Sara Dommer

Research

Identity & Self-Concept

Signaling & Conspicuous Consumption

Branding & Consumer-Brand Relationships

Education

PhD (Marketing), Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh

BS (Marketing), Smeal College of Business, Pennsylvania State University

Biography

Sara Loughran Dommer joined the Scheller College of Business in the summer of 2012. She holds a Ph.D. in marketing from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh and a B.S. with honors in marketing from the Smeal College of Business at the Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Dommer’s research examines how people''s self-concepts, identities, and relationships influence consumer behavior. Her primary research interest focuses on the use of products and brands as vehicles of identity expression. While previous research has shown that consumers prefer brands and products that are congruent with their selves and identities, Dr. Dommer extends this stream by studying the motivations, process, outcomes, and broader implications surrounding identity expression via brands and products. Her research has been published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

 Dr. Dommer teaches Integrated Marketing Communications at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.