Heath McDonald

Professor Heath McDonald

Dean Economics Finance & Marketing (EFM)

Details

  • College: College of Business and Law
  • Department: College of Business and Law
  • Campus: City Campus Australia
  • heath.mcdonald@rmit.edu.au

Open to

  • Media enquiries
  • Masters Research or PhD student supervision

About

A marketing academic with over 15 years in management roles, Prof Heath McDonald is currently the Dean of Economics, Finance & Marketing at RMIT University.

Industry experience:
Heath has worked in the hospitality, wine and leisure sectors and have consulted to more than 50 elite sporting organisations worldwide.

Award:
2015 North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) Research Fellow

Supervisor projects

  • UNLEASHING FANDOM AND VALUE CREATION: INVESTIGATING DIMENSIONS OF SPORTS FAN ENGAGEMENT IN TECH-MEDIATED ENVIRONMENT
  • 16 Feb 2024
  • Selfie or Self-Acceptance - Does Matching of Brand Communication Content to Consumer Goals Enhance Consumer Evaluations?
  • 11 Jun 2020

Teaching interests

Supervisor interest areas:
Subscription markets (e.g., Netflix, Gyms, Insurance) and how they differ
Best practice marketing for Member-based organisations (e.g., sport clubs, DAOs)

Program:
MC197 - Master of Marketing (https://www.rmit.edu.au/study-with-us/business/marketing)

Research interests

Heath's research work focuses on the field of customer acquisition and retention, particularly in subscription markets (e.g., season tickets, memberships). Informed by a marketing science perspective, this work often involves repeated modelling employing large datasets. Major sporting leagues and teams have used this research to drive growth in fan and member numbers, to inform pricing decisions and evaluate stadium design and development.

He has recently worked with the Australian Football League (AFL) on its club membership strategy during and post COVID19 and Zoos Victoria on its membership structure and pricing. His work has attracted over $2.5 million in external research funding, including three prestigious Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage grants. He is currently working on the second edition of "Sports Consumer Behavior: Marketing Strategies" (Routledge).

Heath is also an Associate Editor of the Journal of Sport Management, a Research Fellow of NASSM and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Research keywords
Subscription, Marketing, Fans, Customer Retention, Members, Satisfaction
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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.