prof. dr. B.M. (Bob) Fennis

I was trained as a communication scientist at Radboud University, and a social psychologist at Utrecht University. I completed graduate training as an experimental consumer psychologist at Utrecht University where my focus was on advertising effects and consumer behavior.

After a short excursion to the field as a consultant for the Dutch Ministry of Public Works, Traffic and Water management and a consulting firm (Boer & Croon Corporate Communication), I returned to academia to work as an assistant/ associate professor at the Free University of Amsterdam, The University of Twente and Utrecht University. From June 2010 onwards I work as a full professor in Consumer Behavior at the University of Groningen.

My main research interest is what you could label "Hidden Persuasion" and focuses on how subtle (and not so subtle) marketing cues influence consumers in their emotions, thoughts and behavior, frequently without them being aware of this influence. For that research, I connect with work on the psychology of persuasion and social influence, and the role of consumer self-regulation in these processes (please see my research page for an overview of published work in these areas).

Currently, my research focuses on when and how...   

...consumer self control (or its opposite --indulgence) can help or hurt healthy consumption

...consumers become susceptible or resistant to subtle marketing cues in the shopping environment.

...consumers move from "saying no" (to products, brands, ad appeals, influence attempts etc.) to "saying yes" (or the reverse...).