Bo Dhondt

Biography

Bo Dhondt holds a Master’s degree in Communication Sciences from Ghent University, with a specialization in Communication Management. Her Master’s dissertation explored the use of naked appeals in (influencer) marketing, focusing on whether such appeals can increase the likeability of the influencer or the advertisement. While working on this project, she developed a strong interest in academic research.

Shortly after graduating, she started a PhD fellowship (BOF project) at CEPEC under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Dieneke Van de Sompel and Prof. Dr. Liselot Hudders. Her research focuses on the process of consumer socialization between parents and children, with a particular focus on reverse consumer socialization. This refers to the phenomenon where children actively teach consumer skills to their parents. In today’s increasingly digital world, children are developing consumer competences more independently, often ahead of their parents. Bo’s research investigates how this learning process takes place, and how the way children acquire consumer knowledge is connected to how parents learn from their children.