Ann Mirabito, Ph.D.
Professor of Marketing Baylor University
- Waco TX
Internationally recognized scholar on the use of marketing science to improve consumer well-being with focus on threats to well-being
Media
Biography
Her research focuses on what she calls “turbulent consumer journeys”—situations where people must make high-stakes decisions while facing uncertainty, fragmented systems, stigma, or emotional stress. These journeys often arise in healthcare, mental health care, insurance, and other complex markets where consumers must act quickly without clear information.
Mirabito studies how individuals and families navigate these environments and how organizations can design systems that better support consumers and frontline workers. Her work examines issues such as navigating the mental health system, healthcare decision-making, consumer well-being, and the pressures facing frontline service workers.
Her research is published in leading marketing and medical journals including Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Service Research, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Mayo Clinic Proceedings. She has also written for practitioner audiences in Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. Her work offers insights for business leaders, healthcare organizations, and policymakers seeking to improve consumer well-being.
Before entering academia, Mirabito held executive roles across the private, nonprofit, and public sectors, including positions at Frito-Lay, Time Warner, Chase Econometrics, and the Federal Reserve Board.
She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing and the advisory board for Transformative Consumer Research. She is also active in mental health advocacy and serves on the board of the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD Alliance).
Areas of Expertise
Education
Texas A&M - Mays Business School
Ph.D.
Marketing
2008
Stanford University, Graduate School of Business
M.B.A.
Strategy
1983
Duke University
B.A.
Economics
1976
Affiliations
- Transformative Consumer Research
- National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD Alliance)
Media Appearances
How real estate agents can effectively communicate their value
North Columbus News online
2024-10-20
Ann Mirabito, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing at Baylor, is quoted in this article about how real estate agents can best communicate the value of their services. Agents should clearly outline their marketing plans and demonstrate how these efforts will attract qualified buyers while also building rapport through small talk, Mirabito suggested.
Answering Your Clients' Questions About Compensation
Realtor Magazine online
2024-08-18
Ann M. Mirabito, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing at Baylor who researches marketing strategy and consumer behavior, is quoted about the steps real estate agents need to make to communicate their value, including explaining and demonstrating their brand in a way that matters to consumers.
Business Review - Coping Through Commerce
KWBU-FM (Waco/NPR) online
2024-04-25
AUDIO: Ann M. Mirabito, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing at Baylor, challenges conventional notions that uncover how individuals are turning to the marketplace to manage the stressors associated with mental disorders, offering surprising insights into its potential role in mental health support.
Corporate fitness programs survive hard times
Washington Post online
2011-07-04
Ann Mirabito, one of the authors of the Harvard Business Review article, wrote in an e-mail that “the jury is still out” on the effectiveness of individual fitness programs.
“Our conclusion is that single programs (e.g., fitness subsidies or Weight Watchers) may be helpful but are unlikely to generate the big returns. Most important is creating an overall atmosphere that encourages wellness,” she wrote.
Articles
Hijacked, blindfolded, and handcuffed: Navigating the turbulent consumer journey for mental illness treatment services
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science2025
This research identifies the differentiating characteristics, scope, trajectory, and navigation of the turbulent consumer journey (TCJ) for mental illness treatment. The TCJ is defined as a prolonged, crisis-ridden, high consequence journey marked by deep uncertainty. An unexpected crisis hijacks the consumer who lacks the knowledge to navigate an ongoing, dynamic, complex, and ambiguous environment. Confusion blindfolds and impedes rational decision-making. The high stakes handcuff the consumer, precluding journey abandonment or heuristic decision making.
Crafting the road to well-being for precarious frontline workers: Explicating the role of jolts and resources
Journal of Vocational Behavior2025
High psychological work demands, low decision latitude, and minimal social support, together with disproportionate burdens from environmental threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic, tax the well-being of low-income frontline workers (FLWs). While worker well-being is linked with productivity and engagement, little is known about the well-being journeys of FLWs in precarious, low-paid, low-status roles. We conducted qualitative research with precarious FLWs to investigate the effects of the interplay of their personal and work experiences on their lifelong well-being journeys.
Mental illness and marketing: A 50-year scoping review and future research framework
Psychology & Marketing2024
Marketing scholars wield untapped potential to expand research into the wellbeing of consumers with mental illness beyond existing clinical and medical perspectives, enriching the field with unique insights into consumer behavior, market dynamics, and strategic interventions. This scoping review maps over 50 years of research at the intersection of mental illness and marketing in business disciplines.
Guest editorial: Mental health and the marketplace: a research agenda
Journal of Consumer Marketing2022
When the idea for this special issue on “Mental Health and Marketing” was conceived, little did we suspect the world as we knew it was about to spin out of control because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather, as marketing academics long interested in the impact of stigma in the marketplace (Adkins and Ozanne, 2005; Mirabito et al., 2016; Machin et al., 2019), we saw too many consumers trapped by the functional and emotional challenges associated with mental illness (MI) and the attendant stigma (Rüsch et al., 2005).
The marketplace, mental well-being, and me: Exploring self-efficacy, self-esteem, and self-compassion in consumer coping
Journal of Business Research2019
Individuals with mental disorders (MD) not only struggle with functional impairment; they must also manage the stigma accompanying their diagnosis. In this research we explore the role of the marketplace as a resource to help consumers cope with MD-related stressors.
