"Marketing Research and Major Challenges of the Future: Technology and Sustainability"
In his talk on prosocial ambassador programs, Martin Mende offered a service-focused lens to understand how individuals become more committed to sustainability and social causes when positioned as ambassadors rather than incentivized referrers.
He explained the “ambassador effect” — showing how taking on an ambassador role strengthens one’s collective identity, which in turn enhances long-term prosocial engagement. While sustainability research is growing in parts of Europe, he noted it remains limited globally, highlighting the need for broader marketing scholarship in this domain.
His work invites both scholars and practitioners to rethink how we design service-based initiatives — showing that identity-driven engagement may lead to more meaningful and lasting behavioral impact than financial incentives.