HBS faculty comprises scholars and practitioners who bring leading-edge research, extensive experience, and deep insights into the classroom, to organizations, and to leaders across the globe. We asked new faculty at HBS about their background, their new roles, and their interests.
Maren Hoff, assistant professor, Marketing
What is your educational background?
I hold a BSc in business administration from the University of Muenster, an MLitt in marketing from the University of St. Andrews, and a PhD in marketing from Columbia University.
What’s your area of research and what led you to it?
My research explores how cultural forces shape consumer behavior and identity expression. In particular, I examine how and why tastes, styles, and products change in meaning over time as societal norms evolve. I combine large-scale data with experiments to trace long-term changes in how consumers express identity markers, including their status, gender, values, and age. What led me to it? A lifelong passion for fashion, culture, and trends.
What will you be teaching?
I’ll be teaching Marketing in the Required Curriculum.
What would you be doing if you weren’t an academic?
I’d open my own studio to teach dance and yoga.
Where are you from?
I grew up on a farm in Northern Germany.
What is something you like to do outside of your academic work?
Dance, yoga, and surfing. If I’m not in Boston, I’m either in New York taking dance classes or chasing mellow two-footers somewhere warm.
What’s your favorite book, movie, or piece of art?
Pieces by Jackson Pollock and Isamu Noguchi.
