My research is in the areas of branding, consumer behavior, innovation, services marketing, and consumer well-being. My research aims to understand the cognitive and affective processes that underlie consumers’ perceptions of stimuli (marketing elements, product/service features, service providers, product creators, etc.), and how those perceptions influence evaluations of the brand/company. My research has been published in the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Review of Marketing Research, and Emotion.

Research Interests

Consumers’ Inductive and Deductive Inferences
Branding and Brand Extensions
Stereotypes in Consumer Behavior
Financial and Physical Well-being
Services Marketing and Management
Innovation and Creativity

Research Grants

Center for Positive Marketing and Association of National Advertisers Research Grant, 2019
ING’s Think Forward Initiative (TFI) Research Grant 2018-2019
Research Grant to Study the German Mittelstand and the US Middle Market, 2016
Fisher College of Business Small Grants, 2009-2010, 2010-2011
Coca Cola CDW Grant for research on perceptions of gender diversity in service firms, 2007-2008
CIBER Global Competence Award for research on off-shoring of services, 2006-2007, 2007-2008

Publications

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

Hogreve, Jens, Shashi Matta, Alexander S. Hettich, and Rebecca Walker Reczek (2020), “How do Social Norms Influence Parents’ Food Choices for their Children? The Role of Social Comparison and Implicit Self-Theories,” Journal of Retailing (Forthcoming).

Lickel, Brian, Kostadin Kushlev, Victoria Savalei, Shashi Matta, and Toni Schmader (2014), “ Shame and Motivation to Change the Self,” Emotion, Vol. 14 (6), 1049-1061.

Folkes, Valerie, and Shashi Matta (2013)*, “When a Product Takes On Characteristics of the Person Who Created it: Sometimes it Sounds Sweeter,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, Vol. 23 (1), 19-35.
*Lead research article

Yorkston, Eric, Joseph Nunes, and Shashi Matta (2010), “The Malleable Brand: The Role of Implicit Theories in Evaluating Brand Extensions,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 74 (1), 80-93.

Folkes, Valerie, and Shashi Matta (2007), “How Much to Use? An Action-Goal Framework of the Factors Influencing Consumption Quantity,” Review of Marketing Research, Vol. 4, 33-62.

Matta, Shashi, and Valerie Folkes (2005)**, “Inferences about the Brand from Counter-Stereotypical Service Providers,” Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 32 (2), 196-206.
**Winner of the AMA SERVSIG Award for ‘Best Paper in Services, Published in 2005.’

Martin, Ingrid M., David W. Stewart, and Shashi Matta (2005), “Branding Strategies, Marketing Communication, and Perceived Brand Meaning: The Transfer of Purposive, Goal–Oriented Brand Meaning to Brand Extensions,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 33 (3), 275-294.

Folkes, Valerie and Shashi Matta (2004), “The Effect of Package Shape on Consumers’ Judgments of Product Volume: Attention as a Mental Contaminant,” Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 31 (2), 390–401.

Book Chapters

Matta, Shashi, and Gonzalo Luna-Cortés (2020), “I Share, Therefore I am: Reflections on Visual Dialogue from a Consumer Psychology Perspective on Creativity, Identity, and Value,” Dialog- Dialogue, ed. Rainer Wenrich (Forthcoming).

Martin, Ingrid M., Shashi Matta, and David W. Stewart (2003), “The Role of Goals in Extending Brand Equity,” Advances in Psychology Research, Vol. 25, ed. Serge P. Shohov, New York: Nova Science Publishers, 31-48. Reprinted in Progress in Economics Research, Vol. 8, 2004, 1-18.

Conference Presentations

“Emulating Success or Learning from Failure? The Role of Personal Saving Orientation, Implicit Self-Theories, and Peer Persuasion on Financial Behaviors,” with Grazia Palmiotti and Natalia Rogova. AMA Winter Educators’ Conference, San Diego, CA, February 2020.

“The Role of Personal Saving Orientation, Implicit Self-Theories, and Peer Persuasion on Financial Behaviors,” with Grazia Palmiotti and Natalia Rogova. Frontiers in Service Conference, AMA, Singapore, July 2019.

“How Does Privacy Literacy Affect Consumers’ Online and Offline Behaviors and their Trust in Brands,” Thought Leaders’ Conference on Privacy in Marketing – Journal of Retailing, Florence, Italy, June 2019.

“Parental Choice of Healthy Food for Children: The Role of Social Comparison, Implicit Self-Theories and Social Norms,” with Jens Hogreve, Alexander Hettich and Rebecca Reczek. AMA Winter Educators’ Conference, Austin, TX, February 2019.

“Parental Choice of Healthy Food for Children: The Role of Social Comparison, Implicit Self-Theories and Social Norms,” with Jens Hogreve, Alexander Hettich and Rebecca. Beyond Borders and Boundaries: Bridging Theory and Practice in Creating Social Good, Ashoka U Pre-conference, San Diego, CA, February 2019.

“Hot Data, Cold Trust: The Role of Privacy Literacy in Restoring Trust and Consumer-Brand Relationships” with Nicole Kirpalani and Shanshan Lou. Center for Positive Marketing Annual Conference, New York, NY, February 2019.

“A Tale of Three Cultures: The Effect of Consumers’ Ethnic and Gender Stereotypes on Evaluations of Service Providers and Service Firms,” with Valerie Folkes. Frontiers in Service Conference, AMA, Austin, TX, September 2018.

“Cause and Effect: A Systematic Review of Four Decades of Experimental Research in Service Marketing,” with Jens Hogreve and Kathrin Albrecht. BI-JAMS Thought Leadership Conference on Generalizations in Marketing: Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses, Oslo Norway, June 2018.

“It’s a Three-Dimensional World: Consumers’ Stereotypes of Service Professions Affect Inferences about Service Employees’ Competence and Warmth,” with Jens Hogreve and Hannes Flieischer. Frontiers in Service Conference, AMA, New York, NY, June 2017.

“A Tale of Two Cultures: The Effect of Consumers’ Ethnic and Gender Stereotypes on Evaluations of Service Providers and Service Firms,” with Valerie Folkes. AMA Global Marketing SIG Special Conference, AMA, Havana, Cuba, April 2017.

“Investigating the Effects of Customer Co-production in Service Recovery,” with Nicola Bilstein and Jens Hogreve. Association of Consumer Research (ACR) Conference, Berlin, October 2016.

“Money Matters: Consumer Financial Well-Being,” with Jens Hogreve and Lucas Costanzo. Special Session at SERVSIG Conference, AMA, Maastricht, Netherlands, June 2016.

“Let’s Talk Money: Impulsivity, Social Influence and Consumers’ Saving Behaviors,” with Jens Hogreve and Lucas Costanzo. Frontiers in Service Conference, AMA, San Jose, CA, July 2015.

“Can I Get a Helping Hand? Maybe Not: Understanding Co-production in Service Recovery Processes,” with Nicola Bilstein and Jens Hogreve. AMA Winter Educators’ Conference, San Antonio, TX, February 2015.

“Consumers’ Perceptions of Rating Usefulness for Value and Luxury Services: The Relative Importance of Critics’ and Users’ Ratings,” with Jens Hogreve. Frontiers in Service Conference, AMA, Miami, FL, June 2014.

“Starting within and Going Beyond: Building a Higher Education Brand,” with Ann Hamilton and Lisa Bare. AMA Higher Education Conference, Boston, MA, November 2013.

“When are There Too Many Women? Consumers’ Judgments of Gender in Service Groups,” with Valerie Folkes. Association for Consumer Research (ACR) Conference, Chicago, IL, October 2013.

“Co-production in Service Recovery Processes,” with Jens Hogereve and Nicola Bilstein. European Marketing Academy Conference, Istanbul, Turkey, June 2013.

“Cause and Effect: A Review of Three Decades of Experimental Research in Services Marketing,” with Jens Hogereve and Carsten Reigber. QUIS: International Research Symposium on Service Excellence in Management, Karlstad, Sweden, June 2013.

“Understanding Co-production in Service Recovery Processes,” with Jens Hogereve and Nicola Bilstein. Frontiers in Service Conference, AMA, Washington D.C., June 2012.

“Consumers’ Lay Theories about Experts’ versus Users’ Opinions of Luxury and Value Brands,” with Raji Srinivasan and Shrihari Sridhar. AMA Winter Educators’ Conference, Austin, TX, February 2011.

“Firm Strategies to Combat Negative Perceptions of Offshored Customer Service,” with Valerie Folkes. AMA Winter Educators’ Conference, Austin, TX, February 2011.

“Consumers’ Evaluations of Competence and Warmth of Service Providers,” with Clay Voorhees and Michael Brady. AMA Winter Educators’ Conference, New Orleans, LA, February 2010.

“Consumers’ Evaluations of Competence and Warmth of Service Providers,” with Clay Voorhees and Michael Brady. Frontiers in Service Conference (AMA), Honolulu, Hawaii, October 2009.

Special Session on ‘A Customer-centric View of Service Encounters’ at the AMA Winter Educators’ Conference, Tampa, FL, February 2009.

“Shame versus Guilt in Consumption: Implications for Healthcare Service Providers,” with Vanessa Patrick and Debbie MacInnis. Frontiers in Service Conference (AMA), Washington D.C., October 2008.

“Offshoring of Customer Service: A View from Multiple Angles.” The Eighth International Conference on Knowledge, Culture and Change in Organizations, Cambridge University, UK, August 2008.

“Consumers’ Perception of Offshored Customer Service,” with Aaron Kunkel. 9th Annual International Business Research Forum, and the 2nd Annual Offshoring Research Network Conference and Workshop, Philadelphia, PA, April 2008.

“Consumers’ Evaluations of Competence and Warmth of Service Providers,” with Clay Voorhees and Michael Brady. AMA Winter Educators’ Conference, Austin, TX, February 2008.

“Perceived Cohesiveness of Service Firms: How Consumers Resolve Inconsistent Service Quality Information,” with Valerie Folkes. AMA Winter Educators’ Conference, Austin, TX, February 2008.

“Consumers’ Perceptions of Offshored Service: Crossover or Crossout?” with Valerie Folkes. Frontiers in Service Conference, San Francisco, CA, October 2007.

“Do Service Employee Labels Communicate Value? Marketing Implications of Innovative Employment Practices in Service Firms,” with Valerie Folkes. Special session on Services Innovation at the AMA Winter Educators’ Conference, San Diego, CA, February 2007.

“Consumers’ Perceptions of Firms Employing Counterstereotypical Service Providers: Making a Case for a Gender Diverse Work Force,” with Valerie Folkes. AMA Winter Educators’ Conference, San Diego, CA, February 2007.

“When Women Lead, do Consumers’ Perceptions of her Firm Follow?” with Valerie Folkes. Special session paper at the Association for Consumer Research Conference (ACR), Orlando, FL, September 2006.

“The Role of Implicit Theories in Brand Extendibility” with Eric Yorkston and Joe Nunes. Special session paper at the Association for Consumer Research Conference (ACR), Orlando, FL, September 2006.

“Perception of Firms Employing Counterstereotypical Service Providers: Advantages and Disadvantages of a Gender Diverse Work Force,” with Valerie Folkes. Public Policy and Marketing Conference, Long Beach, CA, June 2006.

“The Consequences of Violating Consumption Norms,” with Debbie MacInnis and Vanessa Patrick. Special session at the Association for Consumer Research Conference, San Antonio, TX, October 2005.

“Counter-stereotypical Service Providers Influence Consumers’ Evaluation of Services,” with Valerie Folkes. Frontiers in Services Conference, Miami, FL, October 2004.

“Perceptions of Gender Counter-Stereotypical Service Providers,” with Valerie Folkes. Working paper session at the Association for Consumer Research Conference, Portland, OR, October 2004.

“Through the Looking Glass: How a Brand’s Malleability Mirrors the Self,” with Eric Yorkston. Special session paper at the Association for Consumer Research Conference, Portland, OR, October 2004.

“Shame and Guilt in Consumer Behavior,” with Debbie MacInnis and Vanessa Patrick. Special session paper at the Association for Consumer Research Conference, Portland, OR, October 2004.

“Consumers’ Perceptions of Outsourced Service: Crossover or Cross Out?” with Valerie Folkes. 5^th Annual Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Conference, Sydney, Australia, August 2004.

“When Women are from Mars and Men from Venus: The Effect of Gender Counter-Stereotypical Employees on Consumers’ Perceptions,” with Valerie Folkes. Working paper session at the Claremont Symposium on Applied Social Psychology, Claremont, CA, April 2004.

“Building Loyalty to the Firm from Information about the Individual Service Provider: How Exceptional Employees Help the Firm,” with Valerie Folkes and George Eapen. AMA Winter Educators’ Conference, Scottsdale, AZ, February 2004.