Academic
co-operation
The academic world plays an important role in the development of new products, the validation of new techniques and the increasingly intelligent analysis of data. Therefore, we have tied the academic world into our way of working. Our Center of Expertise has different people with a PhD background who all successfully implement academic insights into our way of working.
Academic Brand Growth Board
The Academic Board
From left to right: Henrik Sattler (Professor Marketing & Branding, University of Hamburg), Caroline Wiertz (Professor of Marketing, CASS Business school London), Peter Ebbes (Associate Professor, HEC Paris), Tammo H.A. Bijmolt (Professor Marketing Research, University of Groningen)
An academic advisory board is essential to the Brand Growth Platform, ensuring that our strategies are deeply rooted in scientific rigor and the latest academic research. This distinguished board brings diverse expertise, elevating our approach to brand growth through well-rounded, research-based insights.
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Professor Tammo Bijmolt is a leading expert in marketing analytics and consumer behaviour, contributing critical insights into data-driven decision-making and brand performance measurement. His expertise refines our analytical frameworks, ensuring our strategies are supported by reliable, evidence-based metrics.
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Professor Henrik Sattler specializes in brand management and pricing strategy, providing valuable perspectives on brand value dynamics and consumer perceptions. His guidance enhances our approach to value creation, aiding brands in optimising positioning and profitability.
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Professor Caroline Wiertz offers profound knowledge of digital consumer behaviour and social media’s impact on brand engagement. Her insights into online brand communities and digital interactions empower us to navigate the evolving digital landscape, helping brands build stronger connections with their audiences.
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Professor Peter Ebbens is an authority on causal inference and predictive analytics, bringing expertise that sharpens our understanding of cause-effect relationships in brand growth. His contributions allow us to interpret complex data accurately and derive actionable, predictive insights.
Together, this academic advisory board ensures that the Brand Growth Platform remains at the cutting edge of research-driven practice, providing our clients with scientifically sound, innovative strategies for sustainable brand growth.
PhD Sponsoring
DVJ invests in the academic world and the development of talent through financing PhD programmes. As a result, more is learned from all insights from the academic world. DVJ collaborates with three PhD candidates, providing sponsorships for data, salaries and data-cooperation third. Their research addresses key areas within advertising effectiveness and brand growth.
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Hidde Smit – Effectiveness of Advertising in the New Media Landscape: Hidde’s research explores optimal media mix planning to drive brand growth and sales. One aspect of his project examines strategies for effective ad mix planning, while another focuses on the creative elements of advertising and their impact on brand growth and sales. His blog post on integrated advertising mix planning has already been shared in a published blog.
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Veronica Burbulea – Effectiveness of Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising: Content & Context. Veronica’s work delves into the relatively under-researched area of OOH advertising, analysing ad content, placement, and the congruence of surrounding environments with OOH ads. She began this project last year, with further studies planned. Her insights on mastering OOH advertising have already been shared in a published blog.
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Kai Tan – Consistently Standing Out: The Impact of Advertising Creativity and Consistency: Collaborating with Nielsen and DPG Media, Kai investigates the evolving automotive ads by various features, consistency, and uniqueness, linking these attributes to consumer perceptions and sales outcomes. Find his blog on using AI to measure ad creativity at scale here.
Network of Universities
DVJ collaborates with a number of universities across Europe, fostering a connection between academic research and industry practice. Our current university partners include: University of Groningen, VU Amsterdam, Tilburg University, University of Amsterdam, and the Customer Insights Center RUG (affiliated with the University of Groningen), Universität Hamburg, Technische Universität München, HEC Paris and the Bayes Business School. Our partnerships with these institutions cover several collaborative activities:
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Guest Lectures: Sharing knowledge directly with students through guest lectures.
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Data Sharing for Academic Projects: Providing data for course assignments, enabling students to apply learned concepts to real-world data.
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Support for Theses and Research: Supplying data for master’s theses, PhD studies, and other research projects, fostering impactful academic insights.
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PhD Sponsorships: At the University of Groningen, DVJ sponsors two PhD positions to advance research in marketing effectiveness and brand growth (as detailed in point 2).
In 2024, DVJ, together with three PhD students, organised a special session at the EMAC Conference, Europe’s largest scientific marketing congress, to bridge the gap between theory and practice, foster knowledge sharing, and showcase the value of market research. Additionally, we organise “Science Meets Practice” Roundtables with our university partners, where researchers present their findings on relevant topics to a select group of key clients and prospects. These sessions spark valuable discussions, providing insights and inspiration for both the academic and business communities.
Through these initiatives, DVJ is committed to advancing academic collaboration, facilitating knowledge exchange, and inspiring future professionals in the field of market research.
