Melanie Wallendorf

Melanie Wallendorf has been with the Eller College of Management since 1981. Previously, she was an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan. Her areas of expertise include the sociological aspects of consumer behavior, political ideology and consumption, the socio-cultural shaping of consumers' uses of space and the development of taste. She is also an expert in ethnic, gender, racial and class differences in consumption and their meanings. Prof. Wallendorf is a member of the Association for Consumer Research, the American Marketing Association, the American Sociological Association and the Consumer Culture Theory Consortium.

Teaching Interests

• Socio-cultural aspects of consumer behavior
• Market-oriented ethnographic methods
• Marketing theory

Selected Publications

• André F. Maciel and Melanie Wallendorf (2021), “ Space as a Resource in the Politics of Consumer Identity,” Journal of Consumer Research, forthcoming.
• André F. Maciel and Melanie Wallendorf (2017), "Taste Engineering: An Extended Consumer Model of Cultural Competence Constitution," Journal of Consumer Research 43 (February), 726-746.
• Weinberger, Michelle F. and Melanie Wallendorf (2012), "Intracommunity Gifting at the Intersection of Contemporary Moral & Market Economies," Journal of Consumer Research 39 (June), 74-92
• David Crockett and Melanie Wallendorf (2004), “The Role of Normative Political Ideology in Consumer Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Research 31 (December), 511-528.
• Eric Arnould and Melanie Wallendorf (1994), "Market-Oriented Ethnography: Interpretation Building and Marketing Strategy Formulation," Journal of Marketing Research, 31 (November), 484-504.
• Melanie Wallendorf and Merrie Brucks (1993), "Introspection in Consumer Behavior: Implementation and Implications," Journal of Consumer Research 20 (December), 339-359.
• Melanie Wallendorf and Eric J. Arnould (1991), "`We Gather Together': The Consumption Rituals of Thanksgiving Day," Journal of Consumer Research 18 (June), 13-31.
• Russell W. Belk, Melanie Wallendorf, and John F. Sherry, Jr. (1989), "The Sacred and the Profane in Consumer Behavior: Theodicy on the Odyssey," Journal of Consumer Research, 16 (June), 1-38.
• Melanie Wallendorf and Eric J. Arnould (1988), "'My Favorite Things':  A Cross-Cultural Inquiry into Object Attachment, Possessiveness and Social Linkage," Journal of Consumer Research, 14 (March), 531-547.
• Russell W. Belk, John F. Sherry, Jr., and Melanie Wallendorf (1988), "A Naturalistic Inquiry into Buyer and Seller Behavior at a Swap Meet," Journal of Consumer Research, 14 (March), 449-470.
• Michael Reilly and Melanie Wallendorf (1987). "A Comparison of Group Differences in Food Consumption Using Household Refuse," Journal of Consumer Research, 14 (September), 289-294.
• Melanie Wallendorf and Michael Reilly (1983), "Ethnic Migration, Assimilation, and Consumption," Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 10 (December), 292-302

(For full list of publications see "Melanie Wallendorf CV" link to the left of this page.)

Awards and Honors

• Fellow, Association for Consumer Research, 2021
• 2017 Sidney J. Levy Award to André Maciel for his dissertation-based article, "Taste Engineering: An Extended Consumer Model of Cultural Competence Constitution," published in Journal of Consumer Research February 2017, co-authored with Melanie Wallendorf.
• 2012 Sidney J. Levy Award to Michelle Weinberger for her dissertation-based article, "Intracommunity Gifting at the Intersection of Contemporary Moral and Market Economics," published in Journal of Consumer Research June 2012, co-authored with Melanie Wallendorf.
• Recognition in 2005 by Top Tech News for article entitled "Market-Oriented Ethnography: Interpretation Building and Marketing Strategy Formulation" co-authored with Eric Arnould.  Article was named as one of “10 Marketing Ideas from Academia” that any “self-respecting marketer should keep in their toolbox.”
• Honorable Mention Award in the 2005 Ferber competition to David Crockett for his dissertation-based paper, “The Role of Normative Political Ideology in Consumer Behavior,” published in Journal of Consumer Research, December 2004, co-authored with Melanie Wallendorf.
• Winner of 1992 Association for Consumer Research Award for Best Article in Journal of Consumer Research 1989-1991, for article entitled "The Sacred and the Profane in Consumer Behavior: Theodicy on the Odyssey," co-authored with Russell W. Belk and John F. Sherry, Jr.  $1000 prize for each author.
• Best Paper Award for "Domestic Consumption Rituals and the Reproduction of American Households," co-authored with Eric Arnould, Conference on Family and Household Consumption and Production, University of California at Irvine, 1991.
• University of Arizona Foundation Creative Teaching Award, 1986