Research at Marketing
In line with the strategic vision of Turku School of Economics, we contribute to sustainable business and foresight by providing valuable research findings on current and essential marketing questions, such as customer experience management, market shaping and consumption and marketing logics. We have a strong research competence especially in business-to-business marketing and service research.
As a strategic function, marketing aims at creating value with the customer and other stakeholders, resulting in profitability, efficiency and competitiveness for the company. This reciprocal value creation strengthens the wellbeing of individuals, companies and society as a whole. In the contemporary service-intensive and specialised markets, value creation is increasingly collaborative and complex.
To increase both scientific and practical knowledge relevant for current markets, marketing research at Turku School of Economics focuses on four core themes, as follows.
Business networks and market shaping
Our research in the “Business networks and market shaping” area focuses on companies operating in business markets, their managers' perceptions of the markets and actions to shape the market towards more sustainable futures. This includes research on concrete market shaping actions, such as creating and communicating visions, collaboration to change market practices and policy norms, renewing markets through innovation and digitalization, and developing sustainable ecosystems. The research area draws on our current expertise in business relationships and networks but uses a multitude of theoretical approaches, for instance, business network strategizing, managerial sensemaking, organizational foresight and the market shaping perspective. Market shaping is a burgeoning research topic, spurred by legislative pressures and societal demands for companies to alter their business logics. This research aligns with the University's strategic themes of the future and foresight, as well as sustainable business.
For more information: Aino Halinen-Kaila and Mariia Syväri
Customer experience management
In the “Customer experience management” area, we focus on the concept of experience in marketing and service research. Through both ongoing and newly initiated projects, and through international and national collaborations, interdisciplinary doctoral and postdoctoral research, we study how customer experiences can be designed and managed for transformative outcomes related to environmental sustainability (circular economy, transportation), individual and social wellbeing (health care, physical activity), and business impact (service innovations, new business opportunities, effectiveness of CXM, application of the CX concept).
For more information: Elina Jaakkola, Harri Terho, Ekaterina Panina and Leila Hurmerinta
Consumption and marketing logics
The “Consumption and marketing logics” area studies the expansion of consumption and marketing logics beyond traditional contexts to other spheres of society. In our highly marketized society, nearly everyone engages in marketing, and almost any human activity can be interpreted as consumer behavior. Our research raises critical and analytical perspectives on this evolution, analyzing the implications for consumers, firms, and society when consumption and marketing logics are so pervasive. This focus area aims to look beyond the sole managerial perspectives and embraces a broad range of research topics, mainly connected to the B2C field, including consumer research, marketing communications, and the concept-historical development of B2C marketing.
For more information: Rami Olkkonen, Samuel Piha and Leila Hurmerinta
Research methods and conceptual tools
In addition to our three focus areas, our marketing faculty has a long-standing tradition in the development of research methods and conceptual tools. We are especially strong in developing qualitative research methods, e.g., case research, mixed methods, and process research, but also in explicating conceptual tools of research, such as research paradigms, modes of conceptual research, and interdisciplinary use of theories. The area is supported by an open approach to the application of different methods, currently extending to, for example, futures research methods.
Research projects
The multidisciplinary research focuses on emotional and cognitive factors that either inhibit or advance consumers’ propensity to engage in physical activity and active transport on a habitual basis, that is, as a healthy lifestyle. By analyzing individuals’ emotions, fundamental motives and mindsets the research contributes to the field of transformative consumer research.
The research is part (WP) of the Healthy Lifestyles to Boost Sustainable Growth (STYLE) SRC-project funded by the Academy of Finland (2019-2023). The research (WP) is led by D.Sc. Birgitta Sandberg. The research team includes D.Sc. Leila Hurmerinta and Postdoctoral researcher Henna Leino. Professor John Thøgersen (Aarhus University) acts as expert.
STYLE project website
Societal changes such as internationalisation, digitalisation of information flow, ego-centrism and longevity of populations alter the needs of individuals and experiences concerning the meaningfulness of life. Meaningfulness is considered to consist of different kinds of bonds, such as social, emotional, cognitive, functional and spiritual bonds which an individual can tie to people, places, items or actions, for instance.
This research project studies these bonds and the needs that arise from the existence of these bonds. The goal is to develop solutions to recognize and meet such consumer needs that emerge from loosening or breaking of bonds. The project is built on the expertise of a vastly cross-disciplinary research network and funded by a three-year project 2017-2019 grant received from Emil Aaltonen Foundation. Contact persons: D.Sc. Birgitta Sandberg (International Business) or D.Sc. Leila Hurmerinta (Marketing).
KULTA project website
Value Transformers is a collaborative research project funded by Business Finland (2016-19) that explores how, why, and when customer firms are willing to adopt value-driven exchange logics (i.e. value buying, selling, and pricing) in business markets.
The project aims to identify the drivers, barriers, and conditions that influence buyers´ willingness to adopt value-driven exchange logics, and the changes needed in customer organizations and relationships boundaries to optimize joint value creation and capture opportunities in dyadic customer-supplier relationships.
The project is conducted in collaboration with Lappenranta University of Technology, University of Turku, Aalto University, and several partner firms, including MacGregor, Outotec, Kemppi, and SimAnalytics. The team from Turku School of Economics includes D.Sc. Elina Jaakkola (Marketing), D.Sc. Harri Terho (Marketing) and CCR-unit.
The research project examines how companies can consciously envision and shape more sustainable business markets together with other actors. The systemic thinking underlying market shaping challenges the traditional static view of the market. The industries studied in our project are shipping, animal-based food production, and renewable energy, each of which plays an important role in achieving the goals of sustainable development both in Finland and globally. The research project is interdisciplinary and brings new concepts and methods to the emerging research area of market shaping from the field of futures research. The research group works in close cooperation with internationally acclaimed researchers as well as business actors.
The project is funded by a three-year grant (2022-2024) from Marcus Wallenberg Foundation as well as The Foundation for Economic Education (Liikesivistysrahasto).
The research project is led by professor Aino Halinen-Kaila. The research team includes Postdoctoral researchers Mariia Syväri and Alexander Flaig and Doctoral researchers Sini Nordberg-Davies, Anna Lundén and Nikita Uverov.
Publications:
Syväri, M., Tähtinen, J., & Nordberg-Davies, S. (2025). Enacting ‘true business sustainability’− Market shaping for environmental impact. Journal of Business Research, 186, 114949.
Halinen, A., Nordberg-Davies, S., & Möller, K. (2024). Time to look forward: Advocating future orientation in business network research. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 39(3), 447-460.
Abrahamsen, M. H., Halinen, A., & Naudé, P. (2023). The role of visioning in business network strategizing. Journal of Business Research, 154, 113334.
Syväri, M. (2022). Chasing Impact – How Hybrid New Ventures Shape Market for Sustainability. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Turku.
The transition towards connected, autonomous and electrified machines rapidly changes the heavy mobile machinery sector. The COMMA project (2022-2024) studies how safety and security-based value is created through the entire system lifespan and how new business is developed from the identified value in the mobile machine context. The project combines experts in business and technology to create new knowledge to be utilized in companies, especially to create new services associated with cyber security.
The goal of the Marketing research team is to bring a customer perspective to the project. The research project shows how the experience of risk affects the customer path and how sellers could manage risk experiences. Understanding how customers experience risk along their journey with the manufacturers, their machines, and value-added services can reveal different areas of value creation that could be overlooked when focusing only on the technical properties of the product. Introducing the human aspect of cybersecurity to this project creates the basis for promising business opportunities that can transform increasing security measures of machine systems from a necessary expense item to a value promise.
The COMMA project is part of the activities and implementation of the innovation roadmap of the SIX Mobile Machines cluster and is funded by the participating partners and Business Finland. The team from Turku School of Economics includes D.Sc. Elina Jaakkola (Marketing), D.Sc. Ekaterina Panina (Marketing), D.Sc. Jonna Järveläinen (Information Systems Science), as well as Marikka Heikkilä and Antti Saurama (CCR-unit). The research project is coordinated by VTT and the project partners are the University of Tampere, Sandvik Mining and Construction, Cargotec, Ponsse and Netox.
There is an urgent need for societies to transition into a sustainable circular economy (CE). However, the success of this transition depends on changes in human stakeholders’ practices. The CIRCEX project studies the emergence and role of human experience in the CE, which is argued to be crucial for people’s engagement in CE practices like reducing, reusing, and recycling. CIRCEX brings together research on CE, marketing, and design to study circular economy experiences (CEEX) in the context of CE ecosystems involving plastics. The project breaks new ground by conceptualizing CEEX, unpacking how human stakeholders’ experience translates into action, and creating a framework for CEEX design. As a whole, CIRCEX contributes to science by developing the role of experience research in advancing societal well-being and sustainability.
CIRCEX is a research consortium funded by the Research Council of Finland. The four-year research project (1.9.2023–31.8.2027) involves researchers at the University of Turku and Tampere University, as well as various external and international collaborators. The Turku team includes Professor Elina Jaakkola, postdoctoral researcher Ekaterina Panina, and doctoral researcher Martiina Salokangas.
More information about CIRCEX on project webpages.
The project examines the experiences of different stakeholders with circular economy ecosystems, how experiences influence engagement in the circular economy, and how they should be considered in experience design.
Material circulation generates experiences, i.e., feelings, sensations, and associations, that affect the engagement of various actors in the practices of the circular economy, such as recycling, reusing, or reducing the use of materials. This project argues that understanding different stakeholders’ experiences with circulation is pivotal for developing more attractive and engaging circular economy (CE) systems. The aim of the project is to investigate 1) How do the experiences of diverse stakeholders within CE ecosystems affect their engagement with CE practices? 2) How can stakeholder experiences within CE ecosystems be designed and managed to facilitate their engagement with CE practices?
The two-year (2023-2025) research project is financed by the Foundation for Economic Education. The research team includes Professor Elina Jaakkola, Postdoctoral researcher Ekaterina Panina and Doctoral researcher Bidyut Balo.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have helped develop applications that create value in the business sector and society. One novel application of AI is the deepfake technology, which is defined as the creation of realistic human characters imitating real people - typically in the form of videos, audio, or images. While deepfakes create new business opportunities for content creation and consumer engagement, they also carry significant risks for businesses.
As the current business literature lacks an understanding of both key opportunities and risks for businesses, our research therefore aims to understand the importance of deep counterfeiting for companies. The key question for firms is: how to prepare for deep fakes? Other questions include: (1) What are the risks and opportunities of deepfakes for companies? How can companies use deepfakes to create value? (2) How can companies prepare for deepfakes? How can they measure their readiness? (3) What are the guidelines for the ethical use of deepfakes in business? How to define the ethical and unethical use of deepfakes?
Our three-year (2022-2025) research project aims to answer these questions. The project is financed by the Foundation for Economic Education. Docent Joni Salminen leads the research project. Other members are Professor Hannu Makkonen, Doctoral student Ilkka Kaate, Postdoctoral researcher Mekhail Mustak, and Postdoctoral research Valtteri Kaartemo.
Servicescape research on transformative services has evidenced the influence of servicescape dimensions on the wellbeing of customers. Transformative health-related benefits of servicescapes have been acknowledged among both hospital patients and participants in the healthcare system. Thereby there is a growing interest in studying therapeutic potential of servicescapes. Existing research has almost completely focused on the role of service personnel (e.g., nurses) in servicescapes but not shown what kind of roles artists have in servicescapes. Further, the spatialities of this phenomenon need further theorization. Consequently, the purpose of this research project is to analyze how clown doctors co-create the experienced servicescape. The project is divided into different work packages (WPs) based on different research angles, contexts and research targets. The research project started in 2022 and is planned to end by 2025.
WP1: We analyse moment-based encounters and interaction between clown doctors and residents at nursing homes and their impact on the servicescape. We explore the phenomenon by collecting qualitative data (observations, video recording).
WP2: We analyse clown doctors’ experiences and learning in how they encounter individuals experiencing vulnerabilities at nursing homes (longitudinal approach through interviews), and experiences of personnel on momentary disruptions generated by the means of clownery in their servicescape (quantitative data at university hospitals; quantitative and qualitative data at nursing homes).
Besides advancing theory of services this research project increases profound understanding of practical challenges related to encountering individuals experiencing vulnerabilities and offers opportunities for artists among other service providers to reflect on and develop their emotional intelligence and working methods.
The research is made in collaboration with The Finnish Hospital Clowns Association. The research team consists of researchers from service research (the Department of Marketing and International Business, WP1-WP2), interactional linguistics (the Department of Nursing Science, WP1) at the University of Turku, and cultural anthropology (the Department of Religious Studies, WP2) at the University of Zürich.
The research project is funded by the Foundation for Economic Education (Liikesivistysrahasto). For more information on the project, please contact Leila Hurmerinta (leila.hurmerinta@utu.fi).
The LASKU research project investigates how consumers adapt to the decrease in consumption opportunities caused by crisis conditions and the declining standard of living.
Military, ecological, and economic crises may become increasingly evident in the consumer's everyday life in the future. It is possible that not all crises can be resolved in a sustainable manner. The living standards and consumption opportunities in Finland may permanently decrease.
The purpose of the LASKU project is to study how consumers adapt to crisis conditions and the consequent reduction in consumption choices caused by a declining standard of living. Our level of examination is psychological, and our goal is to outline the psychological survival strategies of consumers in conditions of diminishing wealth and to increase knowledge about the resulting business environments.
The LASKU project produces new in-depth understanding of the situation where societal development has permanently shifted onto an economic and social decline. Particularly, new perspectives arise from consumers' individual-level adaptation to this new uncertainty. Such end-user level understanding has value not only in societal preparedness but also in anticipating future business environments.
The project is led by docent, university teacher Samuel Piha and is funded by Liikesivistysrahasto (the Foundation for Economic Education) for 2024-2026.