We would like to go back in time to the moment when a particular experience, observation or concrete challenge sparked your interest in Marketing. How did your academic and scientific career unfold?
Curiously, my academic trajectory did not begin in the field of Marketing. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Economics at FEP-UP and a Master’s degree in Business Administration at ISEE-UP (Instituto Superior de Estudos Empresariais, now Porto Business School), my first experience as a university lecturer was in Statistics (which later proved to be extremely valuable in my future research career). My interest in Marketing emerged during the development of my Master’s dissertation, which was already carried out in this field, but especially later during my PhD in Business Sciences, completed in 2010, with a dissertation entitled “Relationship Marketing and Relationships in B2C Markets: Emotion, Cognition and Consumers’ Relational Disposition”. From that point onwards, I joined the Management Group at FEP and began teaching courses in the area of Marketing. My research career in Marketing also began at that time, drawing on the work developed during my PhD, with my first publication appearing in 2008 in the Journal of Marketing Management. From then on, as supervisor of several research projects and through partnerships with other researchers, my interest in the field continued to grow, resulting in the publication of several articles in leading international scientific journals. In addition to regular participation in international conferences, I also serve as a reviewer and as a member of the Editorial Board of several international scientific journals in the field of Marketing. All of these academic and research experiences have been extremely rewarding.

You have a particular interest in Services Marketing, Relationship Marketing and Digital Marketing, areas that have become increasingly central in a hyper-connected world. Which recent changes in the market or in society do you consider most relevant for rethinking classical theories of consumption and behaviour?
In my view, there are several recent changes that call classical theories into question. First and foremost, digital transformation and the big data phenomenon have substantially altered marketing strategies: easier access to data and the use of AI‑based algorithms enable more personalised approaches, but also raise multiple ethical dilemmas. Society increasingly values well‑being and sustainability, demanding greater social and environmental responsibility from brands, as well as purposes that go beyond profit. Consumers prefer authentic, conscious brands with which they can identify. As a result, contrary to what classical models suggest, consumer behaviour is less driven by price or utility alone, becoming more complex and contextualised. This makes it necessary to develop more dynamic models that go beyond mere sociodemographic segmentation and incorporate more emotional factors, such as identity, self‑expression and a sense of belonging. Unlike traditional models, in the new digital reality consumers are not merely passive agents but active co‑creators of brands, with the power to enhance or destroy their reputation. At the same time, however, consumers are also more exposed and vulnerable. Concepts such as “consumer autonomy”, present in rational choice theories, can be called into question when algorithms, programmatic advertising or manipulated preferences increasingly shape consumer behaviour. Marketing is therefore becoming ever more interdisciplinary, encompassing areas as diverse as psychology, sociology, technology, data analytics, sustainability and ethics.

The creation of trust and the building of long‑term relationships often depend on brands’ ability to generate empathy, connection and meaning. How do you see the role of emotions as a value proposition in the brand-consumer relationship? And what risks or limits do you identify when emotion becomes a central resource for influencing consumption decisions?
Absolutely. Following on from the previous question, brands are increasingly investing in emotional factors such as identity, self‑expression and consumers’ sense of belonging. A good example is storytelling strategies, whose main objective is to generate emotions and place people at the centre of the narrative. The brand tells stories whose purpose is not commercial per se, but rather to gain relevance among audiences, creating engagement and encouraging sharing. Interestingly, utility itself can also have emotional value: being useful and meaningful in consumers’ lives makes a brand relevant and distinctive, potentially generating very strong emotional bonds and loyalty. This emphasis on emotional factors stems from the intense advertising exposure to which this generation of consumers has been subjected since childhood, which has reduced the effectiveness of overtly commercial communication and made consumers’ attention and time increasingly scarce. However, when emotion is used as a central resource to influence consumption decisions, brands may face certain risks. They may, for example, be accused of opportunism, lack of authenticity or misalignment between discourse and practice. Moreover, as such strategies become more widespread, they may generate “noise” and the same kind of saturation seen with previous approaches.

In terms of research methods, marketing has benefited greatly from the digital shift (big data, social media, real‑time behavioural analysis, among others). What ethical challenges do you consider most pressing in the use of these capabilities?
It is true that research methodologies have evolved significantly, not only in the formats you mention but also through approaches such as sentiment analysis, social media analytics and netnography, among others. However, these new methods may also raise ethical dilemmas related to privacy, consent and the risk of consumer surveillance, particularly when data collection involves sensitive data, goes beyond what is strictly necessary, or enables the influence of consumption decisions. At the level of research outputs and their publication, the use of AI represents a growing challenge across all scientific fields, including Marketing. This topic has been widely discussed at international conferences. Many scientific journals have adopted a cautious yet pragmatic response: the use of AI to generate substantial parts of scientific content without critical validation is prohibited or strongly discouraged. For example, almost all journals require authors to explicitly declare the use of AI tools and for what purpose. AI cannot be listed as an author, and any generated content must be critically verified by researchers prior to submission. Some journals have even implemented additional checks (such as AI pattern‑detection mechanisms) to identify undeclared uses. Even at the peer‑review stage, the indiscriminate use of AI by reviewers has been addressed by scientific publishers. Nonetheless, in an academic environment increasingly dominated by the “publish or perish” imperative and rapid technological evolution, it is likely that this trend will intensify. Thus, the digital shift has simultaneously and irreversibly brought both advantages and ethical challenges to research and scientific methodologies.

There is growing concern in society at large about sustainability, social responsibility and brand purpose, which inevitably influences consumer decisions. In your view, how can (and should) marketing and services management evolve to respond to this renewed social awareness?
Purpose branding is currently a hot topic in Marketing research, with international conferences and special journal issues dedicated to the theme. As mentioned earlier, society in general, and especially the new generation of consumers, is increasingly demanding in terms of the social role of brands. The most valued brands are those that genuinely align themselves with a purpose with which consumers identify, generating greater attention to that “cause” and ideally promoting real improvements in society (the so‑called “walk the talk”). A good example is Patagonia, which positions itself not in terms of what it produces, but in terms of the environmental causes it supports. The brand made headlines in 2022 when it donated its profits to the fight against climate change under the motto “Earth is our only shareholder”. Authenticity and consistency are key factors in this strategy. Brands should not support certain causes merely because they are fashionable, nor reduce their support to mere rhetoric, or they risk being accused of “woke washing”. When a purpose is defended in a genuine and coherent manner, brands can not only improve their image and performance, but also create closer relationships with their consumer base, evolving into conscientious, purpose‑driven brands.

In your opinion, how will automation, generative AI and algorithmic personalisation transform marketing in the near future, beyond the trends we already observe today?
Automation, generative AI and algorithmic personalisation will indeed profoundly transform Marketing in the near future. Based on data collection and analysis, automated systems will enable the monitoring and optimisation of interactions in real time - for example, automatically adjusting campaigns in terms of content, targets and media, allowing them to run autonomously while being continuously improved. Likewise, through continuous data flows and predictive models, algorithmic personalisation will make it possible to create hyper‑personalised experiences and offers tailored to each consumer - from recommendations to pricing. Virtual assistants, available any day, at any time and in any place, will become the primary interface with customers, learning automatically from each interaction and replacing human‑provided customer service, which will increasingly be considered a “luxury” service. Generative AI will make “creativity”, so to speak, more immediate and accelerated, producing content in text, image, audio and video formats on demand. As a result, engagement and conversion rates are likely to increase, at lower cost and with greater speed and efficiency. However, issues related to data privacy, brand (in)authenticity and transparency will undoubtedly become increasingly salient. In short, while more operational and repetitive tasks will tend to be automated, strategic and ethical issues will most likely continue to be managed by Marketing professionals.

You were recently recognised as being among the world’s top 2% most cited researchers by Stanford University, which points to the quality of the research you produce. What responsibility or ambition do you associate with this recognition?
Yes, it was with great honour and satisfaction that I was recognised in 2024 and 2025 as being among the world’s top 2% most cited researchers by Stanford University. Citations can indeed be considered an indicator of the quality, impact and relevance of the research produced. They are also generally associated with publication in prestigious international journals, which themselves have high impact factors and wide audiences, as well as with the topicality of the research themes addressed. For example, my most cited article was published in the Journal of Business Research and focused on the adoption of AI-based virtual assistants. Finally, a significant part of the value of research derives from its contributions to practice and management, and I believe this factor has also contributed to the high number of citations. Without a doubt, however, what most justifies this distinction is the support of my university, my co-authors, editors, reviewers and fellow researchers who have read and cited my work. My ambition is to continue to be part of this ranking as a researcher at the University of Porto, publishing high-quality, current and impactful research.

Looking back on the path taken so far, which ambitions still remain to be fulfilled?
That is a good question. In retrospect, it has been a rewarding journey, both academically and scientifically. The ambitions that remain to be fulfilled include reaching the top of the academic career and further internationalising my research through collaborations with researchers and institutions worldwide.

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