacey Finkelstein
Consumer Insights 101 is a production of the Association for Consumer Research