Based on my diverse background, my research interests and projects span contemporary branding issues, services & retail marketing, and strategic sport marketing & sponsorship. Specifically, I am studying brand activism and the increasing trends towards brands taking a stand on social and political issues, from woke washing to authentic brand activism and transformative branding, professional services and relationship marketing, in particular service automation and retail theatre, and sport sponsorship decisions, in particular how controversial athletes can be good or bad for business including examination of the practice and effects of cancel culture.

I have published my research in top ranked peer-reviewed academic journals including Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Macromarketing, Journal of Services Marketing, and Journal of Brand Management. I have presented my research at academic conferences internationally including the Oxford University Corporate Reputation Symposium, the American Marketing Association Marketing & Public Policy Conference, the European Marketing Association Conference, and the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference. I am also a member of the editorial review board and ‘Impact Task Force’ for the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.

I was honoured to win the New Zealand Research Translation Competition 2020/2021 Early Career category for my submission, “Brand Activism: What, when, where and how, translating theory into practice” based on co-authored work on this emerging phenomenon.

Academic Journal Articles

Mesler, Rhiannon M, Katharine Howie, Jennifer Chernishenko, Mingnan Nancy Shen, and Jessica Vredenburg (2024), “The association between political identity centrality and cancelling proclivity”, Acta Psychologica, Vol 244.

Vredenburg, Jessica, Sommer Kapitan, and Sharon Jang (2023), “Service Mega-Disruptions: A Conceptual Model and Research Agenda”, Journal of Services Marketing (ahead-of-print).

Lee, Zoe, Amanda Spry, Yuksel Ekinci, and Jessica Vredenburg (2023), “From warmth to warrior: Impacts of non-profit brand activism on brand bravery, brand hypocrisy and brand equity”, Journal of Brand Management (ahead-of-print).

Phillips, Megan and Jessica Vredenburg (2023), “Hygiene Theatre: An important risk reduction signal for the future of retailing”, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management (ahead-of-print).

Kapitan, Sommer, Joya Kemper, Jessica Vredenburg, and Amanda Spry (2022), “Strategic B2B Brand Activism: Building Conscientious Purpose for Social Impact”, Industrial Marketing Management, 107, 14-28.

Spry, Amanda, Bernardo Figueiredo, Lauren Gurrieri, Joya Kemper, and Jessica Vredenburg (2021), “Transformative Branding: A Dynamic Capability to Challenge the Dominant Social Paradigm”, Journal of Macromarketing, 41(4), 531-546.

Vredenburg, Jessica, Sommer Kapitan, Amanda Spry, and Joya Kemper (2020), “Brands Taking a Stand: Authentic Brand Activism or Woke Washing?” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 39(4), 444-460.

Vredenburg, Jessica and Marilyn Giroux (2018), “What Did Ryan Lochte Do? The Double-Edged Sword of Endorsers Behaving Badly," International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 19(3), 290-305.

Orazi, Davide C., Amanda Spry, Max N. Theilacker, and Jessica Vredenburg (2017), “A Multi-stakeholder IMC Framework for Networked Brand Identity,” European Journal of Marketing, 5(3), 551-571

Vredenburg, Jessica, Harrie Vredenburg, Kate Daellenbach, and Urs S. Daellenbach (2015), “Sport Sponsorship, Brand Association and Regulation: Tobacco Firms using Classical Conditioning Theory to Skirt Regulation,” International Journal of Public Law and Policy, 5(2), 137-162.

Vredenburg, Jessica and Simon J. Bell (2014), “Variability in Health Care Services: The Role of Service Employee Flexibility,” Australasian Marketing Journal, 22(3), 168-178.

Maw, Sean, Lisa Proctor, Jessica Vredenburg, and Peter Ehlers (2006), “Influence of Starting Position on Finishing Position in World Cup 500m Short Track Speed Skating,” Journal of Sports Sciences, 24(12), 1239-1246.

selected manuscripts Under Review

Baxter Thomas, Laura, Sommer Kapitan, and Jessica Vredenburg, “Coincidentally Sustainable Consumer Behaviours: Social Determinants of Sustainability in Second-hand Luxury Fashion”

Academic Book Chapters

Vredenburg, Jessica, Simon J. Bell, and Evan Polman (2023), “Employee-to-Customer Improvisation: A Value Creation Strategy for Navigating the Contemporary Consumption Experience”. In K. Bäckström, C. Egan-Wyer & E. Samsioe (Eds.), The Future of Consumption: How Technology, Sustainability and Wellbeing will Transform Retail and Customer Experience (chapter 21), Springer International Publishing.

Lewis, Natasha and Jessica Vredenburg (2023), “Contemporary Consumption of Brand Activism”. In K. Bäckström, C. Egan-Wyer & E. Samsioe (Eds.), The Future of Consumption: How Technology, Sustainability and Wellbeing will Transform Retail and Customer Experience (chapter 17), Springer International Publishing.

Mobberley, Luke and Jessica Vredenburg (2023), “Athlete Endorsement and the Business of Sports Amid Covid-19: Lessons from a Digital Media Consumption Enquiry”. In B. Mastromartino & J. J. Zhang (Eds.), Digital Marketing in Sports: Global Perspectives (chapter 11). London, UK: Routledge.

Vredenburg, Jessica, and Amanda Spry (2022), “Consumer Activism and Social Movements”. In K. Kubacki, L. Parker, C., Domegan, & L. Brennan (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Marketing and Society (chapter 7). Routledge.

MacDonnell Mesler, Rhiannon, Katie Howie, Jessica Vredenburg, and Jennifer Chernishenko (2022), “Athlete-Brand Relationships in the Era of ‘Cancel Culture’”. In R. M. Crabtree, & J. J. Zhang (Eds.), Strategic Sport Marketing: Global Inquires (chapter 14). London, UK: Routledge.

Expert Analysis Articles

Lee, Zoe, Amanda Spry, and Jessica Vredenburg (2024), “The Body Shop shouldn’t have failed in an age when consumers want activism from their brands. What happened?” The Conversation.

Lee, Zoe, Amanda Spry, and Jessica Vredenburg (2023), “When charities engage in ‘brand activism’, research shows they must demonstrate bravery to attract donations”, The Conversation.

Vredenburg, Jessica, Katharine Howie, and Rhiannon M. Mesler (2022), “Brands can be rewarded for social activism – but they also risk losing customers to apolitical rivals”, The Conversation.

Spry, Amanda, Bernardo Figueiredo, Jessica Vredenburg, Joya Kemper, and Lauren Gurrieri (2021), “Consumers are wise to ‘woke washing’ – but truly ‘transformative branding’ can still make a difference,” The Conversation.

Kapitan, Sommer, Amanda Spry, Jessica Vredenburg, and Joya Kemper (2020), “Brand activism is moving up the supply chain — corporate accountability or commercial censorship?” The Conversation.

Vredenburg, Jessica, Amanda Spry, Joya Kemper, and Sommer Kapitan (2020), “Athlete activism or corporate woke washing? Getting it right in the age of Black Lives Matter is a tough game,” The Conversation.

Vredenburg, Jessica and Megan Phillips (2020), “Coronavirus has turned retail therapy into retail anxiety – keeping customers calm will be key to carrying on,” The Conversation.

Giroux, Marilyn and Jessica Vredenburg (2019), “Nick Kyrgios on probation: can controversial athletes sell a sport or are they bad for the business?” The Conversation.

Spry, Amanda and Jessica Vredenburg (2019), “Shoving a sock in it is not the answer. Have advertisers called time on Alan Jones?” The Conversation.

Vredenburg, Jessica, Amanda Spry, Joya Kemper, and Sommer Kapitan (2019), “Post Gillette: other brands are better at matching practice with talk, but don’t get the publicity,” The Conversation.

Vredenburg, Jessica, Amanda Spry, Joya Kemper, and Sommer Kapitan (2018), “Woke washing: what happens when marketing communications don’t match corporate practice,” The Conversation. 

Giroux, Marilyn and Jessica Vredenburg (2018), “Women in sports: double standards a double fault?” The Conversation.