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's research focuses on consumer behaviour and brand management and has been published in the Financial Times Top 50 business journals, including the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Consumer Research. His research and academic projects have also received funding from Plan International, Scanlon Foundation, and the Victorian State Government. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Consumer Research, International Journal of Research in Marketing, and Marketing Theory.

Samuelson previously worked with Kantar and frequently collaborates with Push Collective on brand research and strategy for various brands. In his professional and academic career, he has worked with organisations such as Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Unilever, Etisalat, Barclays Bank, RACV, Ideagen, Connective, Uber and WAICA Re. Samuelson teaches Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in the MBA program. He is 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

Appau, S., Eckhardt, G. M., & Baako, K. T. (2026). Global Ride-Hailing Platform Affordances and Developing Market Characteristics. Journal of Marketing, 00222429261452137.

Kennedy, A. M., Makkar, M., & Appau, S. (2025). Eudaimonic consumption careers. International Journal of Research in Marketing. 43(1), 152-173

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.

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

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.