Astrid Van den Bossche

Astrid Van den Bossche joined the Institute of Management Studies in September 2018 as a Lecturer in Marketing. She is currently completing her DPhil at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and holds a BA in Liberal Arts from University College Maastricht, a MSt in Film Aesthetics from the University of Oxford, and a MSc in Management from London Business School.

Astrid studies what it means to be sceptical of advertising, and focusses on the processes of interpretation in persuasion contexts. In order to address the gulf between interpretive and behavioural approaches to marketing, she introduces cognitive literary theory to advertising research. She is specifically interested in the role of theory of mind in advertising literacy, and her dissertation examines how mindreading shaped the iconic Maidenform “I dreamed…” campaign (United States, 1949-1969). In terms of methodology, Astrid is exploring the potential of computational approaches to analysing archival materials. 

In a separate project, Astrid is looking at the representation of money and markets in children’s picture books. She is particularly interested in the development of theory of mind in consumer contexts, in gender bias in market-related storytelling, and in the relationship between fictionality and promotional language. 

Astrid’s interest in marketing was awakened during her work experience as a brand strategist. Trained as a film theorist, Astrid noted that cultural savvy seemed as important as business skills when formulating successful brand strategies. These insights guide her teaching.

Academic Qualifications

BA in Liberal Arts (Media Studies, Computer Science) – University College Maastricht

MSt in Film Aesthetics – University of Oxford

MSc in Management – London Business School