Dr Denitsa Dineva

(she/her)

BSc, MSc, PhD, FHEA

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

Research Interests

My work explores how brands and consumers navigate the messier sides of digital spaces. I study:

• Uncivil C2C communication – How online rudeness, trolling and hostile exchanges between consumers shape brand perceptions.
• Negative consumer engagement – Why people shame, boycott, or call out brands publicly, and how others respond.
• Conflict management on social media – How brands handle digital disputes without escalating them or losing credibility.
• Content moderation and platform strategy – How moderation choices impact engagement and brand trust.
• Brand communication online – From storytelling to banter, what makes brand content resonate (or backfire) in fast-moving digital environments.

Research Methods

• Mixed Methods – Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches for a comprehensive analysis.
• Social Media Text Analysis – Extracting and interpreting insights from digital conversations.
• Experiments – Testing hypotheses on consumer behaviour and engagement in controlled settings.

Teaching

Denitsa teaches on the following modules:

• BST240 Digital Marketing (MSc Strategic Marketing module)
• BST356 Digital Marketing (MSc Marketing module)
• BS3012 Digital Marketing (third year BSc Business and Management module)

Other teaching commitments:

• Executive education - Digital Adoption, Help To Grow Management
• MSc, MBA and MBM dissertation project supervisor

Biography

Qualifications

• PhD in Business and Management (Digital Marketing), Aberystwyth University
• MSc in Marketing, Aberystwyth University
• BSc in Business and Management, Aberystwyth University

Honours and awards

Awards & Nominations

• 'Outstanding partnership impact' Highly commended runner up, IAA Impact Awards, Cardiff University, 2025
• Best Full Paper Award, SIM (Società Italiana Marketing) Conference, 2024
• ‘Most Uplifting Staff Member’ Nomination, Enriching Student Life Awards, 2023
• Most Downloaded Paper of 2022, Psychology & Marketing, 2022
• First Prize, 3 Minute Thesis Competition, Aberystwyth University, 2018
• Best Paper in Track Award, Academy of Marketing Conference, Newcastle, 2016

Funding (Internal & External)

• LTA Research Internship, Cardiff University, PI, 2025 – £2,000
• Seedcorn Funding, Cardiff Business School, PI, 2025 – £2,000
• CRoSS (Commercialising Research out of Social Sciences) Fund, ESRC, PI, 2025/26 – £9,797
• Public Value Student Internship, The Hodge Foundation, PI, 2024 – £2,000
• Harmonised Impact Acceleration Account, ESRC, Co-I, 2023 – £23,878
• LTA Research Internship, Cardiff University, PI, 2023 – £2,000
• Management KTP, UKRI, Co-I, 2022 – £180,299
• Public Value Student Internship, The Hodge Foundation, PI, 2022 – £2,000
• Innovation for All, UKRI HE Innovation Funding, Co-I, 2022 – £62,785
• Seedcorn Funding, Cardiff Business School, PI, 2020–22 – £5,960

Professional memberships

• Member, Academy of Marketing (2024 - present)
• Member, Academy of Marketing Science (2022 – present)
• Fellow, Advance HE (2020 – present)
• Associate Fellow, Advance HE (2017 – 2020)

Academic positions

• External Examiner, University of Glasgow (Jan 2025 – present)
• Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Strategy, Cardiff University (Aug 2023 – present)
• External Examiner, University of Liverpool (Dec 2021 – present)
• Lecturer in Marketing and Strategy, Cardiff University (Jan 2020 – Aug 2023)
• Lecturer in Marketing, Edinburgh Napier University (Jan 2019 – Jan 2020)
• Part-time Lecturer, Aberystwyth University (Sep 2016 – Dec 2018)

Speaking engagements

• "The Power of AI for Your SME", Breakfast Briefing (Feb 2025)
• Guest Lecture, COIL Exchange Programme, University of Liverpool (2022)
• Keynote Speech – "The PhD Journey", Aberystwyth University PhD Conference (2021)

Committees and reviewing

• Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer (Ongoing)
• Senior Personal Tutor, Cardiff University (2024 – present)
• Member, AHSS Research Grant Peer Review College (2022 – 2025)
• Member, Cardiff Business School (CARBS) Research Ethics Committee (2021 – 2025)

Supervisions

I welcome applications from prospective PhD students interested in the following areas:

• Online Dysfunctional Behaviours – Exploring negative consumer interactions such as incivility, flaming, negative word-of-mouth, the spread of misinformation, and disinformation sharing and mitigation on digital platforms.
• Social Media Content Moderation – Investigating how platforms, brands, and communities implement and manage content moderation strategies, focusing on their effectiveness in curbing harmful behaviours and maintaining positive user engagement.
• Social Media Engagement: Antecedents and Consequences – Examining the factors that drive consumer engagement with brands, influencers, and communities, as well as the outcomes of these interactions.
• Brand-to-Brand Engagement – Studying how brands interact with each other in digital spaces, particularly in brand collaborations, competitive interactions, and online brand disputes.

I encourage prospective PhD candidates to send me a detailed research proposal, outlining their research topic, key objectives, and preferred methodology. I am particularly interested in qualitative and quantitative social media text analysis, experimental research, and mixed-methods approaches, but I am open to discussing other methodological perspectives depending on the research focus.

Due to the high volume of inquiries I receive, I can only respond to prospective students whose research topics align, even if loosely, with the areas outlined above.

Current supervision

Toni Xinyu Qi

Zoe Feng

Yanpeng Pei