معرفی
Thorsten Hennig-Thurau is a Full Professor holding the Chair for Marketing & Media Research at the University of Münster's Marketing Center (MCM). He has served as the spokesperson of MCM since 2019 and is the academic director of both the university's M.B.A. in Marketing program and the MCM's eXperimental Reality Lab (XRLab@MCM), which he initiated in 2020. Prior to joining the University of Münster in 2010, he was a professor at the Bauhaus University of Weimar, and from 2005 to 2014, he also served as a part-time Research Professor of Marketing at City University London's Cass Business School.
Professor Hennig-Thurau earned his Habilitation and venia legendi in Business Administration at University of Hanover in 2002, his Doctoral degree (Dr. rer. pol.) at University of Hanover in 1998, and graduated with a diploma in Business Administration (Diplom-Kaufmann) from University of Lüneburg in 1994, where he studied from 1989-1994. He has been recognized as one of the leading German scholars in business administration by various national and international rankings.
His research primarily focuses on the impact of digitalization on consumers and businesses, with expertise spanning spatial/immersive marketing, digital marketing, technology & innovation, and entertainment marketing. Professor Hennig-Thurau is renowned for his seminal work on electronic word of mouth (with over 11,000 citations), the "pinball framework" of digital marketing, and the value-creation framework for the virtual-reality metaverse. He is also a leading expert in entertainment science, having co-authored a 900+ pages book that established this paradigm for successfully marketing entertainment products in the digital age.
His extensive publication record demonstrates a clear evolution from traditional marketing concepts to cutting-edge digital and immersive technologies. Recent publications focus heavily on metaverse applications, virtual reality consumer behavior, and the transformation of media markets in the digital era, reflecting his ability to anticipate and investigate emerging marketing phenomena. His work consistently bridges academic rigor with practical business applications.
- Lifetime Award for Published Scholarly Contributions from UCLA
- JAMS Sheth Foundation Best Paper Award (2015, 2018, 2023)
- Ranked as the 52nd most influential marketing scientist globally (Stanford Study, 2024)
- Recognized as one of the Top 2% Most-Cited Scholars Worldwide
- Initiator and long-time editor of the influential VHB-JOURQUAL journal ranking
Professor Hennig-Thurau has secured substantial research funding, including multiple grants from the German Research Foundation (DFG). His current "Wisdom of Virtual Crowds" project (2024-2027) continues his exploration of digital consumer behavior. He has advised numerous doctoral students and has been instrumental in establishing the DFG Research Unit "Social Media Marketing," the first of its kind in marketing research. His leadership extends to serving as president of marketing professors in Germany and as the first European member of the American Marketing Association's Academic Council.
He leads the eXperimental Reality Lab (XRLab@MCM), which explores value creation in immersive settings, and has established significant research collaborations including the Social Media Think:Lab with Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. His work bridges academic research with industry applications, particularly in entertainment, media, and digital marketing sectors.
