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Special Sessions
Monday, 1 December 2025
Gatekeepers of Impact:
The Role of Intermediaries in Connecting Academia and Practice
Kristina Klein
University of Bremen
Germany
Rico Piehler
Macquarie University
Australia
Ralf Wilden
Macquarie University
Australia
This special session addresses the science-practice gap in marketing. The focus will be on the role of intermediaries—individuals or organisations that function as boundary-spanners between academia and practice. The session will examine how academic knowledge can effectively be converted into actionable insights for marketing decision-makers. After setting the stage by highlighting insights from recent studies, a panel comprising academic (Professor Emeritus Roderick J. Brodie and Professor Bodo Lang) and non-academic (consultancy, professional association and media representatives) intermediaries will shed light on the enablers of and barriers to effective knowledge transfer, identifying recommendations to enhance intermediaries’ effectiveness in bridging the science-practice gap. The session will end with an audience Q&A.
From PhD to Professor:
Co-Designing the ANZMAC Early Career Academic Summit
Zachary Anesbury
Adelaide University
Australia
Jessica Pallant
RMIT University
Australia
Alex Belli
University of Melbourne
Australia
Joya Kemper
University of Christchurch
New Zealand
Join us at ANZMAC 2025 for a special co-design session shaping the first Early Career Academic Summit, launching in 2026. Academic careers present new challenges as scholars “ride the waves” from PhD to Professor, balancing research, teaching, service, and life transitions. This interactive session will unite PhD candidates, early and mid-career academics, and senior scholars to identify needs, topics, and formats for the Summit. Through breakout discussions, participants will share experiences and insights to co-create a program that strengthens support for ECAs and fosters mentoring across the ANZMAC community. Have your say in shaping the future of early career support.
Critical marketing education and research disruptions:
AI, knowledge discovery cycles, and information compression
Leyland Pitt
Simon Fraser University
Canada
Sean Sands
Swinburne University of Technology
Australia
Join us at ANZMAC 2025 for a special co-design session shaping the first Early Career Academic Summit, launching in 2026. Academic careers present new challenges as scholars “ride the waves” from PhD to Professor, balancing research, teaching, service, and life transitions. This interactive session will unite PhD candidates, early and mid-career academics, and senior scholars to identify needs, topics, and formats for the Summit. Through breakout discussions, participants will share experiences and insights to co-create a program that strengthens support for ECAs and fosters mentoring across the ANZMAC community. Have your say in shaping the future of early career support.
Shopping trip planning and impulse buying
Harmen Oppewal
Monash University
Australia
Martin Meißner
Technical University München
Germany
The extent to which shoppers plan purchases versus buy unplanned or on impulse during their shopping trips is a long established but still active theme in shopper research with important implications for marketing and public policy. This special session will present four papers that all provide a different angle on the role of trip planning and unplanned or impulse purchase behaviour. The papers focus on the role of visual attention, consumer budgets, planning styles and mood states, and involve a mix of lab and field studies and different product categories or purchase settings. The session will reserve time for general discussion.
Un(caring) Marketplaces and Marketing:
Future Research Directions and Opportunities for Impact
Nicole Ye Yang
The University of Western Australia
Australia
Marian Makkar
RMIT University
Australia
Anna Hartman
Australia National University
Australia
How can marketing and marketplaces address the global crisis of care? As awareness grows around marketplace inequalities and consumer vulnerabilities, marketing researchers and practitioners face both challenges and have opportunities to design more creative and feasible solutions. Join us for a thought-provoking special session featuring four distinctive projects and an interactive panel discussion that will explore theoretical, methodological, industry and research impact insights at the intersection of care and marketing. We invite PhD students, early career, and established researchers to be part of this important conversation towards more caring marketplaces and marketing practices.
Tuesday, 2 December 2025
From the Margins to the Core:
The Strategic Role of CMO Leadership
Ralf Wilden Macquarie University
Australia
Julia Fehrer
University of Auckland
New Zealand
Rico Piehler
Macquarie University
Australia
This special session explores the evolving role of marketing leadership in shaping firm strategy, with a spotlight on the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Against the backdrop of digital disruption, ESG pressures, and cross-functional demands, we ask whether marketing leaders are simply “riding the waves” or steering the ship. The 90-minute program features an opening keynote, an academic–industry panel, and interactive roundtables on innovation, market shaping, cross-functional integration, metrics, and the future of the CMO role. Join us for fresh insights, debate, and collaboration opportunities that challenge how marketing contributes to firm strategy.
Sales Organizations in Flux –
Drivers and Future (Research) Directions
Stefan Wengler
Hof University
Germany
Manfred Krafft
University of Münster Germany
Michael Kleinaltenkamp
Free University Berlin
Germany
This special session, co-hosted by the Global Sales Science Institute (GSSI), will explore how current disruptions—such as rising customer and organizational complexity, digital transformation, advances in AI technologies, demographic shifts, supply chain volatility, and buyer-led purchase journeys—reshape the sales function. Moreover, evolving concepts like value-based selling, customer success management, and, most recently, holistic selling, necessitate substantial transformations in sales force structure and sales management practices. Impulse presentations by the co-chairs provide the foundation for a plenary discussion and a dialogue with (as well as interaction among) the audience. This special session aims to stimulate the development of a shared research agenda on the future of sales and foster collaborative networks among ANZMAC sales researchers and with scholars active in, e.g., the GSSI, EMAC, or ESFP community.
If only I’d known that!
Inspirations for Navigating Innovation in Assessment in the age of Gen-AI and LLMs
Ryan Payne
University of Canberra
Australia
Helene Wilkinson
Auckland University of Technology
New Zealand
This special session will showcase innovative and transformative educational practices in marketing education. Adopting an interactive workshop-style presentation, we’ll explore AI tools for new teaching methods, curriculum redesigns, technology integration, and evolving assessment strategies. Drawing on insights from a pre-conference poll, this session invites active participation and idea-sharing. No preparticipation is required. Join us to engage in emerging approaches and opportunities for cross-institutional collaboration within assessment innovation.
ChatGPT, AI Advertising, and Advertising Research
Jisu Huh
University of Minnesota
USA
Sean Sands
Swinburne University of Technology
Australia
This special session examines the rapid rise of generative AI in advertising and its implications for scholarship and practice. Its purpose is to take stock of disruptive changes, pose new theoretical and methodological questions, and chart a forward-looking research agenda. The structure begins with a brief introduction, followed by four research presentations on biometric responses to AI disclosure, AI-generated personas, search advertising transformation, and human–AI creative synergy. The session concludes with a moderated panel and audience Q&A. We aim that participants gain insights and direction for future advertising research.
Surfing the Paradox:
Marketing’s Role in Conscious Consumption
Kaye Chan
University of Technology Sydney Australia
Vivian Pontes
University of Technology Sydney
Australia
Geetanjali Saluja
University of Technology Sydney
Australia
This special session addresses the paradox in modern marketing: balancing profit-driven consumption with the promotion of sustainable, mindful consumer behaviour. It explores anti-consumption and mindful consumption as intentional, values-based responses to ethical, social, and environmental concerns—to help organisations ride the waves of change while contributing to a more sustainable future. The session aims to foster collaborative research, support curriculum innovation, and promote responsible marketing practices. With brief presentations and roundtable discussions, academics are invited to explore research gaps and educational strategies that advance socially conscious marketing. The format encourages dialogue on policy impact and curriculum development across ANZ.
Wednesday, 3 December 2025
Steering the AI Wave:
Strategic Choices for Winning in the Age of AI
Manjunath Padigar Macquarie University
Australia
Kiran Pedada
University of Manitoba
Canada
Ashish Sinha
University of Queensland
Australia
How do firms move beyond tactical AI to create genuine, sustainable competitive advantage? This special session confronts this question by shifting focus from technology hype to strategy realization. We explore how to build investor confidence, navigate privacy regulations, and foster the customer "trust dividend" to create demonstrable market value. Through three expert presentations and a moderated panel discussion, attendees will gain actionable frameworks for crafting AI strategies that deliver long-term returns. This session is essential for leaders and researchers aiming to develop a strategic playbook that truly wins in the dynamic landscape of AI.
Surfing Paradoxes:
Futures Thinking and Market Emergence in a Turbulent World
Kaj Storbacka
Hanken School of Economics
Finland
Jonathan Baker
University of Adelaide
Australia
Julia Fehrer
University of Auckland
New Zealand
This interactive special session explores how markets emerge, dissolve, and reassemble amid uncertainty, disruption, and paradox. Building on the MASHIN SIG’s tradition, we examine how market actors navigate tensions—stability vs. change, local vs. global, digital vs. embodied—through anticipatory sensemaking and systemic innovation. Featuring two short presentations (on circular futures and Australian wine strategy) and participatory roundtables focused on engaging with practitioners and policymakers, the session fosters rich dialogue and maps future research directions. Participants will leave with new perspectives, collaborative opportunities, and practical insights for shaping markets in turbulent times.
Global Marketing in a New Era:
Emerging Trends and Innovative Ideas
Ajay Manrai
University of Delaware
USA
Exploring new paradigms and trends, this special session guides researchers in publishing high-impact work that aligns with the Journal of Global Marketing’s aims and scope. JGM’s Editors and ERB members will deliver 5–6-minute presentations on key themes:
-AI and Technology in Global Marketing
-Consumer Culture Theory
-Leveraging Digital and Social Media
-Marketing
-Aligning Research with JGM’s Scope
-Tips for Publishing in High-Impact Journals
The Future of Marketing Work:
Navigating Roles and Skills in the Age of Intelligent Technologies
Laszlo Sajtos
University of Auckland
New Zealand
Andre Bonfrer
Deakin University
Australia
Jason Pallant
RMIT University
Australia
AI, automation, and algorithmic systems are transforming marketing roles, skills, and professional identities. How should we prepare for this hybrid human–machine future? This special session brings together practitioners and scholars to explore:
-What new skill sets marketing organizations require
-How to balance mastering new tools with foundational marketing principles
-How education and professional development must evolve
Join us for a fast-paced mix of mini-talks, panel discussion, and audience Q&A — designed to spark collaboration and shape the future of marketing work.
Marketing as a Discipline:
Navigating Its Role in the Era of Societal Impact
Ahmed Ferdous
Deakin University
Australia
Nadia Zainuddin
University of Wollongong
Australia
Sean Sands
Swinburne University of Technology
Australia
This special session addresses the growing need for marketing as a discipline to clarify and strengthen its role in advancing societal impact. Beyond meeting performance measures and accreditation expectations, there is a moral responsibility to ensure research, teaching, and leadership serve the public good through real-world impact. In the context of shifting global conditions, ESG and DEI debates, and the rise of Gen AI, the session engages early and mid-career researchers and academic leaders in examining marketing’s contribution to societal impact. Thematic discussions on research, curriculum, career pathways, and leadership will build a community of practice and foster collaborative outputs.
Why attend
Discover industry trends
Valuable insights into the latest research and innovation.
Special sessions
Discover a program of Special Sessions in addition to our many track sessions.
Networking opportunities
Connect with industry leaders, academics and marketing professionals from around the world.
Meet our host
Macquarie University is among the top 1% of universities, according to the World University Rankings.
Iconic destination
Sydney, renowned for its vibrant culture and stunning harbour.
Lightning talks
Introduced in 2024, Lightning Talks return to offer even more opportunity to share and engage with new research.
Social events
Join us for the Welcome Reception and experience Sydney's beautiful harbour at the Gala Dinner
Keynote presentations
Hear from an esteemed scholar and an industry expert on the most up-to-date trends.
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