KEYNOTE: MARIA RACITI
Thriving in a VUCA World: Insights and Strategies for Social Marketers
In the age of disruption social marketers increasingly wrestle with the challenges posed by a VUCA world—characterised by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. In this new, dynamic environment traditional social marketing mindsets and methods are becoming less effective. On the front lines, many social marketing scholars, practitioners, participants, and policymakers sense a distinct shift in the landscape, yet struggle to pinpoint exactly what has changed and what to do about it. This keynote will outline VUCA-related social marketing challenges and opportunities and how embracing concepts like ‘delicious ambiguity’ and First Nations knowledges and perspectives can help social marketing thrive in VUCA environments.
Biography
Professor Maria Raciti is a social marketer who is co-director of the UniSC Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre and co-leader of the education and economies theme in the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures. Maria is an Australian Aboriginal woman with cultural connections to the Kalkadoon, Thaniquith and Bwgcolman peoples. She serves on several national and international committees and is regularly engaged as an expert advisor. Her research has produced impactful outcomes including informing national policy.
Panel 1
Kathy Benson, Director, Behavioural Economics and Research, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Queensland Government.
Kathy is a behavioural insights researcher who is passionate about understanding the psychology of human decision-making, choices and actions. Kathy leads a multidisciplinary team that tests and applies insights from behavioural economics to improve policy outcomes and deliver better services to Queenslanders. With more than 30 years’ experience, Kathy is proficient in behavioural insights, applied research, workshop facilitation and program implementation; and her skills include optimising policy, program and service effectiveness, human-centred design, concept testing, and random controlled trials.
Rob Hudson, Founder and CEO of SpoutLogic
Rob Hudson is a marketing strategist and innovation leader with deep expertise in the commercial application of behavioural economics. As the Founder and CEO of SpoutLogic, he has over 26 years of experience working with global and Australian brands, combining behavioural science, human-centred design, and digital innovation to drive business success. He has held senior roles at VMLY&R, Clemenger BBDO, and Greenfield/ICON London, leading campaigns recognised with seven Cannes Lions and a White D&AD Pencil. Rob collaborates with QUT, UQ, and Canberra University on applying behavioural economics to commercial strategy and serves on the boards of Cancer Council Queensland, The Brisbane Portrait Prize, and Tourism Events Queensland. A seasoned public speaker, he regularly presents on how behavioural insights can shape marketing strategy, influence decision-making, and drive sustainable change.
Carolyn Loton, Director Juntos Marketing
Carolyn Loton is an experienced practitioner committed to achieving tangible behaviour change through the effective application of social marketing principles, insights-led initiatives and strategic thinking. She leads B-Corp-certified content and marketing agency, Juntos Marketing, whose purpose is ‘marketing for good’; and research agency Leapfrog Research. Her and her teams’ integrated social marketing campaigns have won multiple respected, national social marketing and purpose-led awards, primarily in the health sector. Originally an Occupational Therapist, Carolyn is a member of the Australian Marketing Institute, Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Qualified Professional Researcher (Australian Research Society), Chair of the Nature Conservation Council NSW and co-founder of Professionals Advocating for Climate Action.
Professor Joy Parkinson, Associate Dean (Research and Enterprise) Faculty of Law and Business at Australian Catholic University.
Before joining ACU in July 2023, Joy was a principal research scientist in the Implementation Science team at CSIRO’s Australian eHealth Research Centre.
Joy’s research is grounded in implementation science, focusing on designing, implementing, and evaluating large-scale, partner-funded behaviour change programs that have directly engaged over 200,000 participants to achieve real-world social impact. She works collaboratively across a range of disciplines to translate evidence into practice, ensuring interventions are effectively adopted, scaled, and sustained. Her work has led to long term industry partnerships with organisations such as Diabetes Queensland and the Stroke Foundation. Joy is the Editor-in-Chief of Health Marketing Quarterly and was a member of the Australian Association of Social Marketing Management Committee from 2014, serving as Vice President from 2021 to 2023.
Panel 2
Rebecca Ahern, Executive Manager, Social Marketing & Communications Group VicHealth.
Bec is a passionate social marketing and communications professional, focused on harnessing storytelling and narratives to create social impact. As Executive Manager of Social Marketing and Communications at VicHealth, she leads campaigns like This Girl Can – Victoria, which empower communities to address health and social issues. With over two decades of experience, Bec thrives on bringing people together through impactful communications. She’s also on the Board of the Australian Association of Social Marketing (AASM), where she works to advance social marketing practices and drive positive societal outcomes.
Professor Ross Gordon, University of Technology Sydney
Ross Gordon is a Professor of Behaviour and Social Change at UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney. Ross is also the Director of Change for Good @ UTS – a Research Centre for Behaviour and Social Change for Social Good. He researches social issues and behaviour and social change, through a critical, reflexive, and multi-perspective lens. Ross currently serves on the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health. He works on various behaviour and social change issues including gambling, non-communicable diseases, Covid-19, energy hardship and energy efficiency, climate action and environmental sustainability, alcohol, tobacco control, mental health, workplace bullying, and power and politics in the neoliberalism university. Ross has been a principal or named investigator on projects attracting over $8.9m in research funds. He has published over 120 academic journals, book chapters and conference papers and a leading book: Strategic Social Marketing: For Behaviour and Social Change published by SAGE. Ross also enjoys playing and watching football, and is a techno DJ.
Christine Walker, Partner, Alliance Strategic research
Christine Walker is a leading social and market researcher with over 25 years of experience working with government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and commercial entities. She has built a distinguished career developing evidence-based marketing strategies, communications approaches, and campaign evaluations that drive meaningful behaviour and social change.
As the founder of Alliance Strategic Research, Christine has pioneered innovative research methodologies that bridge qualitative and quantitative approaches, with particular expertise in multi-stakeholder consultations and community engagement. Her work consistently demonstrates a commitment to rigorous research that translates into actionable insights for clients across diverse sectors.Christine is recognized for her early adoption of emerging technologies in the research field and has established herself as a thought leader through her professional training programs that help researchers leverage new digital tools and methodologies. Her forward-thinking approach through research has helped organizations, marketers and researchers navigate changing landscapes.
WORKSHOPS
Workshop 1 – AI Acceleration for Impact: From Academic Productivity to Behavioural Interventions
Associate Professor Kate Letheren
Kate Letheren is an Associate Professor at the Australian Catholic University. Her research explores human interactions with emerging technologies, particularly social robots and artificial intelligence. With expertise in consumer psychology and human-computer interaction, she examines how people relate to humanised technologies in high-stakes contexts. Kate’s work has achieved significant theoretical, practical, and policy impact, as evidenced by her publications in leading journals and contributions to national policy frameworks. She combines rigorous methodology with stakeholder engagement to pursue research that enhances wellbeing through ethical technology adoption.
Dr Ryan Payne
Ryan Payne is a Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Canberra Business School, University of Canberra. His research explores the intersection of adaptive technology and consumer behaviour, with particular focus on how biometric tracking, privacy, and online profiling influence behavioural outcomes. With a multidisciplinary background spanning marketing, fashion, and technology, Ryan investigates how AI systems can disrupt traditional consumer behaviour paradigms. Previously affiliated with QUT in Brisbane, his doctoral research examined how adaptive technologies, based on micro facial tracking, can be leveraged to create meaningful behavioural change while addressing critical ethical considerations around data privacy and consumer autonomy.
Workshop 2: How to safeguard against disruptive events: building a resilience framework into organisational / collective capabilities
Dr Nadia Zainuddin
Dr Nadia Zainuddin is a behaviour and social change researcher based at the University of Wollongong where she is the Marketing Discipline Research Leader, and President of the Australian Association of Social Marketing (AASM), as well as a Founding Associate Editor of the Journal of Social Impact in Business Research (JSIiBR).
Her research aims to understand the lived experiences of people, particularly those more likely to experience marginalisation and vulnerability, to inform programmes, interventions, and policy to improve well-being. These have included people with disabilities, and culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) groups. Conceptually, she is a specialist in value theory, and is a mixed methodologist, trained in both qualitative and quantitative research techniques.
Her work has received funding from a range of sources both nationally and internationally, including the Australian Research Council, Australian Marketing Institute, Transport for NSW, Australian Red Cross Blood Service, and the Scottish Universities Insight Institute. Nadia also sits on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Services Marketing and on the review panel of the Princess Alexandra Hospital Research Support Scheme, and is an ARC Detailed Assessor for Marketing.
Carolyn Loton
With a passion for communicating health and environmental messages more effectively, Carolyn Loton is an experienced practitioner committed to the foundations of social marketing, to insights-led initiatives and to strategic thinking. She leads B-Corp-certified content and marketing agency, Juntos Marketing, whose purpose is ‘marketing for good’; and research agency Leapfrog Research. Her and her teams’ social marketing campaigns have won multiple respected, national social marketing and purpose-led awards. Originally an Occupational Therapist, Carolyn is a member of the Australian Marketing Institute, Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Qualified Professional Researcher (Australian Research Society), Chair of the Nature Conservation Council NSW and co-founder of Professionals Advocating for Climate Action.
Pre-Conference Workshops
WORKSHOP 1 WHAT IS SOCIAL MARKETING?
PROFESSOR ROSS GORDON
Ross Gordon is a Professor of Behaviour and Social Change at UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney. Ross is also the Director of Change for Good @ UTS – a Research Centre for Behaviour and Social Change for Social Good. He researches social issues and behaviour and social change, through a critical, reflexive, and multi-perspective lens. Ross currently serves on the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health. He works on various behaviour and social change issues including gambling, non-communicable diseases, Covid-19, energy hardship and energy efficiency, climate action and environmental sustainability, alcohol, tobacco control, mental health, workplace bullying, and power and politics in the neoliberalism university. Ross has been a principal or named investigator on projects attracting over $8.9m in research funds. He has published over 120 academic journals, book chapters and conference papers and a leading book: Strategic Social Marketing: For Behaviour and Social Change published by SAGE. Ross also enjoys playing and watching football, and is a techno DJ.
DR GAURI LAUD
Dr Gauri Laud is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Western Australia, Perth. She is also the Vice President of The Australian Association of Social Marketing. Dr. Laud has served as the Chief Investigator for the Care Work Archetype project – a TASCOSS, Workforce Coordination Project, a funded project of Skills Tasmania, showcasing her leadership and expertise in research. Her research focus spans systems thinking, consumer vulnerability, the integration of technology in services, and the value co-creation processes within service systems. Dr. Laud has successfully led multiple research projects in collaboration with industry and community organizations across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. An internationally recognized scholar in services marketing, Dr. Laud’s work is highly regarded in the field. Her research has been published in prestigious academic journals, including the Journal of Marketing, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Service Management, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Journal of Services Marketing, and Marketing Theory, among others.
WORKSHOP 2 HOW TO CONVERT YOUR CONFERENCE PAPER INTO A JOURNAL ARTICLE?
DR NADIA ZAINUDDIN, FOUNDING ASSOCIATE EDITOR JOURNAL OF SOCIAL IMPACT IN BUSINESS RESEARCH, PRESIDENT AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL MARKETING
Dr Nadia Zainuddin is a behaviour and social change researcher based at the University of Wollongong where she is the Marketing Discipline Research Leader, and President of the Australian Association of Social Marketing (AASM), as well as a Founding Associate Editor of the Journal of Social Impact in Business Research (JSIiBR).
Her research aims to understand the lived experiences of people, particularly those more likely to experience marginalisation and vulnerability, to inform programmes, interventions, and policy to improve well-being. These have included people with disabilities, and culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) groups. Conceptually, she is a specialist in value theory, and is a mixed methodologist, trained in both qualitative and quantitative research techniques.
Her work has received funding from a range of sources both nationally and internationally, including the Australian Research Council, Australian Marketing Institute, Transport for NSW, Australian Red Cross Blood Service, and the Scottish Universities Insight Institute. Nadia also sits on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Services Marketing and on the review panel of the Princess Alexandra Hospital Research Support Scheme, and is an ARC Detailed Assessor for Marketing.
DR KIM FEDDEMA, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL MARKETING, EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY
@stephenheathphotography
Dr Kim Feddema is an early career researcher and lecturer at Edith Cowan University, in Boorloo (Perth). She is a member of the executive committee of the AASM and a member of the Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group. Her research examines how to induce pro-environmental behaviour change to improve conservation outcomes, primarily through the reduction of illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade. She applies techniques and theories from service-dominant logic, institutional theory and social marketing to understand the commodification of wildlife, the value of human–animal interactions, and community responses to behaviour change campaigns. Her work has been published across a number of conservation and marketing journals including Biological Conservation, Conservation Biology, Psychology and Marketing, Journal of Consumer Behaviour and the Journal of Service Research (forthcoming).
WORKSHOP 3 RESEARCH METHODS FOR SOCIAL MARKETING
JOAN YOUNG, PARTNER ALLIANCE STRATEGIC RESEARCH
Joan is a leading strategic social marketer with over 30 years’ experience in social research and evaluation. She works with government and not for profit organisations to develop, refine and evaluate behaviour change programs, services and communications. Joan has dedicated her career to contributing to better social outcomes informed by best practice social marketing research and is a Fellow of The Research Society.
Career highlights are contributing to effective social marketing resulting in:
- Increased self-reported witness reporting violence to the police by 19%, reduced self-reported violent behaviour of men towards their partner by 19% and a reduction in hospital admissions.
- Reduced self-reported levels of child abuse and neglect by 6-15%.
- Reduced road deaths and serious injury.
- Increased self-reported levels of community members reaching out to stressed parents by 10%.
- Increased applications from female fire fighters in the ACT by 500%.
- Increased number of women working in the private sector in Saudi Arabia
- Increased visitation to Australian War Memorial through Audience Segmentation
Joan regularly speaks at national and international conferences and has trained social marketing researchers in New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, South Africa and Australia. She is also highly skilled in evaluation and recently delivered evaluation training workshops for the Australian Evaluation Society to over 40 evaluators from New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific Islands and South-East Asia
KATHY BENSON, DIRECTOR, BEHAVIOURAL ECONOMICS AND RESEARCH, THE CABINET OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT
Kathy is a behavioural insights researcher who is passionate about understanding the psychology of human decision-making, choices and actions.
With more than 30 years’ experience, Kathy is proficient in behavioural insights, applied research, workshop facilitation and program implementation; and her skills include optimising policy, program and service effectiveness, human-centred design, concept testing, and random controlled trials.
Kathy leads a multidisciplinary team that tests and applies insights from behavioural economics to improve policy outcomes and deliver better services to Queenslanders, and is responsible for delivering high level advice, managing a portfolio of projects, and fostering collaborative relationships across government, industry and the tertiary sector to deliver real change for the whole of Queensland.
Kathy has a M.Business from QUT, is a visiting Industry Lecturer in Applied Market Research at UQ, and currently sits on the Marketing Advisory Board of the Business, Economics and Law Faculty of the University of Queensland.
For enquiries contact us on ismc2025@canberra.edu.au.