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Se­basti­an Zen­ker

Professor

Subjects
Co-creation Branding Consumer behaviour Tourism

Primary research areas

Place Brand­ing
How can places be branded – to at­tract tal­ents, com­pan­ies or tour­ists? How can this brand be meas­ured and man­aged. This is my main re­search in­terest for more than 20 years.
Crisis and Crisis Com­mu­nic­a­tion
We are liv­ing in multi-crisis times: geo­pol­it­ic­ally, the cli­mate-crisis, tal­ent short­age, over­tour­ism, pan­dem­ics, etc. How does this change our con­sump­tion (e.g., travel be­ha­vi­or)? What could or­gan­iz­a­tions do to deal with these chal­lenges?
Cus­tom­er (Tour­ist) Be­ha­vi­or
How can the light in a shop change the per­cep­tions of products? How are place per­cep­tions built through a vis­it? How can we change the be­ha­vi­or of con­sumers to be more sus­tain­able? These are the ques­tions that in­terest me the most in un­der­stand­ing con­sumer be­ha­vi­or.

I love to work with com­plex­ity

I am a professor in branding and tourism with a special focus on place branding and consumer (tourist) behavior. My work examines how places—from cities to regions—can strengthen their identity and attractiveness in complex and competitive environments. 

I am particularly interested in how we can create change within a complex setting as places. Place branding, in this sense, is not only about tourism, but also about broader societal goals such as talent attraction, investment, and community development. My research provides insights that support policymakers, businesses, and institutions in shaping sustainable strategies for growth and resilience. 

Research focus: Place branding, tourism, consumer/tourist behavior, crisis management 

Broader impact: Enhancing attractiveness for talent, investment, and visitors; developing more resilient places and organizations 

Societal contribution: Helping communities navigate complexity and create positive change 

Through teaching, publications, and collaborations, I work to translate research into practices that benefit both academia and society – and create positive change. 

Publications

See all publications

August 2026

Travel in the Mirror

How Home Stereotypes Shape Travel Intentions

Živa Kolbl

Mi­le­na Mi­cevski, Associate Professor

Maja Arslanagić-Kalajdžić

Se­ba­sti­an Zen­ker, Professor

Marc Herz
Go to publication

10 December 2025

Destination Smartness Revisited

Sustainability’s Influence and the New Destination Smartness Scale (DSS)

Nina Michaelidou

Se­ba­sti­an Zen­ker, Professor

Mi­le­na Mi­cevski, Associate Professor

Marc Herz

Živa Kolbl
Go to publication

Outside activities

Place Brand Schleswig-Hol­stein , 2025 - cur­rent

Mon­it­or­ing the place brand Schleswig-Hol­stein for the Min­is­teri­um of Eco­nom­ics Schleswig-Hol­stein with PB Place Brands.

Touch­point Man­age­ment City of Bocholt , 2023 - cur­rent

Meas­ure­ment and brand strategy for the City of Bocholt to­geth­er with the Brand­mey­er Marken­ber­a­tung GmbH.

Dis­trict Brand­ing Sem­in­ar , 2023 - cur­rent

Reg­u­lar place brand­ing sem­inars for the In­dus­trie und Han­del­skam­mer (IHK) Nord West­falen.

Place Brand Sem­inars , 2018 - cur­rent

Reg­u­lar place brand­ing sem­inars for the Bundes­verb­and City- und Stadtmar­ket­ing e.V. (bcsd e.V.).

Key­note Deutsche Stadtmar­ket­ing­börse in Mün­ster , 2025 -

Key­note about brand touch­point man­age­ment for the Bundes­verb­and City- und Stadtmar­ket­ing e.V. (bcsd e.V.).

Brand Eval­u­ation Schleswig-Hol­stein , 2024 - 2025

Eval­u­ation and brand strategy for the place brand Schleswig-Hol­stein to­geth­er with the Brand­mey­er Marken­ber­a­tung GmbH.

Brand Ana­lys­is City of Jena , 2024 - 2025

Meas­ure­ment and brand strategy for the City of Jena to­geth­er with the Brand­mey­er Marken­ber­a­tung GmbH.

Key­note Gastro Up­date Event , 2024 -

Key­note about chan­ging cus­tom­er be­ha­viour with nudging at the Gastro Up­date event of the DE­HOGA Nordrhein-West­falen e.V.

Brand­ing the City of Osnab­rück , 2024 -

Be­ing part of the com­mit­tee for se­lect­ing an ad­vert­ising agency for the Mar­ket­ing Osnab­rück GmbH.

Speak­er Event “Stadtge­spräche” in Biele­feld , 2024 -

Key­note about chan­ging cus­tom­er be­ha­viour with nudging at the Stadtge­spräche event of the Biele­feld Mar­ket­ing GmbH.

Speak­er Event “Brand­ing Lichten­berg” in Ber­lin , 2024 -

Key­note about brand ar­chi­tec­ture for place brands for the Bezirk­samt Lichten­berg von Ber­lin.

Speak­er Event “City meets Cul­ture” in Uelzen , 2024 -

Key­note about place brand­ing for the Hans­estadt Uelzen.

Brand Ana­lys­is City of Osnab­rück , 2022 - 2023

Meas­ure­ment and brand strategy for the City of Osnab­rück to­geth­er with the Brand­mey­er Marken­ber­a­tung GmbH.

Key­note & Pan­el Dis­cus­sion on Place Brand­ing (Malaga, Spain) , 2023 -

Key­note about place brand­ing for the ESIC Busi­ness & Mar­ket­ing School.

Brand Ana­lys­is Des­tin­a­tion Brand Schleswig-Hol­stein , 2022 - 2023

Meas­ure­ment and brand strategy for the des­tin­a­tion brand Schleswig-Hol­stein with the Brand­mey­er Marken­ber­a­tung GmbH.

Brand­ing the City of Ham­burg , 2022 -

Se­lec­tion Com­mit­tee for Brand Con­sultancy for the Ham­burg Mar­ket­ing GmbH (HMG).

Key­note Net­zwerk Innen­stadt , 2021 -

Key­note about place brand­ing for the IM­ORDE Pro­jekt- & Kul­turber­a­tung GmbH.

Key­note Som­merakademie , 2021 -

Key­note about place brand­ing for the Bundes­verb­and City- und Stadtmar­ket­ing e.V. (bcsd e.V.).

Key­note 7th Na­tionaler Rad­verkehr­skon­gress , 2021 -

Key­note speech for the Event Con­sult GmbH & Bundesmin­is­teri­um für Verkehr und di­gitale In­frastruk­tur (Ger­many).

Brand Ana­lys­is City of Jena , 2020 -

The meas­ure­ment of the place brand City of Jena to­geth­er with the Brand­mey­er Marken­ber­a­tung GmbH.

Brand­ing the City of Ber­lin , 2019 - 2020

De­vel­op­ment of the brand­ing strategy for the CIty of Ber­lin (The Gov­ern­ing May­or of Ber­lin – Sen­ate Chan­cellery).