We are a dynamic team of marketing scholars with over 50 years of cumulative experience, producing culturally-informed insights into consumer behaviour and culture.
Professor Bernardo Figueiredo
Bernardo researches markets and social change, explaining behaviours in terms of the environments in which they are embedded. In his perspective, impactful solutions are created by understanding both a) the lived experiences and practices of those whose behaviour we want to explain and manage, and b) and the contexts, networks, systems, or environments in which these people are situated. In addition to working with consumer culture-based insights his research interests cover value co-creation, consumers relationship with technology, collaborative networks, community building, placemaking, migration, mobility, and cosmopolitanism. Bernardo has published his work in leading journals such as the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Business Research, Marketing Theory, as well as important niche journals such as Consumer Markets & Culture and the journal of the Academy of Management Learning and Education. He has won university and international awards for his research.
Dr. Lauren Gurrieri
Lauren researches gender, consumption and the marketplace, with a focus on gendered inequalities in consumer and digital cultures. A core focus of her research is understanding how advertising ecosystems, social media platforms and contemporary marketing practices reproduce gendered inequalities and harms, with particular emphasis on gendered representations, beauty ideals, body norms and violence against women. Her scholarship also identifies pathways to more gender equitable and inclusive media and consumption landscapes. She has authored over 50 peer reviewed journal articles, book chapters, case studies and commissioned reports and has been awarded over $1.2 million in external research funding, including from the Australian Research Council. Her research frequently informs public debate, industry reform, and policy initiatives aimed at addressing gender inequality in advertising and digital culture.
Lauren is the President of GENMAC, the Director of the Centre for Organisations and Social Change (RMIT) and was previously a Board Member of the Consumer Culture Theory Consortium.
Dr. Torgeir Aleti
Torgeir focuses on how people learn and negotiate consumer roles in close relationships and how this relates to adaptability to marketplace changes and market offerings. He is a co-founder of Shaping Connections; a research program that investigates seniors and technology. Torgeir works with senior organisations such as the University of the Third Age (U3A) Network Victoria and Life Activities Clubs of Victoria. Recently, Torgeir received over $120,000 grant from Australia’s peak communications consumer organisation, ACCAN (The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network), to investigate senior’s perceived level of risk involved with usage of information and communications technology (ICT).
Dr. Marian Makkar
Marian’s research examines how marketing can address societal challenges and advance marketplace inclusion. Her work focuses on the intersections of consumption, identity, technology, and institutions, with particular attention to marginalised consumers and culturally diverse communities. Marian’s research advances understanding of marketplace exclusion and inclusive consumer engagement, informing industry practice, public policy debates, and social impact initiatives. She has collaborated with organisations including VicHealth, BMW Australia, and Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, generating insights that have shaped sustainable business practices and national public health campaigns.
Her scholarship appears in leading journals such as the International Journal of International Research in Marketing, Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing and Marketing Theory. Marian is also committed to building research capacity and mentoring emerging scholars, supervising higher degree researchers and leading collaborative research teams across institutions and disciplines. She welcomes collaboration with researchers, industry partners, and community organisations seeking to advance inclusive markets and socially impactful marketing practice.
Dr. Kieran Tierney
Dr. Kieran D Tierney is the Program Manager for the Postgraduate Marketing Programs and Senior Lecturer in Marketing at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. His research interests are at the intersection of Consumer Engagement, Services Branding and Brand Strategy with a particular focus on the co-creation of service brand meaning. He is a founding member of the eSports Research Network and member of the Market-Shaping special interest group of the Australia New Zealand Marketing Academy. His research has won international awards and been published in the Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, and International Journal on Media Management.
Associate Professor Joona Keränen
Joona’s research examines how firms understand, quantify, communicate, and capture value in business markets. His work focuses on value-based sales and marketing, selling sustainable offerings, and outcome-based business models. He studies how organizations translate complex offerings into measurable economic, environmental, and societal outcomes, and how these are realized and monetized in customer relationships.
Joona has published over 40 articles in leading business marketing and sales journals, including MIT Sloan Management Review, Industrial Marketing Management, California Management Review, and the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management. He has received several international awards for research excellence and has extensive experience collaborating with industry partners and leading large international and externally funded research projects.
Dr. Argho Bandyopadhyay
Dr Argho Bandyopadhyay is a Lecturer in Marketing and Design Thinking at RMIT University, with an established research profile in branding, advertising, and consumer psychology. His research adopts interdisciplinary and experimental approaches to examine how emotional, linguistic, and technological cues shape consumer–brand relationships. He has published in leading journals, including European Journal of Marketing, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, and European Journal of Information Systems. His work advances theory in brand communication, consumer engagement and digital identity, while demonstrating strong practical relevance through industry-linked research. This trajectory reflects a sustained and growing contribution to high-quality research with clear academic and applied impact. Argho is also committed to building research capacity and mentoring emerging scholars through the supervision of higher degree researchers and active participation in interdisciplinary research initiatives. He welcomes collaboration with researchers, industry partners, and organisations seeking to advance impactful and innovative marketing practice.
Dr. Jessica Helmi
Jessica has extensively researched branding and innovation, specifically their application to the concept of place. Her focus has been on examining the crucial role of stakeholder engagement in place brand management and marketing practices. She collaborated closely with the Australian Trade Commission to evaluate Australia's nation brand, known as Australia Unlimited (2012-2018). Her qualitative research work is published in top-quality marketing journals such as the European Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Strategic Marketing. In addition, she currently leads several industry-engaged research projects that revolve around themes such as place brand experience, neuromarketing and place branding, place security branding, the role of innovative gamification strategies in place branding, and place-based digital entrepreneurial and marketing strategies.
CCIG doctoral students and research topics
- Karthika Kumar, “Unravelling the Digital, Cultural, and Temporal Dimensions of Brand Activism”.
- Skye Dixon, “Dedicated Followers of Fashion: How Cultural Mythologies Shape Our Consumption Decisions”.
- Marleen Campbell, “The role of social connectors for technology adoption and use and later life”.
Gabriel Adu-Sarpong, “Understanding Electric Vehicle (EV) Consumer Behaviour and Usage Practices in Africa”. - Yuzheng Li, “Investigating the Female Gaze in Chinese Male Beauty Influencer’s Livestreaming E-Commerce"
- Di Yang, " Mom 3.0: The Construction of Motherhood in Chinese Social Commerce"
- Nadia Almasri “The Impact of a Virtual Reality Experience on Visit and Revisit Intentions”
- Zuwen Huang “How Digital Technologies Promote Pro-Environmental Behaviours: A Behavioural Pathways Multi-Study Investigation”
- Karen Powell, “AI-Mediated B2B Buying Decision-Making: Understanding How Artificial Intelligence Shapes Professional Purchasing Decisions”
- Xiaodan (Lizzy) Li, “How can Australian older adults enhance their ICT literacy and use ICT successfully?”
- Rihab Oubaidah “DREAM+PLAN: participatory co design with older adults in the context of smart living environments”
