When it comes to consumer studies, what comes to mind? Probably, research focused on determining the purchasing patterns of a target audience for a specific company or industry sector. Thus, based on this data, it is possible to develop products and services aimed at well-defined profiles, increasing the sales margin.
The answer is not incorrect, but it is incomplete. Studies on the subject are much broader, investigating consumer behaviors that go beyond interaction with companies and encompass a range of disciplines, from economics and data science to psychology and sociology.
With the aim of gathering and discussing relevant and current research in this area of knowledge, the Association of Consumer Research (ACR) holds large annual global events. The audience usually exceeds 1,500 people. In 2023, the meeting was held in Seattle. In 2024, it was in Paris at the end of September.
In parallel, the ACR conducts regional events, alternating venues in Asia and Latin America. The last one of these meetings was in July 2024, in Bali, Indonesia. The next one will be in Brazil. More specifically, in São Paulo, at Insper headquarters, between June 25 and 27, 2025. The institution applied to host the event and was chosen.
“The selection was competitive, and we are happy to have been chosen,” says Giuliana Isabella, professor and researcher of marketing and consumer behavior in the Undergraduate Programs and in the M.Sc. of Business Administration and Economics.
“We will welcome researchers from all over the world and many from Latin America, at a highly prestigious meeting, which tends to strengthen connections between specialists from different parts of the continent, and also between them and the academic community at Insper,” says the faculty member, who also teaches short programs in Executive Education and International MBA. In 2023, she was present at the ACR congress in Seattle.
Hosting this event will help consolidate Insper’s image as a reference in marketing and consumer behavior research, explains another host, Maura Ferreira, professor of marketing in the Business Administration undergraduate program and a full-time researcher in consumer behavior at Insper.
“Holding this important congress at Insper will help position us nationally and internationally as a reference in consumer behavior research as well, an area that contributes to a series of issues, ranging from ways to promote better financial decisions among consumers to encouraging more sustainable consumption behaviors, with both economic and social impact,” she says.
There are four organizers. In addition to Isabella and Maura from Insper, Carlos Bauer, a marketing professor at the Culverhouse School of Business at the University of Alabama, and Julio Sevilla, a marketing professor at the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, are leading the initiative.
The meeting's central theme is still in the approval stage but will likely be consumer well-being, including research and strategies that help consumers make better decisions in various areas, such as finance, health, technology use, and more.
The proposal is to present cutting-edge research to the South American public, with participants from countries leading work in this area in North America and Europe. “The focus is on sharing cutting-edge knowledge produced around the world with a Latin American audience,” summarizes Isabella.
Because it is so comprehensive, the theme can attract students from different fields. For this reason, before and during the event, Insper undergraduate students from various areas will be invited to participate.
“The congress will help bring our undergraduate students closer to research. They will have the opportunity to work on various activities during the organization of the congress as well as at the event, with the possibility of interacting with leading researchers and research in the field,” reports Ferreira, who notes that all participants will receive certificates attesting to their participation in an international event.
As Isabella points out, there is a lot of work ahead until 2025, including looking for sponsors. “Following Insper's tradition of connecting the academic environment with the corporate world, we are in contact with companies to support the ACR meeting at Insper and present their perspective on consumer behavior studies.”