Overview
Gavan J. Fitzsimons is the Edward S & Rose K Donnell professor of marketing and psychology at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. His research focuses on understanding the ways in which consumers may be influenced without their conscious knowledge or awareness by marketers and marketing researchers, often without any intent on the part of the marketer. His work has been published in numerous academic journals such as the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, Management Science, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Psychological Science. His ideas have also been featured in many popular press outlets such as NPR, CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today, Oprah Magazine and Time Magazine, amongst many others.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Edward and Rose Donnell Distinguished Professor
·
2017 - Present
Fuqua School of Business
Professor of Business Administration
·
2007 - Present
Fuqua School of Business
Professor in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
·
2008 - Present
Psychology & Neuroscience,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
·
2021 - Present
Duke Institute for Brain Sciences,
University Institutes and Centers
Recent Publications
Exploring the counteractive effects of mandating diversity training: Solution aversion, reactance, and polarized social beliefs.
Journal Article Journal of personality and social psychology · December 2025 A common strategy to address social inequity in organizations is to implement mandatory diversity training policies. But how do people react to such mandates? Mandating such training can signal the importance of diversity-related issues (e.g., discriminati ... Full text CiteFrom believer to buyer: How brands leverage religious values to connect with consumers
Journal Article Journal of Consumer Psychology · October 1, 2025 Aglozo and Cohen (Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2025) synthesize prior work on the influence of religious values on consumer behavior through the frameworks of Schwartz's value theory and moral foundations theory. In this commentary, we extend their work ... Full text CiteBrand Teasing: How Brands Build Strong Relationships by Making Fun of Their Consumers
Journal Article Journal of Consumer Research · June 1, 2025 Popular brands like Wendy's, Postmates, and RyanAir have gained notoriety by making fun of their consumers, but is this an effective strategy to build strong consumer relationships? Across 11 (seven pre-registered) studies, using lab data, field data, and ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Leveraging artificial intelligence and social innovation to reduce disparities in COVID-19 testing among African Americans
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2024Advancing communication strategies to support future HIV vaccine use among African Americans in the South.
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2023 - 2023Understanding Information Processing During Consumer Choice
ResearchCo-Mentor · Awarded by Red Ventures · 2014 - 2014View All Grants
Education
Columbia University ·
1995
Ph.D.