Smith’s Rebecca Ratner Addresses Social Connection in ACR 2025 Leadership Role

With leadership from its president, Rebecca Ratner, the Association for Consumer Research (ACR) held its annual conference in Washington, D.C., from October 9 to 11, 2025. Leading scholars gathered at ACR 2025 to discuss emerging trends in consumer research and showcase the latest advancements in the field. This year's theme was “Buying and Beyond.” In addition to decisions related to buying, presentations explored other behaviors, including "when, where and how people consume time, technology, food or other resources."

In giving the conference’s Presidential Address, Ratner, Dean’s Professor of Marketing at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, discussed social connection and "the worldwide lack of it,” she said. She premised this on “the loneliness epidemic,” plus “the effects of a fraying social fabric.”

She said, "Consumer behavior researchers should care about how marketing can cultivate social connection.” She further related her own research on how the lack of social connection affects behavior. For example, Ratner has shown that consumers often opt out of public leisure activities if they don't have someone to do the activity with because they don't want people to think they don't have friends. Her work has also shown factors that can promote meaningful social connections when people have experiences with others.

ACR 2025 convened as Ratner, in her presidential term, has prioritized further professionalizing the association’s conference and association management. She created and led a task force from fall 2024 through January 2025 to identify a conference and association management company that could provide additional support for ACR’s Executive Director. Subsequently, ACR partnered with Podium to assist in managing the organization and supporting conference co-chairs going forward.