# Niraj Dawar

> Niraj Dawar is a Professor Emeritus of Marketing at Ivey Business School (University of Western Ontario) and one of the most influential marketing strategists working today. Author of TILT: Shifting Your Strategy from Products to Customers (Harvard Business Review Press, 2013) - a bestseller named Best Business Book of 2014 in Marketing by strategy+business - he built his reputation arguing that competitive advantage has permanently migrated downstream, from products to customer relationships. His 1994 Journal of Marketing paper on 'Marketing Universals' (with Philip Parker) has over 1,000 citations. After retiring to emeritus status, he pivoted to applying brand strategy to nations through GeoStrategix and the Nation Brand Research Initiative, publishing in the South China Morning Post as recently as March 2026 on US-China soft power competition in Southeast Asia.

- **Role:** Professor Emeritus of Marketing at Ivey Business School; Principal at Brand Strategy Group Ltd & GeoStrategix; Co-Founder of Nation Brand Research Initiative
- **Organizations:** Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario, Brand Strategy Group Ltd, GeoStrategix, Nation Brand Research Initiative, INSEAD
- **Nationality:** Canadian
- **Education:** PhD, Marketing, Pennsylvania State University
- **Known for:** TILT named Best Business Book of 2014 in Marketing by strategy+business magazine, TILT debuted #2 (Kindle) and #3 (hardcover) among bestselling marketing books worldwide, Forbes named TILT a Noteworthy Book of 2014 (4th among books for creative leaders)

## Career timeline

- **1991** — Joined INSEAD (Fontainebleau, France) as Assistant Professor of Marketing
- **1994** — Published landmark 'Marketing Universals' paper in Journal of Marketing (1,000+ citations) with Philip Parker
- **1994-1995** — Visiting Scholar at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- **1998** — Joined Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario as Professor of Marketing
- **2000** — William Davidson Visiting Research Professor at University of Michigan Business School
- **2005-2006** — Visiting Professor of Marketing at INSEAD Singapore Campus
- **2009-2010** — Visiting Professor at INSEAD (Fontainebleau) and Vlerick School (Belgium)
- **2013** — Published TILT: Shifting Your Strategy from Products to Customers (Harvard Business Review Press); named HBR Professor holding the Barford Chair in Marketing
- **2014** — TILT named Best Business Book of 2014 in Marketing by strategy+business; Forbes Noteworthy Book
- **2018** — Published 'Marketing in the Age of Alexa' in HBR predicting AI intermediary dominance in consumer choice
- **2020s** — Transitioned to Professor Emeritus; founded GeoStrategix and Nation Brand Research Initiative
- **2026** — Published op-ed in South China Morning Post on US-China soft power competition in Southeast Asia

## Achievements

- TILT named Best Business Book of 2014 in Marketing by strategy+business magazine
- TILT debuted #2 (Kindle) and #3 (hardcover) among bestselling marketing books worldwide
- Forbes named TILT a Noteworthy Book of 2014 (4th among books for creative leaders)
- 'Marketing Universals' (1994, with Philip Parker) has 1,000+ citations - one of most cited marketing papers
- Won Long Term Impact Award from the European Marketing Academy
- Multiple EFMD awards for case studies
- Held the endowed Barford Chair in Marketing at Ivey Business School
- Taught at INSEAD, Ivey, University of Michigan, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Vlerick School
- Regular contributor to Harvard Business Review
- Co-founded Nation Brand Research Initiative - built on 100+ global data sources

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Published op-ed in South China Morning Post: 'Fatigue is Rewriting the US-China Soft Power Contest, Starting in Asean' (co-authored with Samer Elhajjar). Key finding: only 44.9% of Southeast Asians view the US as a reliable strategic partner.
- **2025** — Continues active work on Nation Brand Research Initiative and GeoStrategix, applying brand strategy frameworks to geopolitical competition.
- **2024** — Active on LinkedIn with regular posts on strategy, geopolitics, brand theory, and business trends (876 posts, 15 long-form articles).

## Links

- Website: http://www.strategytilt.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niraj-dawar-4519631/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/nirajdawar

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/niraj-dawar
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-26