Ryan Hamilton, PhD
Associate Professor of Marketing
Goizueta Business School
Emory University
Ryan Hamilton received his PhD in Marketing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. In addition to Goizueta, Ryan has also had visiting faculty appointments at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School and Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.
He is an award-winning teacher and researcher, whose research on price image, branding, and decision making has been published in some of the top journals in marketing, management, and psychology, and covered in Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times.
Professor Hamilton has an eclectic background that includes both an undergraduate degree in physics and time spent performing stand-up comedy. In his spare time he is a woodworker. He has never run a marathon and has no intention of ever doing so.
The Growth Dilemma
Brands tend to grow by adding new customers to their existing customer bases. But growing in this way presents a dilemma: given the diversity of consumer preferences, tastes, and values, the more customer segments a brand serves—or tries to serve—the denser the thicket of often conflicting preferences that the brand will have to navigate. While the addition of certain segments can super-charge growth, by making it easier to further attract additional customer groups, it can also generate conflicts that can slow growth.
By more deeply understanding the value customers seek from the brand and how customer segments relate to one another, brands can more adeptly navigate the challenges of growth. By actively managing the relationships between customer segments, brands can avoid the pitfalls of pursuing new customers, build stronger and more resilient customer bases, and unlock even greater growth opportunities for their brands.
You can find an overview in the Harvard Business Review article, “Attract New Customers Without Alienating Your Old Ones” and you can buy the book anywhere books are sold.
The Intuitive Customer Podcast
The Intuitive Customer Podcast was started to examine the intersection of behavioral science and customer experience. I bring an academic perspective, and my co-host, Colin Shaw, CX expert and founder of the consulting firm Beyond Philosophy, brings the real-world experience. To date we have produced more than 400 episodes, covering topics like how memories are formed, the use of AI in CX, and the interplay of intuition and rational processing in decision making.
The Great Courses
I was lucky enough to produce two popular lecture series for The Great Courses, a company that produces educational and entertaining college-level lectures by professors selected “exclusively for their ability to teach.” For his first course, Ryan taught the marketing component of “Critical Business Skills for Success,” an overview of the core business school curriculum. His second course, “How You Decide: The Science of Human Decision Making,” takes a practical approach to understanding all the factors that can influence how people make choices.
Research
I research topics in pricing, branding, and customer experience. I have a particular interest in price image, the reputation a brand gains for its general price level.
You can find a list of my papers on my Google Scholar page.
Conferences
I have founded or co-founded two academic conferences.
IDEA Conference
AltCR Conference
Speaking & Consulting
I have consulted on matters of pricing, branding, and customer experience with Walmart, FedEx, Home Depot, Caterpillar, ConAgra, Cigna, Visa, Estee Lauder, and Ipsos, among others. I have also been a keynote speaker and trainer on various topics in marketing and behavioral science to groups as varied small business owners, lawyers, advertisers, accountants, and librarians.
For speaking and advisory services, I am represented by Stern Strategy Group. If you are interested in engaging me for a keynote or advisory session, please contact: speakerrequests@sternstrategy.com