Sarena J. Su

PhD Candidate, Marketing Department, Kellogg School of Management

Contact Information

Overview 

My research investigates two key trends shaping today’s marketplace. First, technological advancements such as the rise of social media have empowered consumers to advocate for their values and beliefs more than ever before. Second, the shift towards online purchasing continues to grow. Against this backdrop, I explore how insights into consumer psychology can lead to better marketing and societal outcomes.

Education 

Ph.D. in Marketing (Consumer Behavior) | Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University | 2025 (expected)

M.S. in Marketing (Consumer Behavior) | Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University | 2022

B.A. in Psychology | University of California, Berkeley | 2019

Research Interests 

Brand Purpose, Consumer Activism, Prosocial Emotions, Digital Consumer Behavior, Persuasion

Publications

Zhigang Shou, Mei Wu*, Sarena J. Su, and Xiaotian Liu, ““I” Value the Future, but “We” Value the Past: The Impact of Self-Construal on Nostalgic versus Forestalgic Narrative Ads,” forthcoming at Psychology & Marketing.

Aparna A. Labroo, Uzma Khan, and Sarena J. Su* (equal authorship) (2023), “Reconceptualizing Prosocial Behavior as Intersocial: A Literature Review and a New Perspective,” Consumer Psychology Review, 6 (1), 92-108.

Defeng Yang, Ninghui Xie, and Sarena J. Su* (equal authorship) (2019), “Claiming Best or Better? The Effects of Target Brand’s and Competitor’s Puffery on Holistic and Analytic Thinkers,” Journal of Consumer Behavior, 18 (2), 151-165.

Works in Progress

Sarena J. Su* and Aparna A. Labroo, “Purpose-Driven Branding: Why Social Good Comes First,” Job market paper, revision for submission to Journal of Consumer Research.

Sarena J. Su* and Aparna A. Labroo, “From Bystander to Upstander: How Personal Goal Frustration Increases Prosocial Action,” reject & resubmit to Journal of Marketing Research.

Jinjun Yu and Sarena J. Su* (equal authorship), “When Smearing Begets More Guilt: The Prevention of Consumer Negative vs. Positive Fake Reviews Online,” reject & resubmit to Journal of Marketing Research.

Sarena J. Su* and Aparna A. Labroo, “The Need for Autonomy: Why People React Against Prosocial Nudges,” reject & resubmit to Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.

Sarena J. Su and Jinjun Yu, “Love Me, Love My Dog: When Perceived Review Authenticity Reduces Product Returns,” data collection in progress.

Sarena J. Su and Aparna A. Labroo, “Authenticity Begins at Home: The Effect of Affirming Employee Autonomy on Consumer Perception of Brand Purpose,” data collection in progress.

Sarena J. Su and Angela Y. Lee, “The Influence of Awe on Consumer Forgiveness,” data collection in progress.

Zhigang Shou, Sarena J. Su, and Feng Wang, “Catch Them When Consumers Are Moving: Time Fragmentation, Spatial Distance, and News-Feed Ad Persuasion,” manuscript in preparation.

Samuel Su and Sarena J. Su, “Time Neglect: When We Can Always Borrow It From Tomorrow,” (data collection in progress).