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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Josephine Go JefferiesORCiD
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Marketing research and practice is built on neuronormative assumptions about how peopleprocess information, regulate emotions, interpret sensory cues, and engage socially. Theseassumptions obscure the reality of neurological pluralism: the fact that human minds differ insystematic and meaningful ways. The concept of neurodiversity captures this variation. Whileneurodiversity has gained visibility through clinical diagnoses like autism spectrum disorder andADHD, this session argues that the underlying traits associated with such diagnoses are widelydistributed across the population and not confined to clinical groups (Dwyer, 2022; Milton et al.,2022; Walker, 2021). Marketing research and practice, however, has only engaged withneurodiversity at the margins—typically as a matter of disability accommodation, accessibilitycompliance, or specialized interventions for clinical populations (Javor et al., 2023).This session proposes a shift in perspective: from treating neurodivergent individuals asexceptions to be tolerated, to recognizing neurological pluralism. To structure this perspective,we identify four superordinate domains of neurodiversity that are especially relevant tomarketing (see Table 1). Clinical diagnoses are typically defined by bundles of traits that cutacross these domains. However, the individual traits themselves—such as detail-focusedthinking, emotional sensitivity, sensory overload, or literal communication—are distributedthroughout the general population and often emerge independently of any formal diagnosis.Unbundling these traits from diagnostic categories allows us to examine them as cross-cuttingdimensions of human experience, with implications for how people engage with marketplaceenvironments and everyday consumption choices.Table 1: Four Domains of NeurodiversityCognitive Processing: Differences in attention, executive function, & reasoning styleEmotional Regulation: Differences in emotional sensitivity, regulation, and salienceSensory Perception: Differences in sensory awareness, processing, and sensitivitySocial Engagement: Differences in interpreting social cues and communication preferencesWe organize our session around these four domains, synthesizing insights from marketing,psychology, neuroscience, education, design, neurodiversity, and disability studies to show howconsumer environments and policy systems often assume a narrow range of processing styles—thereby excluding, confusing, or burdening many users. These effects are not limited to clinicallydiagnosed individuals; rather, they reflect a mismatch between design assumptions and thediverse ways in which people process the world (Javor et al., 2023). We then introduce theconcept of pluralist neurodesign, defined as the intentional design of marketing systems, policyinterventions, and consumer environments that accommodate the full range of neurologicalvariation. By embracing this inclusive approach, marketers can build environments that are notonly more ethical and accessible, but also more effective, resilient, and reflective of the fullspectrum of human minds.Dwyer, P. (2022). The Neurodiversity Approach(es): What Are They and What Do They Mean forResearchers? Human Development, 66(2), 73–92. https://doi.org/10.1159/000523723Javor, A., Koller, M., Lee, N., & Breiter, H. (2023). Vulnerable consumers: Marketing researchneeds to pay more attention to the brain health of consumers. Marketing Letters, 34(2), 337–342. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-022-09654-3Milton, D., Gurbuz, E., & López, B. (2022). The ‘double empathy problem’: Ten years on. Autism,26(8), 1901–1903. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221129123Walker, N. (2021). Neuroqueer heresies: Notes on the neurodiversity paradigm, autisticempowerment, and postnormal possibilities. Autonomous Press.
Author(s): Zaman RT, Machin JE, Mirabito A, Go Jefferies J, Boesen Mariani S, Radu S, Murto R, Luca N, Ucok Hughes M, Press M, Douglas P, Kay M, Kleinheinz VS
Publication type: Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)
Publication status: Published
Conference Name: AMA Marketing & Public Policy Conference 2026
Year of Conference: 2026
Online publication date: 18/05/2026
Acceptance date: 30/01/2026
Publisher: American Marketing Association
URL: https://www.ama.org/events/academic/2026-ama-marketing-and-public-policy-conference/
