Prof. Dr. Stefan Rohrbach
DE
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Marketing
that drives
growth.

Evidence. Strategy. Action.

I combine marketing research with industry experience. My teaching and consulting focus on understanding people, strengthening brands and identifying opportunities for growth.

Keynotes & Consulting
Prof. Dr. Stefan Rohrbach
Research meets practice.Professor · Stuttgart Media University
Marketing strategy · Digital commerce · Social media

INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

HaleonGSKNestléUnileverAccentureREWE Group

01 / RESEARCH

Grounded in knowledge. Focused on growth.

My research explores social media, digital consumer behavior and marketing effectiveness.

RECENT PUBLICATION · 2026

What changes when people actively swipe sideways through a social media ad?

Carousel ads invite people to swipe sideways through a series of cards. Together with Daniel Bruns and Tobias Langner, I explore how this interaction relates to attention and brand recall.

The finding

Our eye-tracking research shows that activated carousel ads achieve the highest attention and brand recall among the newsfeed formats studied. Strong brands benefit particularly from carousel ads because people are more likely to interact with them.

Read the paper

Stefan Rohrbach, Daniel Bruns & Tobias Langner
International Journal of Advertising · 2026

Stefan Rohrbach presenting carousel ad research at ICORIA 2024
Sharing research: presenting carousel ad findings at ICORIA 2024.

A COMPLEMENTARY PERSPECTIVE · 2024

The Vampire Effect of Smartphone Swiping

More attention does not automatically mean better brand recall. Our study shows that unfamiliar swiping movements can increase viewing time while reducing recall of the brand.

Read the Vampire Effect paper
AWARD-WINNING RESEARCH

Best Student Paper Awards 2024 · ICORIA and American Academy of Advertising

American Academy of AdvertisingEuropean Advertising Academy – ICORIA
Recent publications and conference papers
2025

Interacting with Gen Z: How Age Moderates the Effects of Carousel Ads

Rohrbach, S., Bruns, D., & Langner, T.

ICORIA, June 2025 · Rotterdam, Netherlands

2025

Before the Hype, Comes the Swipe: How to Design Carousel Ads that Get Activated

Rohrbach, S., Bruns, D., & Langner, T.

Proceedings of the AAA Annual Conference of the American Academy of Advertising · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

2024

The Carousel Effect: Leveraging Sideways Swiping for Enhanced Ad Effectiveness in Social Media

Rohrbach, S., Bruns, D., & Langner, T.

ICORIA · Thessaloniki, Greece

2024

The Impact of Atypical Smartphone Swiping on Attention and Brand Recall in Social Media

Rohrbach, S., Bruns, D., & Langner, T.

Proceedings of the EMAC Annual Conference of the European Marketing Academy · Bucharest, Romania

2024

When Swiping Bites Back: Why Atypical Smartphone Swiping Increases Attention but Decreases Brand Memory

Rohrbach, S., Bruns, D., & Langner, T.

Proceedings of the AAA Annual Conference of the American Academy of Advertising · Portland, Oregon

2023

The Vampire Effect of Atypical Swiping: How Typicalness of Smartphone Swiping Impacts Attention and Brand Recall in Social Media Advertising

Rohrbach, S., Bruns, D., & Langner, T.

Proceedings of the 21st ICORIA · Bordeaux, France

2022

Swiping Styles in Social Media: An Exploratory Study of Typical Hand Movements in Social Media Smartphone Interaction

Rohrbach, S., & Langner, T.

Proceedings of the 20th ICORIA · Prague, Czech Republic

Publication list on the university website

02 / RESEARCH IN PRACTICE

Putting strategy into practice.

Teaching and industry projects connect rigorous analysis with real business challenges.

GARDEN INK × KRANICH GAMES · 2026

From prototype to brand.

How does a young game studio prepare for launch? With a distinctive brand, a compelling Steam presence and a social media community.

In an interdisciplinary project I led, students at Stuttgart Media University worked with Kranich Games. Drawing on market analysis and user surveys, they developed a brand strategy, recommendations for the Steam presence, and a social media and community strategy for the indie game Garden Ink.

Garden Ink project team with Stefan Rohrbach at Stuttgart Media University
Students, Kranich Games and Prof. Stefan Rohrbach at Stuttgart Media University.
Students presenting their social media and community strategy for Garden Ink
Presenting the social media and community strategy.

RESULTS IN ACTION

Brand book, content and Steam presence: results with lasting value.

The project produced a brand book and media kit, recommendations for trailers, screenshots and the game description, and a content plan with 30 ready-to-use posts for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. According to the studio, the brand book, social media content and improvements to the Steam presence are already in use.

For the students, this meant taking responsibility in specialist teams and experiencing how analysis, strategy and creative execution work together.

Explore the degree program

03 / EXPERTISE

Think strategically. Drive growth.

Compass and path to a summit: strategic direction and growth01

Marketing Strategy

Which marketing activities drive brand growth? The answers help set clear priorities for positioning, investment and execution.

Social media feed connecting people through likes, hearts, comments and shares02

Social Media Marketing

The way people use social media, consume content and participate shapes effective brand communication. These insights help brands earn attention and build stronger relationships.

Product discovery and shopping on a smartphone with a magnifying glass and cart03

Digital Consumer Behavior

Digital purchase decisions begin with discovery and comparison. Understanding these processes helps businesses design experiences that make decisions easier and unlock opportunities for growth.

TALKS & EXCHANGE

Bringing research into the conversation.

PAWLIK · EXECUTIVE ROUND TABLE CONSUMER & RETAIL

Digital Business Models in the Consumer Goods Industry

From strategy to implementation · November 2025

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON · LUNDQUIST COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Advertising in a Global Context

Online guest lecture · February 2025

04 / WORKING TOGETHER

Ideas that move you forward.

FOR EVENTS & LEADERSHIP TEAMS

Keynotes

Fresh perspectives on marketing, people and digital markets. I connect research findings with the challenges businesses face in practice.

  • Social media: from attention to brand impact
  • Understanding digital consumer behavior
  • Digital business models: from strategy to execution
Request a keynote via LinkedIn

Available in German and English. Please include your event, audience and preferred date.

FOR BUSINESSES & MARKETING TEAMS

Consulting

An informed outside perspective on your marketing challenges. Together, we clarify your strategic direction and identify opportunities for growth.

  • Marketing, brand and go-to-market strategy
  • Social media strategy and marketing effectiveness
  • E-commerce and digital growth opportunities
Discuss consulting via LinkedIn

Please outline your current situation, objective and key question.

Stefan Rohrbach in conversation with a laptop on a green sofa

05 / PROFILE

Connecting perspectives makes the difference.

Growth requires market insight, a clear strategy and the ability to put it into practice.

As a professor at Stuttgart Media University, I combine research and teaching with extensive experience in brand management, strategy consulting and digital commerce.

At Haleon (formerly GSK Consumer Healthcare), I led digital growth strategies and e-commerce for Germany, Austria and Switzerland from 2021 to 2025. At REWE Group, I led strategy projects on international expansion, go-to-market planning and organizational development. Previously, I managed international strategy projects at Accenture and brands and product launches at Nestlé.

I earned my doctorate at the University of Wuppertal and my MBA at Hawaii Pacific University. I also completed management courses at Harvard University.

My university profile Social Media Marketing & Management

KEYNOTES & CONSULTING

What would you like to set in motion?

Planning an event or looking to develop your marketing strategy?
I look forward to hearing from you.

Get in touch on LinkedIn
A relay baton handover symbolizing a shared start