Biography
Dr Ashleigh McFarlane is a Lecturer in Marketing and Co-Chair of the Academy of Marketing Visual Methods Research (SIG). She received her ESRC funded PhD from the University of Strathclyde and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Ashleigh’s research explores societal issues related to consumer behaviour and marketing. Her expertise in digital, ethnographic methods reveals how emerging behaviours in digital spaces are shaping marketplace behaviours. Her research focuses on influencers, market dynamics, labour, fashion marketing and visual methodologies. This is reflected in her teaching on undergraduate and postgraduate modules. Recent work has explored the phenomenon of fashion influencers aged 50+ and how digital, aesthetic labours on social media platforms such as Instagram can lead to success in the fashion industry.
Ashleigh’s research has appeared in international peer-reviewed journals including: European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Advances in Consumer Research and Celebrity Studies. Her work has been presented at leading peer-reviewed conferences in Consumer Behaviour internationally. Ashleigh is an active member of the Association for Consumer Research and the Consumer Culture Theory Network. Ashleigh also has connections with a number of organisations specialising in understanding emerging consumer behaviours in digital contexts.