Jordan LeBel

Dr. Jordan L. LeBel received his MSc from Cornell University and his PhD from McGill University and joined Concordia University in 2000. He teaches MARK 458: The Marketing of Food, as well as MBA 644: Marketing Management. He previously headed the Executive MBA program as well as the Luc Beauregard Centre of Excellence in Communications Research. He has developed many successful and award-winning courses including the MBA elective course "Experience Design and Marketing" and the online course "Marketing Yourself" taken by over 20,000 between 2004 and 2017. He is the recipient of the 2005 and 2010 best teacher award in the John Molson School of Business, the 2011 President's Excellence in Teaching Award, the 2011 MBA Professor of the Year award and the 3M National Teaching Fellowship.

His research focuses on hedonic and aesthetic consumption, especially as it relates to the definition of pleasure, its various dimensions, and its impact on decision making and behaviour in the areas of food choices and healthy eating and lifestyles. He has presented his work at various conferences such as Advances in Consumer Research, Marketing Science, The Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, and the Canadian Institute of Food Technology. His research on comfort foods, and particularly chocolate, has been featured extensively in both broadcast and print media around the world. He is a regular commentator on food and restaurant marketing issues in the local and national media. Dr. LeBel actively supervises graduate students at the MSc and PhD levels. He is a founding member of the Concordia Food Culture Research Group. He regularly consults for large and small organizations in the food, foodservice, and retail industries. He has given keynote addresses to a variety of organizations such as C2MTL, the World Congress of Food Scientists, the Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Québec, and the Canadian Foodservice Professionals Association.

Dr. LeBel started his career in professional kitchens at the age of 12 and has been a chef and a restaurant reviewer. He has taught at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and lectured at the École Hôtlière de Lausanne in Switzerland. His vintage cookbook collection goes back to 1742. Dr. LeBel is actively involved in various charities and non-profit organizations. He has been a member of the board of directors of YES Montreal, the Quebec Society of Public Relations Professionals, and Croquarium. He currently sits on the Scientific Committee for the Prevention of Obesity at the Institut national de santé publique.

Education

• Certificate in Corporate Governance (Laval University, 2017)
• Ph.D. (McGill University, 2001)
• M.Sc. (Cornell University, 1992)
• B.Sc. (Cornell University, 1990)
• Associates Degree (ITHQ, 1988)

Areas of expertise

• Eating behaviour
• Food and wine marketing
• Hedonic and aesthetic consumption
• Impact of pleasure on consumption decisions and behaviours
• Internet branding strategies

Publications

Refereed journal article

• Marquis, D., L. Hénautl-Ethier, J. LeBel (in press). Edible Insect Marketing in Western Countries : Wisely Weighing the Foodstuff, Foodie, and Foodscape. Submitted to Journal of Insects as Food and Feed. https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/abs/10.3920/JIFF2018.0037
• LeBel, J., M. LeBouthillier (2019). Tacos, Sriracha et sauce soya : le marketing qui nous fait aimer ces aliments venus d’ailleurs. In Cuizine, vol. 10, no. 1, P. Emeline & G. Sicotte (Eds) https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/cuizine/2019-v10-n1-cuizine04600/1059906ar/

Book chapters

• LeBel, J. L. & A. Détolle (2017). « Le marketing du cidre de glace du Québec : quand un repositionnement s’impose pour éviter l’impasse » dans La transformation du cidre au Québec, L. M. Cloutier & A. Détolle (Éds), pages 247-271, Montréal : Presses de l’Université du Québec. This book received a coveted Gourmand World Cookbook Award in 2018 (“Drink Culture” category).
• LeBel, J.L. (2016). Food Retailing in Canada : Shaping Choice and What Canadians Eat. In C. Elliott (Ed.) How Canadians Communicate VI: Food Promotion, Consumption, and Controversy, pp. 35-52, Edmonton, AB : AU Press.