Valéry Bezençon is Full Professor of Marketing. His first area of expertise focuses on social marketing and behaviour change (e.g. nudging), particularly in the fields of environment, health, and well-being. In connection with this expertise, he is the director of the CAS in Social Marketing and Nudges and offers continuing education on changing habits to increase well-being and productivity. His second area of expertise focuses on the effects of digital technologies on consumers, from a protection perspective, particularly for vulnerable consumers. 

He holds or has held various positions within the University, such as Dean and Vice-Dean of the Faculty, Director of the Institute of Management, Director of the Master of Science in International Business Development, Co-Director of the Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business, and member of various committees. He was also a visiting, guest, or affiliated professor at different universities (University of Lausanne, Florida State University, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú). Previously, he was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company.

In 2017, he reduced his workload as a professor to spend one day per week caring for his two daughters and working part-time as a consultant. His consulting activities include advising and training organisations seeking to change the behaviours of their audience, or conducting studies related to these topics (for example on the application of behavioural approaches to public policy).

He holds a PhD in Management from the University of Neuchâtel and a Master of Science from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).

Research projects

FNS 100013_210123 Harnessing the potential of data visualization and narratives produced by media and public actors in times of pandemic or health crisis, with Pignard-Cheynel, N., Holzer, H., Puntiroli, M.
01.04.2023 – 31.03.2026, CHF 499’986

FNS CR00I5_235976 PowerPOSE – Understanding and Empowering the Consumer Facing Dark Patterns in Online Shopping Environments, with Holzer, A.
01.08.2025 – 31.07.2029, CHF 842’080

FNS 100013L_232040 Consumer relationships with digital platforms: consumer costs and opportunities for empowerment in a data-driven world, with Alavi, S., Uysal, E.
01.01.2026 – 31.12.2028, CHF 600’000 (co-financed with Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)

Publications

• Google Scholar
• ORCID

Bachelor

• Marketing
• Consumer Behaviour

Master

• Social Marketing for Social Innovation

Continuing Education

• Director of the CAS in Social Marketing and Nudges
• Social marketing, nudges, and behaviour change techniques
• User journey mapping workshop
• Evaluating your intervention
• Taking control of your habits: Keys to improving your productivity and quality of life
• Business models of social networks, targeted advertising, and influencer marketing (within the CAS in Law and Artificial Intelligence)
• Stimulating viral communication and making it effective
• Other tailor-made in-company training programmes