M.J. (Maarten) Gijsenberg, Prof

Born in Belgium (1981), I did my undergraduate studies in International Business and Economics at the University of Leuven (Belgium), where I later on also obtained my PhD in Marketing (2009). After my PhD, I became Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Louvain School of Management in Mons (Belgium), before moving to the University of Groningen in August 2011 where I got the same position, to become Associate Professor in August 2015. March 1 2022, I became Full Professor of Marketing Dynamics at this university. Sinc February 1 2023, I am also the Research Director of the RUGCIC Customer Insights Center.

In my research I mainly focus on dynamics over time in the effectiveness of marketing investments. How has, for instance, the effectiveness of traditional advertising media evolved since the rise of the Internet? What is the role of consistency and creativity? Special attention is given to the impact of crisis situations on marketing mix effectiveness. To what extent are consumers more or less sensitive to advertising and price promotions during economic crises? How can a company best deal with the consequences of unexpected 'service crises' during whihc a customer did not receive the service he or she was entitled to? More recently, I have started focusing on the next step, the extent to which companies can buffer themselves against the negative impact of external turbulence by means of marketing investments.

Besides marketing mix effectiveness and crises, I also investigate marketing decision processes and customer equity topics. What is driving companies in their advertising decisions? Are they merely looking at what competitors are doing, or do such considerations not play a role at all? How can we predict which consumers are most likely to churn, and is it worth the effort to design special programs to still keep them as customers?

Within the university, I am also involved in two of the five major research themes:

• Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence. I am active in this strategic theme in my role as Research Director of the RUGCIC Customer Insights Center as well as through activities of the Groningen Digital Business Center (GDBC). Within these two organizations, I do research on online purchase and return behavior of consumers, and I have acted as co-editor of the Special Issue on Digital Business Models of the Journal of Business Research which was cooredinated by the GDBC.

• Future Prosperity and Sustainability. I am active in this strategic theme in my function as PhD supervisor of Janneke Koster who investigates potential options to render the fashion industry more sustainable.

In all my research, I try to start from managerially and/or societaly relevant issues, issues that really challenge us in our day-to-day decisions.You can find more information on my research projects in my curriculum vitae.