Samuelson Appau

Samuelson is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Melbourne Business School. He has a background in marketing and market research and holds a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Melbourne.

Samuelson is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Melbourne Business School. He has a background in marketing and market research and holds a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Melbourne.

Samuelson's multidisciplinary research examines how transitions and transformations in people’s lives, society, and the marketplace affect consumer behaviour and wellbeing. Samuelson’s research has been published in leading marketing and business journals such as the Journal of Consumer Research, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Energy Economics, Marketing Theory, Journal of Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, and the Journal of Marketing and Public Policy, among others. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Consumer Research and Marketing Theory. His research and academic projects have received funding from Plan International, Scanlon Foundation, and the Victorian Government.

In his professional and academic career, Samuelson has worked with clients such as Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Unilever, Etisalat, Barclays Bank, RACV, Push Collective, Ideagen, Connective, Uber and WAICA Re. He also supports many start-ups and entrepreneurs on how to build and sustain strong brands.

Samuelson teaches Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in the MBA program. He is also the Program Director of the Blue Nile Program, a mini-MBA program designed for African Australian entrepreneurs, working professionals, and leaders of not-for-profit organisations at the Melbourne Business School.

Most Notable Research

Makkar, M., Appau, S., & Belk, R. W. (2025). Value outcomes in Airbnb as a chronotopic service. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 42(1), 55-73.

Appau, S., & Yang, Y. (2024). Church advertising and the marketization of religious hegemony. Marketing Theory, 24(2), 263-288.

Appau, S., & Crockett, D. (2023). Wealth in People and Places: Understanding Transnational Gift Obligations. Journal of Consumer Research, 49(6), 1053-1073.

Trinh, T. A., Appau, S., Churchill, S. A., & Farrell, L. (2022). Temperature shocks and gambling. Energy Economics, 115, 106406.

Appau, S. (Editor) (2021) Marketing Brands in Africa: Perspectives on the Evolution of Branding in an Emerging Market. Springer Nature: London

Hailemariam, A., Yew, S. L., & Appau, S. (2021). Gender Health Gaps: The Role of Risky Addictive Behaviors. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 191, 639-660.

Appau, S. (2021). Toward a Divine Economic System: Understanding Exchanges in A Religious Consumption Field. Marketing Theory, 21(2), 177-199.

Appau, S., Ozanne, J. L., & Klein, J. G. (2020). Understanding Difficult Consumer Transitions: The In/Dividual Consumer in Permanent Liminality. Journal of Consumer Research, 47(2), 167-191.