PhD in Marketing - First Year

After five years of managerial experience in branding and performance marketing, Hoang My Tran chose to pursue a PhD in Marketing at Henley Business School.

Her research focuses on the intersection of marketing, technology, and consumer behaviour, with a particular interest in how emerging digital trends shape brand dynamics. Currently, she is investigating the impact of virtual influencers on company reputation and consumer attitudes, aiming to uncover insights that can guide strategic marketing practices in the digital age.

PhD Nostalgia Marketing - Second Year

Rui Zhang is a PhD candidate at the M&R department, specializing in nostalgia marketing. She holds a master’s degree in consumer marketing from the University of Reading and a bachelor’s degree in business from China. She has presented her research work at the 2024 Academy of Marketing conference, contributing some insights to the consumer marketing field.

Her research explores how nostalgia emotion is triggered in different contexts, with a specific focus on the digital context, and influences consumer decision-making processes. Rui's work aims to contribute to a deep understanding of emotional drivers in nostalgia marketing, with a focus on emerging digital technology and her current research is going to explore the effectiveness of VR in nostalgia marketing.

PhD in Marketing - First Year

Oserere Ibelegbu is currently a doctoral researcher with a focused interest in customer interaction with humanoid social robots, particularly in service settings. She holds a master’s degree in information science (M. Info. Sci.) and a bachelor’s degree in economics (B.Sc. Econs). Her areas of research interest include but not limited to artificial intelligence, consumer behaviour and service experience. She has both teaching and research experience in the field of marketing; and has some published works (authored and co-authored) including journal articles and book chapters

Research done in the artificial intelligence and digital areas :

Journal articles:

• Platt, M., Ojeka, S., Drăgnoiu, A. E., Ibelegbu, O. E., Pierangeli, F., Sedlmeir, J., & Wang, Z. (2023), “Energy demand unawareness and the popularity of Bitcoin: evidence from Nigeria”, Oxford Open Energy, 2, oiad012 https://doi.org/10.1093/ooenergy/oiad012.

• Eigbe, O. E. (2018), “Investigating the levels of awareness and adoption of digital currency in Nigeria: a case study of bitcoin”. The Information Technologist, 15(1), 75-82.

Book chapter:

• Adeola, O., Ehira, D., & Ibelegbu, O. (2020), “Application of Digital Technologies and Social Media to Enhance Customer Service Experience”. In Customer Service Management in Africa (pp. 107-120). Productivity Press.

PhD in Consumer Behaviour and Sustainable Consumption - Second Year

Jan is a researcher specializing in consumer behaviour, focusing on consumer identity dynamics and how they shape purchasing decisions and brand loyalty. She has conducted research on gamification in marketing, exploring its effects on consumer motivation and engagement. Likewise, she investigated healthcare digitalization, specifically analysing digital competencies within the healthcare sector. Jan Gained practical experience as a marketing specialist in the education sector and also combined theoretical research with practical marketing applications to provide valuable insights into consumer behaviour and effective strategies.

PhD in Management - Fourth Year

As a PhD candidate Amina is a passionate researcher of the intersection between marketing, technology and trust, her research area focuses on blockchain technology's impact on trust development in the digital marketing space. With the evolution of technological advancements, and the ever-growing drive of consumerism, her aim is to provide a framework to navigate how control-distributed environments may influence digital marketing and foster trust.

Amina is currently working on her thesis based on Exploring Blockchain-based digital marketing.