Sarah J. S. Wilner
Areas of Expertise
- Brand Management and Advertising
- Marketing and Consumer Behaviour
Biography
Sarah Wilner is the Laurier Brand Chair. She holds a PhD in Marketing (minor in Product Design) from York University, an MBA in Marketing from the State University of New York-Buffalo, a post-baccalaureate in communication studies from Bentley University and an undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology from Brandeis University (minors in Sociolinguistics and Women's Studies).
Wilner is also a seasoned manager, having managed marketing and communications in a number of public sector organizations, as well as leading several as executive director.
My research interests are located at the intersection of marketing management and consumer behaviour. They cover three interrelated topics as well as a methodological specialization:
-
Marketing and Brand Management
-
marketing practice and consumer response
-
'design thinking'; the role of design in brand meaning and positioning
-
experiential marketing for brands
-
-
Product/Service Innovation and Design
-
innovation and its microfoundations
-
design as a mechanism for legitimacy during market creation
-
-
Consumer Behaviour and Consumer Culture
-
consumers' experience of brands, products and services
-
-
Qualitative Research Methods
Current Projects
Beverland, Michael, Cankurtaran, Pinar, Micheli, Pietro and Sarah JS Wilner, “No Sugar for You! Consumer Sensemaking in the New Urban Economy,” under first round review at Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.
Studies in Development
Marketing Communications Now: authoring innovative “living” textbook for undergraduate and graduate students in business administration and/or communications studies. Featuring dynamic content provided by the author and top subject experts; learning forums for communications of practice and experiential exercises. Publisher: Top Hat
“What Lies Underneath: How Marketing Capabilities and Their Microfoundations Shape Innovation Success” with Nicole Coviello, Anne Domurath and Maria Rouziou.
“To Be or Not to Be: Understanding Motivations to Certify in the B Corp Community,” two-paper dissertation thesis by PhD student Ms. Asfiya Taji.
“Nomological Networks as Knowledge Management,” preliminary study and model development for a three-paper dissertation thesis by PhD student Mohammad Simjour.