At INSEAD, Marketing transcends mere business functions or disciplines—it's a perspective that views the world through customers’ eyes to uncover opportunities for sustainable, profitable growth in an ever-evolving market.
Marketing research at INSEAD’s PhD level involves a thorough exploration of how consumers and firms interact across multiple dimensions—encompassing product and service design, pricing, distribution, and promotion (both personal sales management and mass communications like advertising or online marketing). It also extends to strategic resource allocation among product–market combinations.
INSEAD’s Marketing group enjoys an exceptional global reputation, consistently ranking among the top schools for marketing research. Composed of scholars from diverse academic backgrounds—from engineering to the social sciences—it fosters innovative, high-impact scholarship recognized by leading marketing journals worldwide.
INSEAD offers a dynamic environment for marketing research, distinguished by intellectual diversity and expertise in consumer behaviour, as well as analytical and empirical modeling. Our highly diverse, research-active faculty—together with a cutting-edge behavioral lab in Paris—provides the resources and collaborative setting essential for earning a PhD and becoming a leading scholar.
Over the years, graduates of INSEAD’s Marketing PhD have secured positions at top institutions worldwide, underscoring the school’s global leadership in the field.
Because Marketing spans multiple disciplines, INSEAD seeks candidates with strong academic records in any field—provided they have the foundation to undertake rigorous research. Our collaborative environment and intensive training enable students to design insightful consumer behavior experiments or manage complex datasets. While prior research experience is not required, it is a valuable asset.
Current students come from a range of academic backgrounds—economics, social and cultural psychology, managerial and financial economics, cognitive and decision sciences, computer science, and, of course, marketing. Some join INSEAD immediately after their undergraduate or master’s programs, while others arrive with substantial professional or research experience.
