Brad D. Carlson, Ph.D.Marketing · Strategy · Leadership

06 / Research

Evidence that
changes the decision.

I translate research for leaders who need to know what a finding means, when it applies, and what to do differently.

20+Years researching and teaching
5,000+Google Scholar citations
AMSPast President
SLUResearch Institute Fellow

I study questions managers routinely face but cannot answer through intuition alone: When does authenticity affect sales? Can customer communities change individual spending? Why does brand love sometimes produce brand hate? How much should a content creator reveal?

My research combines behavioral theory with field and experimental evidence, then follows the result to its practical consequence. The point is not simply to describe consumer behavior. It is to improve the decision a leader makes next.

07 / Recent publications

The business question.
The evidence. The decision.

These are not shortened academic abstracts. They identify the managerial problem, what the evidence changes, and what a practitioner should do differently because of it.

Journal of Retailing · 2026

Will making the brand feel more authentic actually increase sales?

What the evidence says

Not automatically. Authenticity contributes to future sales growth when it helps customers identify with the company—when the brand becomes connected to how customers see themselves.

What it changes

Do not treat authenticity as a style guide. Build it through customer relationships, employee interactions, referrals, familiarity, and signals that make affiliation with the company meaningful.

Donavan, D. T., Carlson, B. D., Wolter, J., & Maxham, J. G. (2026). How and when authenticity relates to sales growth: Longitudinal field evidence from the retail customer journey. Journal of Retailing.Read the published article ↗
Journal of Marketing · 2026

Can a customer group change what an individual customer buys?

What the evidence says

Yes. Identification can become a group-level force that strengthens an individual member’s bond with the company and influences spending and share of wallet.

What it changes

Design communities for cohesion, not raw membership. The strongest effects appeared in moderately sized, relatively homogeneous groups that met often enough to form a real social connection.

Carlson, B. D., Donavan, D. T., Wolter, J., Maxham, J. G., & Xu, P. (2026). The collective identity effect: How group-level identity influences individual behavior. Journal of Marketing, 90(1), 106–131.Read the published article ↗
Journal of Consumer Marketing · 2026

Why do brands that inspire love sometimes inspire hate?

What the evidence says

The same identity, authenticity, and uniqueness that make a brand meaningful to insiders can sharpen the line between supporters and outsiders.

What it changes

Strong differentiation is valuable, but managers should anticipate what the identity excludes. Monitor whether community language builds belonging or turns ordinary preference into unnecessary opposition.

Donavan, D. T., Carlson, B. D., & Janda, S. (2026). Brand love and oppositional hate: The roles of identity, authenticity, and uniqueness. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 43(2), 209–227.Read the published article ↗
AMS Review · 2024

Should content creators reveal more of themselves to seem authentic?

What the evidence says

More is not inherently better. Audiences evaluate what is revealed, why it is revealed, and whether the disclosure fits the creator, relationship, and context.

What it changes

Choose disclosure strategically. The goal is not maximum openness; it is relevant openness that strengthens trust without appearing calculated, excessive, or out of character.

Wang, F., & Carlson, B. D. (2024). Self-disclosure of content creators: A systematic review and holistic framework. AMS Review, 14, 239–257.Read the published article ↗

08 / Research agenda

A coherent body
of useful questions.

01

Identity & brand community

How belonging moves from an individual feeling to a collective force.

02

Authenticity & meaning

When authenticity earns identification—and when it does not.

03

Frontline relationships

How employee and customer conditions affect performance.

04

Creators & human brands

How people interpret disclosure, endorsement, and persona.

Research is most valuable when it travels.

Bring the evidence into the room.

Discuss a research briefing↗