Headshot of Sara  Hanson

Sara Hanson

Associate Professor of Marketing
Director of Spider Business Hub
  • Profile
    Sara Hanson is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Richmond's Robins School of Business. She received her Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Oregon in 2016 after working as an account manager in advertising and software development. Sara's research interests include online social influence, brand communities, and consumer behavior. Her current research projects focus on how marketers' understanding of consumer psychology can result in more effective marketing strategy. Sara's research has been published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, the Journal of the Association of Consumer Research, the Journal of Brand Management, and Electronic Markets. Her work has been selected for the Marketing Science Institute Working Paper Series and she received the Best Paper Award at the Academy of Marketing Science Conference in 2016 and 2017.
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    • Grants and Fellowships

      Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges Mednick Fellowship Award grant recipient, 2017 

    • Awards

      Best Paper Award, 2017 Academy of Marketing Science Conference 

      Best Paper Award, 2016 Academy of Marketing Science Conference

      Robert Mittelstaedt Doctoral Symposium Fellow, 2015

      AMA-Sheth Doctoral Consortium Fellow, 2014 2015

      UO John and Emiko Kageyama Endowment Fund grant recipient 2014

      UO Robin & Roger Best Research Award, Spring 2015

      UO Robin & Roger Best Research Award, Winter 2015

      UO Robin & Roger Best Research Award, Spring 2014

      UO Robin & Roger Best Research Award, Fall 2014

    • Presentations

      "One for Me, One for You: Exploring Consumers' Motivations to Share Referral Coupons," research presentation at the Consumer Response to the Evolving Retailing Landscape Conference in Philadelphia, PA, June 2017

      "Buying Unicorns: The Impact of Consumer-to-Consumer Branded Buy/Sell/Trade Groups on Traditional Retail Buying Behavior," research presentation at the Consumer Response to the Evolving Retailing Landscape Conference in Philadelphia, PA, June 2017

      "The Company or the Crowd? Comparing Consumers' Reactions to Peer-Provided and Firm-Provided Customer Support," research presentation at the 2017 Academy of Marketing Science Conference in Coronado Island, CA, May 2017 

      "Knowing your Role: Reputation Signals and their Impact on Participation in an Online Community," research presentation at the 2016 Academy of Marketing Science Conference in Orlando, FL, May 2016

      "Selling Retirement Savings," presented at the National Bureau of Economic Research, May 2016

      "Knowing your Role: Reputation Signals and their Impact on Participation in an Online Community," poster presentation at the 2015 Association of Consumer Research Conference in New Orleans, LA, October 2015

      "Friends with Benefits: Friends with Benefits: The Impact of Social Couponing on Consumer Purchase Behavior," research presentation at the 2015 AMA Summer Marketing Educators Conference in Chicago, IL, August 2015

      "Knowing your Role: Reputation Signals and their Impact on Participation in an Online Community," research presentation at the 2015 AMA Summer Marketing Educators Conference in Chicago, IL, August 2015

      "Knowing your Role: The Effect of Reputation Signals on Participation Intentions in an Online Community," presented at City University of Hong Kong, March 2015

      "Knowing your Role: The Effect of Reputation Signals on Participation Intentions in an Online Community," presented at Washington State University, March 2015

      "Knowing your Role: The Effect of Reputation Signals on Participation Intentions in an Online Community," presented at the Social Psychology Brown Bag Series in Eugene, OR, March 2014

      "Knowing your Role: The Effect of Reputation Signals on Participation Intentions in an Online Community," poster presentation at the 2014 Association of Consumer Research Conference in Baltimore, MD, October 2014

      "Society of the Environment? How Tangibility Affects Consumer Perceptions of Firm Sustainability Practices," poster presentation at the 2013 Association of Consumer Research Conference in Chicago, IL, October 2013

      "Society of the Environment? How Tangibility Affects Consumer Perceptions of Firm Sustainability Practices," research presentation at the 2013 AMA Summer Marketing Educators Conference in Chicago, IL, August 2013

      "The Impact of Co-Created Customer Service on Service Recovery Outcomes," poster presentation at the 2012 Association of Consumer Research Conference in Vancouver, BC, October 2012

      "Relinquishing the Moment of Truth: A Model of Firm and Customer-led Service Recovery," research presentation at the 2012 AMA Summer Marketing Educators Conference in Chicago, IL, August 2012

      "The Impact of Co-Created Customer Service on Service Recovery Outcomes," presented at the Lundquist College of Business Research Workshop on Innovation, Sustainability, and Entrepreneurship in Eugene, OR, June 2012

    • Professional Experience

      Account Manager, Balihoo Local Marketing Automation (2010-2011)


      Advertising Account Executive, Oliver Russell & Associates (2008-2010)

  • Publications
    Journal Articles

    Warren, N., Hanson, S. & Yuan, H. (2020). “Feeling Manipulated: How Tip Request Sequence Impacts Customers and Service Providers," Journal of Service Research, https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670519900553

    Jiang, L., O’Hern, M. & Hanson, S. (2020). “Who’s Got My Back? Comparing Consumers’ Reactions to Peer-Provided and Firm-Provided Customer Support,” Psychology & Marketing, 37(1), 99-133.

    Hanson, S., Jiang, L. & Dahl, D. (2018). "Enhancing Consumer Engagement in an Online Brand Community via User Reputation Signals: A Multi-Method Analysis," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-018-0617-2

    Hanson, S., Jiang, L., Ye, J. & Murthy, N. (2018). "Society or the Environment? Understanding How Consumers Evaluate Brand Messages about Corporate Social Responsibility Activities," Journal of Brand Management, https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-018-0110-8

    Armstrong Soule, C., & Hanson, S. (2018). "Buying Unicorns: The Impact of Consumer-to-Consumer Branded Buy/Sell/Trade Groups on Traditional Retail Buying Behavior," Journal of the Association of Consumer Research, 3(3), 260-276.

    Hanson, S. & Yuan, H. (2017). "Friends with Benefits: Social Coupons as a Strategy to Enhance Customers' Social Empowerment," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 46(4), 768-787.

    Hanson, S. & Jiang, L. (2016). "The Low Status Advantage: The Effect of Status Structure on Participation in an Online Community," Electronic Markets, 26(3), 233-244.