Written by Marie Brand, PhD Candidate at WU Vienna
What do consumer researchers and world-class athletes have in common? Last year, they all traveled to Paris to display the results of their past years’ hard work. Mere weeks apart, the Olympic athletes and academics came to Paris. While the athletes jumped, ran, swam, and vaulted across three conference days, consumer researchers competed in their own Olympic disciplines: 60 competitive paper sessions, 50 special sessions, 18 roundtables, 17 community track events, 4 working paper sessions, 3 film, and 2 art festival sessions. And of course, the most grueling discipline of all: networking.
Whether you attended the 2024 Association for Consumer Research (ACR) conference or you’re just curious about what consumer researchers get up to, join us in Paris once again to discover how competition, innovation, and global unity at the Olympics mirror the goals of the consumer research community.
The spirit of Paris
Walking the cobblestones of Paris’ winding streets, its history as a stage of history’s most pivotal moments is palpable. From the storming of the Bastille and the start of the French Revolution, the Treaty of Versailles that ended the first world war to the liberation of Paris from Nazi occupation.
Yet, Paris is also a beacon of innovation, seamlessly blending the old with the new as symbolized by the Eiffel Tower, an emblem of modernity, or Pei’s glass pyramid bringing contemporary panache to the Louvre palace.
This makes Paris an ideal host for the largest annual conference of consumer researchers. Just as Paris blends history and innovation, so does the field of consumer research acknowledge the importance of building on established foundations while embracing new tools and methodologies to stay relevant in a tumultuous world.
Exemplifying the integration of tradition and innovation in consumer research were sessions tackling longstanding concerns about study validity and using innovative digital tools to simulate real-world social media contexts. Other sessions focused on cutting-edge technologies like generative AI and voicebots, reframing traditional concepts of consumer- firm relationships to address new challenges posed by AI-driven interactions. A roundtable on diversity combined foundational ideas about marketplace inclusivity with innovative methodologies, such as applying intersectionality frameworks to understand underrepresented consumer groups. A look at the conference program emphasizes the blending of established academic traditions with modern tools and perspectives to push the boundaries of consumer research.
Youngsters and Veterans set sail down the Seine
From the varied ways junior and seasoned scholars navigate conferences to the grandeur of the gala on the Seine, the ACR conference left lasting impressions on all attendees.
As the largest consumer behavior conference, ACR draws in participants from many corners of the world and in all career stages. The conference includes a doctoral symposium as well as early- and mid-career workshops. On our way to the next talk or over a coffee and pastry, we talked to attendees about how they approach conferences. A clear distinction emerged between the youngsters (PhD students and post-docs) and the veterans with years of conferences behind them. For the youngsters, conferences are exciting, whether it's their first time presenting research to a professional audience or networking to meet the movers and shakers in the field.
On the other hand, for the more seasoned attendees like our IJRM editors, this initial excitement has worn off. They told us that they attend presentations selectively. For them, it’s more about catching up with friends and co-authors, getting to work together for a few hours while the main conference rumbles on.
While there might be a difference in how attendees approach the conference, one thing they agreed on was how memorable the conference's grand finale was. Picture this: the sun is slowly setting over the Seine while you board a boat and are handed a glass of champagne. While watching the illuminated Eiffel Tower pass by, attendees had one final chance to mingle and chat about research. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Uniting perspectives
While for some, it might be taboo, in France, it is not uncommon to have a glass of wine with lunch. ACR generously honored this convivial French tradition. This might be emblematic of another lesson from this year's conference: many US scholars remarked wistfully that Europeans seem to have cracked the code on blending work with leisure. For some attendees, it was a refreshing reminder that productivity and pleasure can coexist—just as a bright Bordeaux pairs perfectly with a midday meal. But if wine was not your thing, you could choose from among 18 community events such as “Paris is for Chocolate Lovers” or the “Paris Café Crawl”. ACR offered activities for every taste, even daily yoga sessions for the athletically inclined.
Europe played a symbolic and practical role in bridging perspectives at this year’s ACR conference. Positioned between Asia and the Americas, it served as a crossroads where diverse viewpoints converged, reflecting the globalization of consumer research. The juxtaposition of perspectives highlighted the importance of cross-cultural dialogue in addressing global challenges in consumer research, such as research integrity, sustainability, technology adoption, and financial inclusion.
As the sun set on the Seine, the curtain also descended on the conference. Bridging tradition and innovation, scholars connected across borders, exchanged ideas, and embraced the shared mission of advancing consumer research. Until later this year in Washington, DC — à bientôt!
This article was written by
Marie Brand
Ph.D. candidate at the WU, Vienna
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