markstones Institute of Marketing, Branding and Technology

  • Welcome to the Markstones Institute of Marketing, Branding & Technology

    The team

  • äk

    ‘We conduct research and teach in the field of marketing and branding, taking current technological developments into account.’

    Prof. Maik Eisenbeiß / Digital Marketing Working Group

  • ‘Intensive cooperation with practitioners forms the basis of our work in research and teaching.’

    Prof. Christoph Burmann / Innovative Brand Management Working Group

  • ‘We stand for collaborative work in a cooperative, open and appreciative environment.’

    Prof. Kristina Klein / Consumer Behaviour Working Group

  • ‘International cooperation is the essence of our excellent and relevant research.’

    Prof. Matthias Klumpp / Retail and Logistics Management Working Group

  • Innovative Brand Management Working Group

    Prof. Dr. Christoph Burmann

  • Digital Marketing Working Group

    Prof. Dr. Maik Eisenbeiß

  • Consumer Behaviour Working Group

    The working group of Prof. Dr. Kristina Klein

Management and working groups

Prof. Klumpp / Prof. Klein / Prof. Eisenbeiß / Prof. Burmann

Digital marketing

Innovative brand management

Consumer behaviour

News


Todtglüsinger SV

Successful practical project with one of Lower Saxony's largest sports clubs

In the project seminar ‘Sports Marketing and Brand Communication’ (AG Burmann, lecturer Dr. Schade), students developed practical marketing concepts for Todtglüsinger SV (the fifth-largest sports club in Lower Saxony with over 8,000 members). The focus was on expanding the range of services to…


International Journal of Advertising

New publication in the International Journal of Advertising

Luisa Mahn, Dr Michael Schade, and Prof. Christoph Burmann (all from markstones Institute) as well as Prof. Sabrina Hegner (Bremen University of Applied Sciences / City University of Applied Sciences) and Prof. Rico Piehler (Macquarie Business School, Sydney, Australia) have published a scientific…


Guest lecture by brand professor Prof. Dr. Oliver Errichiello

Last Tuesday, we had the pleasure of welcoming Prof. Dr. Oliver Errichiello, brand professor and expert in brand sociology, to our institute. In his guest lecture on brands as social systems, he gave an exciting introduction to brand sociology, actively involved the students and opened up new…


Congratulations to Dr Franziska Frese on passing her doctoral colloquium with summa cum laude!

Despite the last-minute absence of one examiner due to illness early Tuesday morning Franziska Frese successfully completed her doctoral project at the markstones Institute on Tuesday. Thanks to the quick and flexible support of Prof. Dr. Martin Missong and the Examination Office, Dr. Johannes…


Prof. Klein on Deutschlandfunk Kultur radio station

Prof. Dr. Kristina Klein appeared as an expert on consumer behaviour on Deutschlandfunk Kultur radio this morning to discuss the topic of ‘Easter eggs’. The occasion was a fan discussion about a possible new final episode of the Netflix series Stranger Things.


Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research

Prof. Klein to become Associate Editor of the Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research (SBUR) in January 2026

Starting in January, Prof. Dr. Kristina Klein, Professor of Consumer Behaviour, will serve as the new Associate Editor of the Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research (SBUR). She is looking forward to supporting the team.


Journal of Business Research

New publication in the Journal of Business Research

Prof. Dr. Kristina Klein and Dr. Tjark Virkus, her former doctoral student, have published a scientific article entitled ‘The role of authenticity and scepticism in consumers' reactions to brand activism’ in the renowned Journal of Business Research (VHB B).

In the article, two experimental studies…


Kampagne Bremische Häfen

Campaign by the Ports of Bremen

Professor Burmann supports the ports of Bremen: As of today, Professor Burmann is appearing as a testimonial in the current campaign for the ports of Bremen under the slogan ‘#aufunsistverlass’ (you can rely on us). The campaign is based on the new brand promise of the ports of Bremen,…


Journal of Product and Brand Management

New publication in the Journal of Brand Management

Marieke Schewe, Dr Michael Schade, Dr Ole Gardewin and Prof. Christoph Burmann (all from markstones Institute) as well as Prof. Sabrina Hegner (Bremen University of Applied Sciences / City University of Applied Sciences) have published a scientific article entitled "On the Run for Value: Exploring…


Dr. Olga Bosak receives the Segnitz Prize for outstanding dissertation

We warmly congratulate Dr Olga Bosak: Her cumulative dissertation on the vocal perception of brand personalities has been awarded this year's Segnitz Prize.


JDE Peet's visits the markstones Institute

Last Tuesday, we had the opportunity to welcome JDE Peet's to our brand management lecture. Under the title “Experience is brand – Real experiences shape (employer) brands,” Simone Hirschhäuser and Lena Kaufmann gave us exciting insights into the world of employer branding and showed how authentic…


Bert Kriewolt visits the markstones Institute

On Monday, we welcomed a special guest to our brand management lecture in the Master's programme: Bert Kriewolt.

In his presentation ‘Success factors in corporate strategy and brand management using the example of the chocolate industry’, he gave us exciting insights into a market that is as…


Prof. Klein in an interview with Brigitte magazine on consumer behaviour

In an interview with Brigitte Online, Kristina Klein, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour at the University of Bremen, explains when shopping can become problematic and which strategies can help consumers shop more consciously.


Visit by Dr. Gaki Wangmo and Yixin Zhang from Sydney

Yesterday, we welcomed Dr Gaki Wangmo and Yixin Zhang from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, to our institute. During their visit, both presented exciting insights from their current research projects, enriching our Research Talk.

Dr Gaki Wangmo gave a presentation on: “Employee-based…


Congratulations to Dr Caroline Grauel on completing her doctorate!

Dr Caroline Grauel has been working as an external doctoral candidate in the Innovative Brand Management working group under the supervision of Prof. Dr Burmann since 2023. In addition to her full-time job as a consultant, Dr Grauel wrote her cumulative dissertation entitled ‘Sustainability Meets…


Prof. Dr. Ralf Wilden from Sydney visits

We are delighted to welcome Prof. Dr. Ralf Wilden from Macquarie University in Sydney to our institute this week! The reason for his visit is to collaborate on our German-Australian research project aimed at bridging the ‘research practice gap’.

Prof. Wilden offered two exciting events at our…


markstones Institute with several contributions at DER MARKENTAG – Winner of the Best Paper Award

The connection between science and practice was the focus of the DERMARKENTAG practical conference, a goal that is also highly relevant at the markstones Institute. We are delighted that we were able to contribute to the lively exchange on brand management and brand sociology with several…


Prof. Klein as an expert on ZDF's programme ‘Besseresser’

On 7th October 2025, Professor Klein appeared as an expert on the programme series ‘ZDF Besseresser’ with Sebastian Lege. The programme focused on the use of nostalgia by companies. The programme can be viewed in the ZDF media library or on the internet at the link…

Article published in the Journal of Marketing

The article entitled ‘Households under Economic Change: How Micro- and Macroeconomic Conditions Shape Grocery Shopping Behaviour’ by Prof. Maik Eisenbeiß, together with Thomas Scholdra, Julian Wichmann and Prof. Werner Reinartz (all from the University of Cologne), has been published in the Journal of Marketing. The Journal of Marketing is one of the world's most renowned journals in the field of marketing. The journal ranking of the Association of University Professors of Business Administration classifies the journal in the best category (A+).

Click here  for the electronic version of the article.

Article published in Marketing Science

The article on ‘Brand Positioning Based on Brand Image–Country Image Fit’ by Prof. Dr. Kristina Klein from the markstones Institute of Marketing, Branding & Technology, together with Prof. Dr. Franziska Völckner, Prof. Dr. Hernán A. Bruno (both University of Cologne), Prof. Dr. Henrik Sattler (University of Hamburg) and Dr. Pascal Bruno (ISM Frankfurt), was published in the journal ‘Marketing Science’ (ahead of print; doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2019.1151).

Opening ceremony

Professors Christoph Burmann, Maik Eisenbeiß and Kristina Klein, together with their teams, have founded a new institute in the Department of Economics at the University of Bremen.

The institute focuses on marketing issues in the age of big data, e-commerce and artificial intelligence. Over 100 guests from academia and industry attended the ceremony, at which renowned marketing professors gave presentations and the institute's planned activities were introduced. The aim is to pool expertise in research, teaching and practical application. The diverse range of topics to be addressed by the institute will focus primarily on current technological developments, particularly digitalisation.

 

14th edition of the textbook ‘Marketing’

This proven standard work provides students in bachelor's and master's programmes as well as practitioners with comprehensive fundamentals of marketing management from a decision-oriented perspective. All chapters have been revised in the 14th edition of this marketing classic.

5th edition of the book ‘Identity-based brand management’

Institute

Institut

The Institute combines competences in the areas of digital marketing, brand management and consumer research.

Teaching

Lehre

In our teaching, we emphasize the importance of methodological expertise and practical relevance while considering recent technological developments.

Research

Forschung

We aim to publish our research in top journals that provides implications for research and business practice.

Practice

Praxis

We see our Institute as a customer-centric service provider in the areas of marketing and brand management in the federal state of Bremen and beyond, which integrates the latest technological developments.