The American Marketing Association (AMA) and the American Marketing Association Foundation (AMAF) are pleased to announce Julian R.K. Wichmann as the winner of the Robert Lusch Early Career Research Award for his 2022 Journal of Marketing article, “The Platformization of Brands,” coauthored with Nico Wiegand and Werner J. Reinartz.
Tilburg University
Julian Wichmann is Assistant Professor of Marketing, Tilburg University School of Economics and Management (TiSEM), the Netherlands. His research focuses on strategic marketing issues surrounding digital platforms and the future of retailing. In his research projects, Wichmann often closely collaborates with practitioners and applies a variety of empirical and machine learning methods on topics of high managerial relevance. His research has been published in top-tier journals such as Journal of Marketing and the International Journal of Research in Marketing, as well as practitioner journals like Harvard Business Review. His article, “The Platformization of Brands” is the winner of the 2022 Shelby D. Hunt/Harold H. Maynard Award, which recognizes significant contributions to marketing theory. With the same paper, Wichmann was also a finalist for the 2022 AMA/MSI H. Paul Root Award, which recognizes articles making significant contributions to the advancement of marketing practice.
Wichmann studied at universities in the Netherlands, Italy, and Germany, obtaining degrees in Economics and Business Administration. For his award-winning master thesis on data-driven predictive targeting in online advertising, he collaborated with a major international ad agency. In 2020, he received his doctoral degree from the University of Cologne under the advisory of Werner Reinartz with his dissertation, “The Evolving Brand-Consumer Relationship—The Impact of Business Cycles, Digital Platforms, and New Advertising Technologies.” Before venturing into academia, Wichmann gained valuable practical experience working in various marketing departments and industries ranging from fashion to telecommunications and digital advertising. He is also the developer and maintainer of the popular browser extension Rapid Journal Quality Check (>70,000 active users).
2025 Lusch Award Finalist
University of Adelaide
The 2025 award committee would also like to recognize Alison Joubert as a finalist for her article, “How Do I Carry All This Now?” Understanding Consumer Resistance to Sustainability Interventions,” by Claudia Gonzalez-Arcos, Alison M. Joubert, Daiane Scaraboto, Rodrigo Guesalaga, and Jörgen Sandberg (Journal of Marketing, 2021).
About the American Marketing Association (AMA)
As the leading global professional marketing association, the AMA is the essential community for marketers. From students and practitioners to executives and academics, we aim to elevate the profession, deepen knowledge, and make a lasting impact. The AMA is home to five premier scholarly journals including: Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Journal of International Marketing, and Journal of Interactive Marketing. Our industry-leading training events and conferences define future forward practices, while our professional development and PCM® professional certification advance knowledge. With 70 chapters and a presence on 350 college campuses across North America, the AMA fosters a vibrant community of marketers. The association’s philanthropic arm, the AMA’s Foundation, is inspiring a more diverse industry and ensuring marketing research impacts public good.
AMA views marketing as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. You can learn more about AMA’s learning programs and certifications, conferences and events, and scholarly journals at AMA.org.