Jennifer Aaker

Jennifer Aaker
Born	(1967-01-15) January 15, 1967 Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Behavioral scientist, professor
Years active	1995–present
Known for	Research on time, money, happiness, storytelling, brand building; author of The Dragonfly Effect and Humor, Seriously

Jennifer Aaker (born January 15, 1967) is a prominent American behavioural scientist holding the titles of General Atlantic Professor and Coulter Family Fellow at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Her notable research areas include the interplay between time, money, and happiness, the diffusion of ideas within social networks, the influential role of storytelling in decision-making processes, and strategies for cultivating global brands across diverse cultures. Aaker has been honored with the Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award from the Society for Consumer Psychology as well as the Stanford Distinguished Teaching Award.

Early life and education

Born in Palo Alto, California to Kay Aaker and David Aaker, a professor and brand strategist, Jennifer pursued her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1989. During this period, she studied under renowned social psychologist Philip E. Tetlock and Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman. She later obtained her PhD in marketing with a psychology minor from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1995. Her doctoral thesis on brand personality led to articles published in the Journal of Marketing Research and Journal of Consumer Research.

Career

Aaker launched her academic career in 1995 as an assistant professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. She returned to Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1999 as an assistant professor, advanced to associate professor by 2001, and achieved full professorship in 2004. In 2005, she was appointed General Atlantic Professor and Coulter Family Fellow at Stanford GSB. Her scholarly work, appearing in leading psychology and marketing journals, has been highlighted by major media including The Economist, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Additionally, she contributes her expertise to advisory boards across both private enterprises and public organizations.

In collaboration with her husband Andy Smith, a startup advisor, Aaker co-wrote The Dragonfly Effect: Quick, Effective and Powerful Ways to Use Social Media to Drive Social Change in 2010.

Illustrating the principles of the Dragonfly Effect, Aaker and her students established 100K Cheeks to enlist 100,000 South Asian donors for the National Bone Marrow Registry. By leveraging social media networks and initiating India's first cheek swab drive, the campaign surpassed its target by recruiting more than 115,000 potential donors.

In 2021, she released Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is A Secret Weapon in Business and Life, co-authored with Naomi Bagdonas.

Selected publications

• It's the Journey, Not the Destination: How Metaphor Drives Growth After Goal Attainment, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, October 2019.
• It's Not Going to Be That Fun: Negative Experiences Can Add Meaning to Life, Current Opinion in Psychology, April 2019.
• What Are Your Signature Stories?, California Management Review, May 2016.
• Some Key Differences between a Happy Life and a Meaningful Life, Journal of Positive Psychology, 2013.
• How Happiness Impacts Choice (2012), Mogilner, Aaker, and Kamvar, JCR.
• Awe Expands People's Perception of Time and Enhances Well-Being (2012), Rudd, Vohs, and Aaker, Psychological Science.
• If Money Doesn't Make You Happy, Consider Time (2011), Aaker, Rudd, and Mogilner, JCP.
• The Shifting Meaning of Happiness (2010), Mogilner, Kamvar, and Aaker, SPPS.
• Non-Profits Are Seen as Warm and For-Profits as Competent (2010), Aaker, Vohs, and Mogilner, JCR.
• The Time versus Money Effect (2009), Mogilner and Aaker, JCR.
• The Happiness of Giving: The Time-Ask Effect (2008), Liu and Aaker, JCR.
• When Good Brands Do Bad (2004), Aaker, Fournier, and Brasel, JCR.
• Can Mixed Emotions Peacefully Co-Exist? (2002), Williams and Aaker, JCR.
• Consumption Symbols as Carriers of Culture (2001), Aaker, Benet-Martínez, and Garolera, JPSP.
• Dimensions of Brand Personality (1997), Aaker, JMR.

See also

• Design thinking
• Customer engagement

External links

• Jennifer Aaker at Stanford Graduate School of Business
• Innovative Brand Building
• Harnessing the Power of Storytelling
• Creating Designs for Happiness
• The Dragonfly Effect