Francis Farrelly

Professor Francis Farrelly

Director, Honours Program

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Francis Farrelly is wearing glasses and a suit

Contact details

COBL | School of Economics, Finance, and Marketing


Consumer Culture Insights Group


Email: francis.farrelly@rmit.edu.au


Phone: +61 41736 7557


Campus: Melbourne City


Programs

 Bachelor of Business (Honours Program)


More information

Francis Farrelly is wearing glasses and a suit

Contact details

COBL | School of Economics, Finance, and Marketing


Consumer Culture Insights Group


Email: francis.farrelly@rmit.edu.au


Phone: +61 41736 7557


Campus: Melbourne City


Programs

 Bachelor of Business (Honours Program)


More information

Professor Francis Farrelly's interest is in consumer insights, marketing strategy, qualitative research, teaching, and having impact in Industry.

Overview

As a Professor of Marketing at RMIT University, I am the Director of the Bachelor of Business Honours Program. My approach to teaching marketing and carrying out research has always been to merge theory and practice.

I have been fortunate to be mentored by exceptional Professors. Most particularly Emeritus Professor Stephen Greyser of the Harvard Business School who emphasised the need to do research that had practical relevance.

With that in mind, during my career i have carried out research with a practical focus and that, coupled with work at high levels industry that has also continued throughout my career, has enabled me to bring rich context and practical examples to my teaching.

I have also sought to do research that interests me, that includes for example work in the surf, car, fashion, music and sport industries on topics such as branding, new product development, and innovation. I have also sought to develop research and work in industry that has national and international relevance. For example work that i have completed on sports fans and building sports brands, I presented to Marketing directors and CEO's of sports organisation such as the NBA, the Olympics, The NFL, the NHL, and the NBL and with other brands involved in sport and recreation, such as Nike and Rip Curl.

My PhD (in the area of sport sponsorship) was funded by the Australian Football League.

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Industry experience

Francis has worked with industry for over twenty years carrying out consumer and managerial research and developing marketing strategy, communications and providing other marketing related services for organisations ranging from the Australian Football League and various professional sports clubs nationally and internationally, and organisations such as the ANZ, Telstra, the NBL, the TAC, Rip Curl, Westpac, Telstra and firms such as Mercedes Benz, BMW, Herbert Smith Freehills, and Jaguar Landrover based on his work with the Destination Group of Companies. Francis has also worked on major international projects, for example in the case of major sponsors (Coca Cola, Lloyds Bank) of the London Olympics. He has also carried out research and written whitepapers as part of the Prime Ministers taskforce on Innovation, involving business capability building, branding, and the Place brand. It also included evaluating major multi-million investments to grow the Australian artisanal food sector.

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Research

I have published his work in leading journals such as the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Consumer Research, Annals of Tourism Research, The Journal of Product Innovation Management, and the Harvard Business Review. My research interests cover Marketing Strategy, Place Identity and Place Branding, Innovation, and Consumer Insights. I have presented my research at leading Institutions such as The London School of Economics and The Harvard Business School.

Research keywords

Consumer Insights, Marketing Strategy, Branding, Innovation, Tourists, Tourism, and Place

Research output summary

80+

Publications

$1 million+

Grants

20+

Awards

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Supervisor interest areas

  • Qualitative research
  • Place
  • Brandinh
  • Marketing strategy
  • Consumer culture

Supervisor projects

Currently supervising two PhD students, one in the area of icons, and the other as it relates to status.

Feature publications

Cultural heritage authenticity: A producer view

Annals of Tourism Research, 79, 32-37

Farrelly, F., Kock, F., & Josiassen, A. (2019).

Market intelligence dissemination practices

Journal of Marketing, 83(3), 72–90

Gebhardt, G. F., Farrelly, F. J., & Conduit, J. (2019).

The quest for authenticity in consumption: Consumers’ purposive choice of authentic cues to shape experienced outcomes

Journal of Consumer Research, 36(5), 838–856

Beverland, M. B., & Farrelly, F. J. (2010).

Key publications by year

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Feature projects

Innovations in Corporate Business Incentive Travel Programs: Incorporating Place and WBP Marketing Insights

The Destination Group of Companies, $50,000

Measuring Brand Authenticity

Funding: $35,000; ARC Discovery DP0985178

with Professor Mike Beverland (lead), Dr Julie Napoli, and Dr Sonia Dickinson

Sharing values and the co-creation of brands

Funding, $100,500, ARC Discovery DP0664943

with Professor Pascale Quester (Lead), Professor Mike Beverland, and Professor Steve Kates

Key projects

  • Co-leader on two major projects, involving consumer insights, brands and branding, including in the tourism context. One eventuated in a $75 million dollar investment in a National Innovation Hub. The other formed the basis for a successful grant application developed with Mondeelez Australia (supported with $2 Million), a core component involved the creation of a strategy to build the capacity of Australian Food Brands in South-East Asia.
  • The Destination Group of Companies: This Project Involved Innovations in Corporate Business Incentive Travel Programs: Incorporating Place and WBP Marketing Insights, $50,000.
  • Vic Health Innovation Grant: :Drinking-Related Lifestyles: Involving the Development and Implementation of Lifestyle Segmentation Models, this was funded to the amount of $180,000, with Professor Mike Reid (lead), Professor Tim Fry and Professor Lisa Farrell.
  • ARC Discovery DP0985178: Measuring Brand Authenticity, this was funded to the amount of $35,000 with Professor Mike Beverland (lead), Dr Julie Napoli, and Dr Sonia Dickinson.
  • ARC Discovery, DP0664943: “Sharing values and the co-creation of brands”, this was funded to the amount of $100,500 with Professor Pascale Quester (Lead), Professor Mike Beverland, and Professor Steve Kates.
  • ARC Linkage, LP0560782, Fan Loyalty: Rediscovering Loyalty, this was funded to the amount of $238,000, Professor Farrelly (Lead), and with Professor P Quester and Professor M Beverland.

Professor Farrelly has also received a range of Category Three funding projects. For example, one involved research and strategy development to redesign the communications strategy with the Transport Accident Commission as part of Road Safety Campaign Strategy.

As well as series of research led teaching grants:

  • Federal Government Committee for University Teaching and Staff Development (CUTSD) ($112,000). Teaching Quality in the Off-Campus Multi-media mode.
  • Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) Grant ($262,000) – Researching and Developing Multimedia model and quality control protocols for delivery of postgraduate courses off-campus.
  • Telstra Technologies Grant ($50,000) – Evaluating Conferlink in Marketing Courseware Delivery.
  • OLA Innovation and Quality Assurance Grant ($123,000).
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Awards

Best Paper of the Year Award, RMIT School of Economics, Finance and Marketing

Award date: 2019

Recipients: Francis Farrelly

National Award for Excellence: Industry Innovation and Impact. The Australian Marketing Institute

Award date: 2019

Recipients: Francis Farrelly

The Pearson Australia and New Zealand Distinguished Marketing Educator of the Year

This was awarded for research-led teaching.

Award date: 2009

Recipients: Francis Farrelly

Key awards by year

  • Best Paper of the Year Award (2019), RMIT, School of Economics, Finance and Marketing
  • National Award for Excellence (2019): Industry Contribution: Innovation and Impact. The Australian Marketing Institute.

  • The Pearson Australia and New Zealand Distinguished Marketing Educator of the Year (2009). This was awarded for research-led teaching.

  • Inaugural Deans Award for Teaching Excellence , Research-Led Teaching, Monash University
  • Vice Chancellors Commendation for Excellence in Research-Led Teaching
  • Faculty of Business and Economics Researcher of the Year Award
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Grants

  • Co-leader on two major projects, involving consumer insights, brands and branding, including in the tourism context. One eventuated in a $75 million dollar investment in a National Innovation Hub. The other formed the basis for a successful grant application developed with Mondeelez Australia (supported with $2 Million), a core component involved the creation of a strategy to build the capacity of Australian Food Brands in South-East Asia.

  • The Destination Group of Companies: This Project Involved Innovations in Corporate Business Incentive Travel Programs: Incorporating Place and WBP Marketing Insights, $50,000.

  • Vic Health Innovation Grant: :Drinking-Related Lifestyles: Involving the Development and Implementation of Lifestyle Segmentation Models, this was funded to the amount of $180,000, with Professor Mike Reid (lead), Professor Tim Fry and Professor Lisa Farrell.

  • ARC Discovery DP0985178: Measuring Brand Authenticity, this was funded to the amount of $35,000 with Professor Mike Beverland (lead), Dr Julie Napoli, and Dr Sonia Dickinson.

  • ARC Discovery, DP0664943: “Sharing values and the co-creation of brands”, this was funded to the amount of $100,500 with Professor Pascale Quester (Lead), Professor Mike Beverland, and Professor Steve Kates.

  • ARC Linkage, LP0560782, Fan Loyalty: Rediscovering Loyalty, this was funded to the amount of $238,000, Professor Farrelly (Lead), and with Professor P Quester and Professor M Beverland.
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Public and media engagements

Francis has discussed his research and provided articles in newspapers, magazines and trade press (e..g The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Business Review Weekly, Marketing Magazine); on television (Channel 9 TV; ABC TV), and radio (e.g. The Drum, the ABC, Drive, Radio National).

A series of four recent articles published in Marketing Magazine on Disruption in the Automotive Industry were the most read feature stories on the platform for the year.

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.