What I do
As a consumer scientist, I conduct research on consumer behavior, teach classes in psychology and marketing, collaborate with companies on projects, and consult on legal cases as an expert witness.
Research
My research is at the interface of cognition, emotion, and consumer behavior, investigating how consumers’ thoughts and feelings affect their decisions and experiences.
Teaching
I have taught broadly across psychology (e.g., cognitive science; language & cognition) and marketing (e.g., branding; consumer neuroscience) at undergrad, MSc, MBA, PhD, and executive levels.
Corporate
I collaborate with companies and other organizations to help understand consumer issues and improve consumer outcomes.
Legal
I consult with brands and law firms to provide expert testimony, including written reports and courtroom testimony, on legal cases involving brands and/or consumers.
Academic History
1996-2001
PhD in Psychology
Princeton University (USA)
2001-2005
Assistant Professor of Psychology
University of Georgia (USA)
2005-2012
Associate Professor of Psychology
University of Warwick (UK)
2012-2020
Associate Professor of Marketing
Bocconi University (IT)
2020-current
Full Professor of Marketing
Bayes Business School (UK)
Academic Roles
- Associate Editor, Journal of Consumer Research (2025-current)
- Associate Editor, Journal of Consumer Psychology (2021-current)
- Director of Research for the Faculty of Management, Bayes Business School
- Co-Director, Laboratory at Bayes (the L@B)
- Associate Editor, Cognitive Science (2012-2015)
Most Popular Papers
Seeing is smelling: Pictures improve product evaluations by evoking olfactory imagery.
Sharma, V. & Estes, Z. (2024). International Journal of Research in Marketing, 41(2), 282-307.
Intel inside: The linguistic properties of effective slogans.
Hodges, B., Estes, Z., & Warren, C. (2024). Journal of Consumer Research, 50(5), 865-886.
Getting a handle on sales: Shopping carts affect purchasing by activating arm muscles.
Estes, Z. & Streicher, M. C. (2022). Journal of Marketing, 86(6), 135-154.
Exploratory shopping: Attention affects in-store exploration and unplanned purchasing.
Streicher, M. C., Estes, Z., & Büttner, O. (2021). Journal of Consumer Research, 48(1), 51-76.
Emotional sound symbolism: Languages rapidly signal valence via phonemes.
Adelman, J. S., Estes, Z., & Cossu, M. (2018). Cognition, 175, 122-130.
Multisensory interaction in product choice: Grasping a product affects choice of other seen products.
Streicher, M. C., & Estes, Z. (2016). Journal of Consumer Psychology, 26, 558-565.
Emotion and language: Valence and arousal affect word recognition.
Kuperman, V., Estes, Z., Brysbaert, M., & Warriner, A. B. (2014). Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143, 1065-1081.
Emotion and memory: A recognition advantage for positive and negative words independent of arousal.
Adelman, J. S., & Estes, Z. (2013). Cognition, 129, 530-535.
Confidence mediates the sex difference in mental rotation performance.
Estes, Z. & Felker, S. (2012). Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41, 557-570.
A dual-process model of brand extension: Taxonomic feature-based and thematic relation-based similarity independently drive brand extension evaluation.
Estes, Z., Gibbert, M., Guest, D., & Mazursky, D. (2012). Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22, 86-101.
Thematic thinking: The apprehension and consequences of thematic relations.
Estes, Z., Golonka, S., & Jones, L. L. (2011). Psychology of Learning and Motivation, 54, 249-294.
Integrative priming occurs rapidly and uncontrollably during lexical processing.
Estes, Z. & Jones, L. L. (2009). Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 138, 112-130.
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