Overview
Background
Dr Josephine Previte’s research examines how marketing, services and technology shape people’s everyday lives, wellbeing and participation in society. Her work brings together social marketing, transformative service research and social entrepreneurship to examine how people experience complex systems, and how organisations can respond with more inclusive, ethical and effective forms of change.
Current projects extend this agenda through research on disability-inclusive services, homelessness, mental health service experiences, mission-led social entrepreneurship, and changing alcohol cultures, including shifts toward low- and no-alcohol consumption. Across these projects, her research focuses on how people navigate complex systems and how organisations can design more responsive, equitable and human-centred interventions.
Applied research is central to this agenda, bringing marketing insight to behaviour change and service-system challenges. Projects include alcohol consumption, cancer screen and blood donation, as well as technology-enabled service delivery and disability-inclusive services.
Her methodological expertise spans qualitative and mixed-method research, with a strong interest in alternative and innovative methodologies. This includes expertise in using Q methodology, videography, digital and technology-enabled research approaches, and interpretive designs that reveal the complexity of people’s lives.
Across this work, Josephine is committed to research that generates practical insight, strengthens social change efforts, and brings meaningful benefits to people, organisations and society.
Availability
- Associate Professor Josephine Previte is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Queensland University of Technology
- Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Transformative Service Research for Social Impact
Services shape people’s access to care, dignity, inclusion and wellbeing. My research examines the social impact of service systems, with a focus on how organisations, frontline actors and communities respond to vulnerability and exclusion. Current projects investigate disability-inclusive service and accessibility readiness, alongside service responses to homelessness, to understand how services can create more equitable and transformative social outcomes.
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Social Marketing for Behavioural and Social Change
Changing behaviour is rarely a matter of simply changing minds. My research examines how social marketing can address complex health and social issues by engaging with lived experience, social norms, market systems and policy contexts. It includes sustained work on alcohol-related behaviour change and low- and no-alcohol consumption, alongside research into gendered experiences, inequalities and social change.
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Qualitative Inquiry and Research Innovation
A distinctive contribution of qualitative inquiry is its capacity to reveal the complexity of people’s lives. My methodological expertise is grounded in context, empathy and meaning, using qualitative approaches to understand lived experience, social practices and how people make sense of change. It extends to methodological innovation through Q methodology, videography, visual methods and interpretive research design.
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Health Service Experience and Systems Change
Health services are experienced through complex interactions between people, providers and systems. My research integrates social marketing and service thinking to understand health service access, engagement and impact from multiple perspectives. It includes research in women’s health, alongside current work examining mental health service experiences, provider challenges and opportunities to design more responsive, person-centred systems of care.
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Technology, Markets and Everyday Life
Technology is reshaping everyday life, from how people connect and consume to how markets collect data, personalise experiences and influence choice. My research examines consumer and societal engagements with technology, including platform use, data-driven marketing, privacy, trust and consumer wellbeing. It also extends to digital and technology-enabled methodologies for understanding contemporary market and social life.
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Mission, Markets and Systems Change
Social enterprises often work where existing systems fall short. My research examines how founders and leaders balance mission and money while creating sustainable responses to complex social issues. It connects social entrepreneurship with systems social marketing to understand how market-based, community-centred and socially innovative approaches can support broader systems change.
Research impacts
Josephine’s research creates impact by helping organisations, governments and community partners turn lived-experience insights into more inclusive, responsive and effective services.
Her work translates marketing, social marketing and service research into practical evidence that supports better decision-making, stronger engagement and improved outcomes for communities. This includes evidence-based frameworks, evaluation insights, policy recommendations and organisational capability-building.
Across her research activities, Josephine is invested in working with organisations to create meaningful change. Her approach uses co-design, consultation and collaborative research to translate evidence into practical strategies that improve services, strengthen participation and deliver benefits for people, organisations and communities.
Works
Search Professor Josephine Previte’s works on UQ eSpace
2012
Journal Article
Increasing loyalty to breastfeeding: investigating a product development strategy
Parkinson, Joy, Russell-Bennett, Rebekah and Previte, Josephine (2012). Increasing loyalty to breastfeeding: investigating a product development strategy. Health Marketing Quarterly, 29 (3), 223-238. doi: 10.1080/07359683.2012.705663
2012
Journal Article
Mum or bub? Which influences breastfeeding loyalty
Parkinson, Joy, Russell-Bennett, Rebekah and Previte, Josephine (2012). Mum or bub? Which influences breastfeeding loyalty. Australasian Marketing Journal, 20 (1), 16-23. doi: 10.1016/j.ausmj.2011.10.010
2012
Book Chapter
Overcoming barriers through new technology: support via text messaging
Russell-Bennett, Rebekah, Gallegos, Danielle and Previte, Josephine (2012). Overcoming barriers through new technology: support via text messaging. The 10th step and beyond: Mother support for breastfeeding. (pp. 183-193) edited by Virginia Thorley and Melissa Vickers. Amarillo, TX, United States: Hale Publishing.
2012
Book
Consumer Behaviour: buying, having, being
Solomon, Michael R., Russell-Bennett, Rebekah and Previte, Josephine (2012). Consumer Behaviour: buying, having, being. 3rd ed. Frenchs Forst, NSW: Pearson Australia.
2012
Conference Publication
If I didn't want people to know, I wouldn't put it on Facebook: how privacy is changing in the age of social networking
Pomfret, Liam and Previte, Josephine (2012). If I didn't want people to know, I wouldn't put it on Facebook: how privacy is changing in the age of social networking. Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (ANZMAC 2012), Adelaide, SA, Australia, 3 - 5 December 2012. Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science: Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, Edith Cowan University.
2011
Journal Article
An innovative approach to reducing risks associated with infant feeding: The use of technology
Gallegos, Danielle, Russell-Bennett, Rebekah and Previte, Joesphine (2011). An innovative approach to reducing risks associated with infant feeding: The use of technology. Journal of Nonprofit and Public Sector Marketing, 23 (4), 327-347. doi: 10.1080/10495142.2011.623504
2011
Journal Article
A social marketing approach to value creation in a well-women's health service
Zainuddin, Nadia, Previte, Josephine and Russell-Bennett, Rebekah (2011). A social marketing approach to value creation in a well-women's health service. Journal of Marketing Management, 27 (3/4), 361-385. doi: 10.1080/0267257X.2011.547081
2010
Book
Consumer behaviour: buying, having, being
Solomon, Michael, Russell-Bennett, Rebekah and Previte, Josephine (2010). Consumer behaviour: buying, having, being. 2nd ed. Melbourne, VIC Australia: Pearson Australia.
2009
Journal Article
Conceptualising value creation for social change management
Russell-Bennett, R., Previte, J. and Zainuddin, N. (2009). Conceptualising value creation for social change management. Australasian Marketing Journal, 17 (4), 211-218. doi: 10.1016/j.ausmj.2009.06.002
2009
Conference Publication
A qualitative investigation of sources of value in social marketing from the lens of a public health service
Zainuddin, N., Previte, J. and Russell-Bennett, R. (2009). A qualitative investigation of sources of value in social marketing from the lens of a public health service. Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy (ANZMAC) Conference 2009, Melbourne, Australia, 30 November - 2 December 2009. Melbourne, Australia: ANZMAC.
2009
Conference Publication
Talking policy: RTD taxation versus social marketing outcomes
Previte, J. and Fry, M. (2009). Talking policy: RTD taxation versus social marketing outcomes. Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy (ANZMAC) Conference 2009, Melbourne, Australia, 30 November - 2 December 2009. Australia: ANZMAC.
2008
Conference Publication
Describing value in a social marketing service: What is it and how is it influenced?
Zainuddin, Nadia, Russell-Bennett, Rebekah and Previte, Josephine A. (2008). Describing value in a social marketing service: What is it and how is it influenced?. 2008 INSM Conference: Partnerships, Proof and Practice, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, 15-16 July, 2008.
2008
Conference Publication
How is value created? A process model for value creation in government social marketing services
Zainuddin, Nadia, Russell-Bennett, Rebekah and Previte, Josephine A. (2008). How is value created? A process model for value creation in government social marketing services. World Social Marketing Conference, Brighton, UK, 29-30 September 2008. Brisbane, Australia: QUT.
2008
Conference Publication
Get off our roads Magoo: Are elderly drivers entitled to drive on our roads?
Larkin, I., Previte, J. and Luck, E. (2008). Get off our roads Magoo: Are elderly drivers entitled to drive on our roads?. Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy (ANZMAC 2008), Sydney, Australia, 1-3 December 2008. Sydney, Australia: ANZMAC.
2007
Journal Article
The prototypal social entrepreneur: A case study about social and economic leveraging of virtual community in regional Australia
Drennan, Judy and Previte, Josephine (2007). The prototypal social entrepreneur: A case study about social and economic leveraging of virtual community in regional Australia. International Journal of Internet and Enterprise Management, 5 (2), 136-157. doi: 10.1504/IJIEM.2007.014086
2007
Conference Publication
Conceptualising a relational approach to value creation in a government service: Implications for social marketing
Zainuddin, Nadia, Russell-Bennett, Rebekah and Previte, Jo (2007). Conceptualising a relational approach to value creation in a government service: Implications for social marketing. 2007 International Nonprofit and Social Marketing Conference, Brisbane, QLD, 27-28 September 2007.
2007
Journal Article
Stakeholders, natural resource management and Australian rural local governments: A Q methodological study
Pini, Barbara, Previte, Josephine and Haslam-McKenzie, Fiona (2007). Stakeholders, natural resource management and Australian rural local governments: A Q methodological study. Local Government Studies, 33 (3), 427-449. doi: 10.1080/03003930701289638
2007
Conference Publication
Is Government Branding 'Just Wall Paper' or Does it Enhance Product Acceptance: Conceptualising Brand Influence in Social Marketing
Sibbick, Joseph, Previte, Jo. and Russell-Bennett, Rebekah (2007). Is Government Branding 'Just Wall Paper' or Does it Enhance Product Acceptance: Conceptualising Brand Influence in Social Marketing. 2007 International Nonprofit and Social Marketing (INSM) Conference, Brisbane, QLD, 27-28 September 2007.
2006
Journal Article
Privacy, risk perception, and expert online behavior: An exploratory study of household end users
Drennan, J. C., Sullivan Mort, G. and Previte, J. A. (2006). Privacy, risk perception, and expert online behavior: An exploratory study of household end users. Journal of Organizational and End User Computing, 18 (1), 1-22. doi: 10.4018/joeuc.2006010101
2006
Conference Publication
Exploring m-consumers transitioning between vulnerability and responsibility: An m-gambling consumption study
Drennan, J., Previte, J. and Sullivan-Mort, G. (2006). Exploring m-consumers transitioning between vulnerability and responsibility: An m-gambling consumption study. Controversies in Social Marketing: the Way Forward, Newcastle, August, 2006.
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Josephine Previte is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the impact of Halal labels on perceived product quality between Muslim consumers in non-Muslim countries
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Muhammad Rashid Saeed
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Doctor Philosophy
Innovation Ecosystems and Generative AI: Collaborations, Standards, and Value Capture
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ashish Sinha, Associate Professor Jay Weerawardena
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Doctor Philosophy
Disability-led Innovation and Assistive Technology: Redefining Accessibility in the Global Hospitality Industry
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jie Wang
Completed supervision
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2025
Doctor Philosophy
An Investigation of the Social Affect of Consumer Sentiment: Implications for Nonprofit Marketing and Prosocial Behaviour Change
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Cassandra France
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
How brand purpose is reshaping market-brand relationships: The case of Fast Moving Consumer Goods
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Alexandra Kriz
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Battles in contested markets: The processes of legitimation in the 'legal high' market
Principal Advisor
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Influences on consumer information sharing and privacy choices in online social networking
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Len Coote
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
The application of social marketing to issues in animal welfare
Principal Advisor
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2025
Doctor Philosophy
Exoskeletons at your Service: Exploration of Service Actor Perspectives Toward Frontline Exoskeleton Usage
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nicole Hartley
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Un-packaging fresh food packaging: A social semiotic perspective
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ken Tann
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Embracing Brand Complexity: Conceptualising and Understanding the Broad Brand Concept
Associate Advisor
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
The role of market learning in social innovation and value creation in Australian social purpose organisations
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Jay Weerawardena
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
A consumer value theory of innovation in 3G mobile phones: a grounded theory approach
Associate Advisor
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
Consumer Preference for Sustainability
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Len Coote
Media
Enquiries
Contact Associate Professor Josephine Previte directly for media enquiries about:
- Behaviour change campaigns
- Consumer behaviour
- Gendered consumption
- Social marketing
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