Margaret G. Meloy
Professor of Marketing
Department Head
Margaret "Meg" joined the faculty at Penn State in 2002 after having served on the faculty in the Department of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University and the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech. Her research examines consumer and managerial decision making biases and heuristics, with a special emphasis on how preferences are constructed, how moods influence consumer information processing, and how consumers make choices. More recent research has also focused on closed loop supply chains, barriers to second-hand product purchases, and how consumers respond to purchasing power changes. Her work has been published in the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Operations Management, Management Science, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Production and Operations Management, and Psychological Science. She currently serves as a co-Editor for the Journal of Consumer Research, and on the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of Consumer Psychology and has served in leadership roles for the Association for Consumer Research (Treasurer: 2013-2014) and the Society for Consumer Psychology (President-Elect (2018-19); President (2019-20); Past-President (2020-21)). She is the David H. McKinley Professor of Business Administration and she also currently serves as the Marketing Department Chair.
Expertise
Consumer Behavior, Food Marketing, Decision Making Biases and Heuristics, Preference Construction, Remanufactured Products, Secondhand Products
Education
Ph D in Marketing, Cornell University, Johnson Graduate School of Management, Ithaca, NY, 1996-01-01 MS in Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1987-01-01 BS in Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 1984-01-01
Courses Taught
B A 303 – Marketing
Introduction to customer behavior and research, service/product development, pricing and promotion in diverse and international marketing contexts.
B A 303H – Marketing (H)
Introduction to customer behavior and research, service/product development, pricing and promotion in diverse and international marketing contexts.
MKTG 296 – Independent Studies
Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
MKTG 330 – Consumer Behavior
Application of behavioral science concepts to the understanding of buyer behavior as a basis for marketing management decision making.
MKTG 472 – STRAT BRAND MGMT
Brands are a potentially valuable asset to firms in Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) markets. Strong brands influence purchase and consumption by communicating value and providing differentiation in the marketplace. Effective brand management is therefore critical to maintaining the long-term profitability of products and services. This course investigates how to create profitable brand strategies by building, measuring, and managing brand equity. Theories and practical tools will address the following questions: how does branding influence purchase and consumption? how can firms build brand equity? how should brand equity be measured and managed over time? how should firms manage brands in a brand portfolio? how can firms leverage brand equity? At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to: 1) explain the fundamental concepts of branding and the role of branding in business; 2) apply branding concepts and analysis tools to managerial decision-making; and, 3) provide real-world examples of challenges and issues in branding.
MKTG 494 – Research Project
Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
MKTG 494H – Honors Thesis (H)
Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
MKTG 494H – Research Project (H)
Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
MKTG 496 – Indep Studies
Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
MKTG 496 – Independent Studies
Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
MKTG 541 – Consumer Behavior
Introduce theories and concepts from psychology, sociology, economics, and other disciplines that are useful in understanding and marketing to consumers.
MKTG 551 – Theoretical Perspectives on Buyer Behavior
Review of marketing and social sciences research related to understanding consumer and market behavior.
MKTG 590 – Colloquium
Continuing seminars that consist of a series of individual lectures by faculty, students, or outside speakers.
MKTG 596 – Individual Studies
Creative projects, including nonthesis research, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
MKTG 597A – Marketing in Challenging Times (A)
The purpose of this graduate seminar is to investigate special topics in consumer behavior.
MKTG 597B – Topics in Marketing (B)
This course covers selected topics in Marketing. Students will discuss such topics as brand management, integrated marketing communications, pricing policies, new product marketing, and marketing engineering. The topics may change from year to year. The c
Selected Publications
Ross G., Meloy M. G., Blanchard S. J. "Beyond the Thermostat: A Research Agenda for Distinguishing Consumer Thermoregulation from Retail Temperature Interventions Across the Customer Journey" Journal of Retailing, vol. 102, 2026-03-01
Ross G. R., Cho E. K., Meloy M. G. "Owners’ Willingness to Accept in the Sharing Economy" Journal of Marketing, vol. 90, 2026-03-01
Abdulla H., Abbey J. D., Atalay A. S., Meloy M. G. "Show, Don't Tell: Education and Physical Exposure Effects in Remanufactured Product Markets" Journal of Operations Management, vol. 70, 2024-01-01
Alptekinoglu A., Blank A. S., Meloy M. G., Guide V. "Can Mass Customization Slow Fast Fashion Down? The Impact on Time to Disposal and Willingness to Pay" Journal of Operations Management, vol. 69, 2023-12-01
Ross G. R., Bolton L. E., Meloy M. G. "Disorder in Secondhand Retail Spaces: The Countervailing Forces of Hidden Treasure and Risk" Journal of Retailing, vol. 99, 2023-03-01
Germann F., Hess R. L., Meloy M. G. "Do Retailers Get Blamed When Manufacturer Brands Fail? Measurement of Multiloci Attributions and Spillover Effects" Marketing Accountability for Marketing and Non-marketing Outcomes (Review of Marketing Research, Vol. 18, vol. 18, 2021-09-27
Cheng A., Meloy M. G., Polman E. "Picking Gifts for Picky People" Journal of Retailing, vol. 97, 2021-06-01
Ross G., Meloy M. G., Bolton L. E. "Disorder and Downsizing" Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 47, 2021-04-01
Andong C., Baumgartner J., Meloy M. G. "Identifying Picky Shoppers: Who They Are and How to Spot Them" Journal of Consumer Psychology, vol. 31, 2021-02-08
Ross G., Meloy M. G., Carlson K. A. "Preference Refinement After a Budget Contraction" Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 47, 2020-10-01
Atalay S. A., Meloy M. G. "Improving Evacuation Compliance Through Control: Implications for Emergency Management Policy and Disaster Communications" Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, vol. 32, 2020-07-30
Gonzales G. E., Bolton L. E., Meloy M. G. "Why Do Consumers Think It Is Fair to Pay More When Buying From Producers Versus Retailers?" Marketing Letters, 2019-11-13
Abbey J. D., Meloy M. G. "Attention by Design: Using Attention Checks to Detect Inattentive Respondents and Improve Data Quality" Journal of Operations Management, vol. 53-56, 2017-11-01
Garvey A. M., Meloy M. G., Shiv B. "The Jilting Effect: Antecedents, Mechanisms and Consequences" Journal of Marketing Research, vol. 54, 2017-10-01
Schroeter C., Nicholson C., Meloy M. G. "Consumer Valuation of Organic and Conventional Milk: Does Shelf Life Matter?" Journal of Food Distribution Research, vol. 47, 2016-11-01
Abbey J. D., Meloy M. G., Blackburn J., Guide V. "Consumer Markets for Remanufactured and Refurbished Products" California Management Review, vol. 57, 2015-07-01
Abbey J. D., Meloy M. G., Guide V. D., Atalay A. S. "Remanufactured Products in Consumer Closed-Loop Supply Chains" Production and Operations Management, vol. 24, 2015-03-01
Hamilton R., Thompson D. V., Arens Z. G., Blanchard S. J., Haubl G., Kannan P., Khan U., Lehmann D. R., Meloy M. G., Roese N. J., Thomas M. "Consumer Substitution Decisions: An Integrative Framework" Marketing Letters, vol. 25, 2014-09-01
Blanchard S. J., Carlson K. A., Meloy M. G. "Biased Predecisional Processing of Leading and Non-Leading Alternatives" Psychological Science, vol. 25, 2014-03-01
Carlson K. A., Tanner R. J., Meloy M. G., Russo J. E. "Catching Nonconscious Goals in the Act of Decision Making" Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 123, 2014-01-01
Carlson K., Meloy M. G., Miller E. G. "Goal Reversion in Consumer Choice" Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 39, 2013-02-01
Atalay S., Meloy M. G. "Retail Therapy: A Strategic Effort to Improve Mood" Psychology and Marketing, vol. 28, 2011-06-01
Meloy M. G., Duhachek A. "Advances in Consumer Psychology: Volume II" Society for Consumer Psychology, vol. II, 2010-05-01
Carlson K. A., Meloy M. G., Lieb D. "Benefits Leader Reversion: How a Once Preferred Product Recaptures Its Standing" Journal of Marketing Research, vol. 46, 2009-12-01
Russo J. E., Carlson K. A., Meloy M. G., Yong K. "The Goal of Consistency as a Cause of Information Distortion" Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, vol. 137, 2008-08-01
Bond S. D., Carlson K. A., Meloy M. G., Russo J. E., Tanner R. J. "Information Distortion in the Evaluation of a Single Option" Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 102, 2007-03-01
Russo J. E., Carlson K. A., Meloy M. G. "Choosing an Inferior Option" Psychological Science, vol. 17, 2006-10-01
Meloy M. G., Russo J. E., Miller E. G. "Monetary Incentives and Mood" Journal of Marketing Research, vol. 43, 2006-05-01
Carlson K. A., Meloy M. G., Russo J. E. "Leader-Driven Primacy: Using Attribute Order to Affect Consumer Choice" Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 32, 2006-03-01
Meloy M. G., Russo J. E. "Binary Choice Under Instructions to Select versus Reject" Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 93, 2004-03-01
Meloy M. G. "Mood-Driven Distortion of Product Information" Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 27, 2000-12-01
Russo J. E., Meloy M. G., Wilks T. J. "Predecisional Distortion of Information by Auditors and Salespersons" Management Science, vol. 46, 2000-01-01
Russo J. E., Meloy M. G., Husted-Medvec V. "Predecisional Distortion of Product Information" Journal of Marketing Research, vol. 35, 1998-11-01
Russo J. E., Husted-Medvec V., Meloy M. G. "The Distortion of Information During Decisions" Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 66, 1996-04-01
Meloy M. G., McLaughlin E. W., Kramer C. S. "A Consumer Segmentation Analysis of Grocery Coupon Users: Public Policy Implications" American Council on Consumer Interests, 1988-04-01
Meloy M. G., McLaughlin E. W., Kramer C. S. "A Consumer Segmentation Analysis of Grocery Coupon Users: Public Policy Implications" Cornell Agricultural Economics Research Report, 1988-01-01