Awe Workshop

Awe is an emotion we feel in the presence of things that are vast and transcend our current understanding of the world. The beauty and power of nature, the vastness of outer space, and engaging with art and music are experiences that commonly inspire awe.

Brands and products can inspire awe too, especially when they are innovative or promote the social good, but the science of how awe impacts consumer behavior is still in its early stages.

On September 23, Craig L. Anderson, HEC Paris Assistant Professor of Marketing and an expert on the emotion of awe, proposes a workshop to explore the effect of awe on behavior at the intersection of psychology and marketing.

The workshop directly precedes the main conference of the Association for Consumer Research in Chicago, which will be held from September 24 to 26, 2026. This largest academic conference on consumer behavior attracts many influential and well-known marketing academics.

The event begins with a private, behind-the-scenes tour of the Field Museum, a renowned natural history museum that has been inspiring awe in people of all ages for over 130 years. The tours will provide awe-inspiring experiential learning to set the stage for the subsequent scientific workshop.

The goal of the proposed event is to bring together thought leaders to dialogue about what is known about awe and consumer behavior and identify gaps in knowledge and future directions. This event will advance the science of awe and consumer behavior and raise the profile of HEC Paris as an institution that conducts such cutting-edge research.

Limitations of the venues restrict the number of participants, and so the event is currently invite-only.

Program

12:30 PM: Meet at the Field Museum

1:00 PM: Behind-the-scenes tours begin at the Field Museum

3:00 PM – 3:15 PM: Refreshments served in Field Museum Lecture Hall

3:15 PM – 3:30 PM: Welcome and Intro to Awe: What we Know and Some New Directions
Craig L., Anderson, HEC Paris

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM: Scientific Talks

Awesome Objects: Manipulating Vastness Makes Products More Awe-Inspiring and Promotes Consumer Curiosity
Mariia Lobanova, HEC Paris

Awe, Self-Transcendence, and Empowerment: Advances in the Psychology of Consumer Self-Transcendence
Adeepan Chakraborty, University of Lausanne

The Time for Awe: Temporal Distance Moderates Consumer Responses to Awe Appeals
Ze Wang, University of Central Florida

4:30 PM – 5 PM: Round Table Discussion

Jamie Alexander is an arts marketer, specializing in marketing strategy, leadership, and audience cultivation for performing arts organizations. With 20 years of experience in the field, Jamie has worked both in-house and as a consultant with more than 50 world-class theatre, music, and dance organizations and is a frequent speaker at industry events. She holds a BA in Music, an MBA, and is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity.

Geordan Tilley is a news producer at WGN-TV in Chicago, working behind the scenes on the station's flagship WGN News at Nine. She also works as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, teaching students the fundamentals of video storytelling.