Caleb Warren

Caleb thinks, writes and teaches as a professor in the Marketing Department.

He thinks about what makes things funny, what makes things cool and what helps people reach their goals.

He writes about these ideas in academic journals, including the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Psychological Science and the Journal of Personality & Social Psychology.

He teaches marketing communications, academic communications, and consumer behavior.

Current Research

• Consumer behavior
• Humor
• Coolness
• Brands/Branding
• Communications

Courses

• MKTG 431: Integrated Marketing Communications (undergraduate class)
• MKTG 530: Integrated Marketing Communications (Masters / MBA class)
• MKTG 600: Academic Communication (PhD seminar)
• MKTG 630: Foundations in Consumer Behavior (PhD seminar)

Publications

• Pezzuti, T., Warren, C., & Chen, J. J. 2025. Cool People. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Forthcoming. (First two authors equal contribution)
• Koley, S. & Warren, C., & Ramanathan, S. 2025. When Does Anxiety Increase Attempts to Spend Time and Money Efficiently? Psychology & Marketing. Forthcoming.
• Tuominen, J., Rantala, E. Nyrhinen, J, Reinikainen, H. Warren, C., & Wilska, T. 2025. When Does Parasocial Interaction Make Influencers More Influential? Human Technology, Forthcoming.
• Kozlenkova, I. V., Warren, C., Kotha, S., Boghrati, R., & Palmatier, R. W. 2025. Conceptual Research: Multidisciplinary Insights for Marketing. Journal of Marketing. Forthcoming.
• Koley, S. & Warren, C. 2025. Anger and Self-Control: How the Need to Dominate Can Lead to Better Choices. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 44(2), 242-260.
• Warren, N. & Warren, C. 2024. Trying Too Hard or Not Trying Hard Enough: How Effort Shapes Status. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 34(4), 660-669.
• Hodges, B., Estes, Z., & Warren, C. 2024. Intel Inside: The Linguistic Properties of Effective Slogans. Journal of Consumer Research, 50(5), 855-856. (Equal authorship)
  • *Winner of AMA MarCom Sig Award for best paper on marketing communications.
• Hüller, C., Reimann, M., Warren, C. 2023. When Financial Platforms Become Gamified, Consumers’ Risk Preferences Change. Journal of the Association of Consumer Research, 8(4), 429-440.
• Patel, M. S., et al. 2022. A Randomized Trial of Behavioral Nudges Delivered Through Text Messages to Increase Influenza Vaccination Among Patients with an Upcoming Primary Care Visit. American Journal of Health Promotion.
• Milkman, K., et al. 2022. A 680,000-person Megastudy of Nudges to Encourage Vaccination in Pharmacies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119 (6), e2115126119
• Warren, N., Farmer, M., Gu, T., & Warren, C. 2021. Marketing Ideas: How to Write Research Articles that Readers Understand and Cite. Journal of Marketing, 85, 42-57. (Equal authorship)
• Milkman, K., et al., 2021. A Mega-Study of Text-Based Nudges Encouraging Patients to Get Vaccinated at an Upcoming Doctor’s Appointment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118 (20), e2101165118.
• Warren, N., Farmer, M., Gu, T., & Warren, C. 2021. Marketing Ideas: How to Write Research Articles that Readers Understand and Cite. Journal of Marketing, 85, 42-57. (Equal authorship)
• Warren, C., Barsky, A. & McGraw, A.P. 2021. What Makes Things Funny? An Integrative Review of the Antecedents of Laughter and Amusement. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 25, 41-65.
• Pezzuti, T., Leonhardt, J.M., & Warren, C. 2021. Certainty in Language Increases Consumer Engagement on Social Media. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 53, 32-46.
• Warren, C. & Reimann, M. 2019. Crazy-Funny-Cool Theory: Divergent Reactions to Unusual Product Designs. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 4, 409-421. (Equal authorship)
• Warren, C., Batra, R., Loureiro, S., Bagozzi, R. 2019. Brand Coolness. Journal of Marketing 83, 36-56. (First two authors equal contribution)
• Warren, C., Carter, E. P. & McGraw, A. P. 2019. Being Funny is Not Enough: The Influence of Perceived Humor and Negative Emotional Reactions on Brand Attitudes. International Journal of Advertising, 38, 1025-1045.
• Warren, C. & Mohr, G. S. 2019. Ironic Consumption. Journal of Consumer Research, 46, 246-266.
• Warren, C. Barsky, A. & McGraw, A.P. 2018. Humor, Comedy, and Consumer Behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 45, 529-552.
• Warren, C. Pezzuti, T. & Koley S. 2018. Is Being Emotionally Inexpressive Cool? Journal of Consumer Psychology, 28, 560-577.
• Warren, C. & McGraw, A.P. 2016. When Do Humorous Marketing Communications Hurt Brands? Journal of Marketing Behavior, 2, 39-67.
• Warren, C. & McGraw, A.P. 2016. Differentiating What Is Humorous From What Is Not. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 110, 407-430.
• Warren, C. & McGraw, A.P. 2015. Opinion: What Makes Things Humorous.
• Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112, 7105-6.
• Campbell, M.C. & Warren, C. 2015. Goal Monitoring: When One Step Forward Seems Larger Than One Step Back. Journal of Consumer Research, 41, 1316-31. (Equal authorship)
• McGraw, A. P., Warren, C., & Kan, C. 2015. Humorous Complaining. Journal of Consumer Research, 41, 1153-71.
• Bauman, C.W., McGraw, A.P., Bartels, D. & Warren, C. 2014. Revisiting External Validity: Concerns about Trolley Problems and Other Sacrificial Dilemmas in Moral Psychology. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 8/9, 536-54.
• Warren, C. & Campbell, M. C. 2014. What Makes Things Cool? How Autonomy Influences Perceptions of Coolness. Journal of Consumer Research. 41, 543-563.
  • *Winner of the Robert Ferber Award
• McGraw, A.P., Williams, L.E., & Warren, C. 2014. The Rise and Fall of Humor: Psychological Distance Modulates Humorous Responses to Tragedy.
• Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5, 566-572
• McGraw, A.P., Warren, C., Williams, L.E., & Leonard, B. 2012. Too Close For Comfort or Too Far to Care? Finding Humor in Distant Tragedies and Close Mishaps. Psychological Science, 23, 1215-1223.
• Campbell, M.C. & Warren, C. 2012. A Risk of Meaning Transfer: Are Negative Associations More Likely to Transfer than Positive Associations. Social Influence, 7, 172-92. (Equal authorship)
• Warren, C., McGraw, A.P., Van Boven, L. 2011. Values and Preferences: Defining Preference Construction. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 2, 193-205.
• McGraw, A. P. & Warren, C. 2010. Benign Violations: Making Immoral Behavior Funny. Psychological Science, 21, 1141-1149. (Equal authorship)

• Winner of the Ferber Award, Journal of Consumer Research, 2014.
• Finalist for the Best Article Award, Journal of Consumer Research, 2014.
• Finalist for the Hunt-Maynard award, Journal of Marketing, 2019.
• Department of Marketing Research Excellence Award, 2021, 2024.
• Dean’s Research Award, Eller College of Management, 2022.
• MSI Scholar, 2023.
• Winner of AMA MarCom SIG Award for “Intel Inside” article in JCR, 2025.

• Journal of Consumer Research (2018)
• Journal of Marketing (2021)
• International Journal of Research in Marketing (2022; area editor award)

• “Humorous Complaining,” January 2011 (w/ A. P. McGraw & C. Kan).
•  “On the Relationship Between Humor and Brand Attitude,” July 2010 (w/ A. P. McGraw).
• Outstanding Marketing Instructor (Eller Award), 2021