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MSc, PhD(Otago)
Research Lead, Visual Research and Creative Marketing Lab
Senior Lecturer

Wiebke Finkler imageRoom 4.19, Otago Business School
Tel +64 3 479 8167
Mob +64 21 181 2204
Email wiebke.finkler@otago.ac.nz

  • Research Lead, Visual Research and Creative Marketing Lab
  • Senior Lecturer, Department of Marketing, University of Otago

Dr Wiebke Finkler is a creative marketing researcher specialising in visual storytelling, science communication and behaviour change. Originally trained as a marine biologist, documentary filmmaker and science communicator, her professional journey has taken her across disciplines - but marketing has ultimately become her home, offering a dynamic space to integrate research, creativity and impact.

Wiebke is also an award-winning filmmaker with over 25 years of experience. Her creative work has been featured on ABC Television, Discovery Channel, and international film festivals. Her documentary The Guardian of Kinabalu won the Special Jury Prize at the 11th Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival, and her book The Science of Hope: Eye to Eye with our World's Wildlife received the 2021 Foreword Indies Gold Award for Ecology & Environment.

Her early research focused on whale conservation and sustainable tourism, with fieldwork across all continents - from studying killer whales in the north-west Pacific to expedition-based research in Antarctica. Now based at the University of Otago as a Senior Lecturer, Wiebke leads the Visual Research & Creative Marketing Lab. She has authored over 66 academic publications, presentations and workshops.

Her current research focuses on science marketing, social good campaigns, immersive communication tools (including 360° VR), and the role of storytelling in building public engagement. Passionate about empowering others to share their own stories, Wiebke also runs hands-on training in mobile filmmaking, photography and visual communication.

Research interests

  • Creative marketing for positive change
  • Visual storytelling and video-based research
  • Science marketing and social impact campaigns
  • Community-based social marketing
  • Immersive 360° VR and ambisonic sound
  • Online teaching innovation and student immersion

Wiebke leads and contributes to several national and international research projects, including:

  • Conservation Marketing for Sustainable Polar Tourism
  • Immersive 360° Virtual Reality for Nature Connectedness and Wellbeing
  • Fostering Dementia-Friendly Communities Through Innovative Communication Strategies
  • Climate Change Communication on Social Media
  • The Power of Visual Media and Cultural Storytelling for Online Teaching
  • 360° Video for Immersive Teaching in Secondary and Tertiary Education
  • Culture Ready Training Programme

Teaching responsibilities

  • MART 112 Marketing Communication
  • MART 333 Creative Marketing Communication
  • MART 449 Creative Marketing for Behaviour Change, Sustainability and Social Good – distance paper

Wiebke also runs creative communication workshops for educators, researchers, and non-academic audiences, covering topics like mobile filmmaking, storytelling, video editing and digital engagement.

Student supervision

PhD Students:

  • Ilce Lara Montiel, Influencing behaviour by combining visual science communication and community-based social marketing approaches to preserve soils that recharge Mexico City aquifers
  • Harsh Kumar Khatwani, The use of immersive 360 VR videos and branched storytelling to influence public agency and self-efficacy towards climate change
  • Eska Nia Sarinastiti, Integrated Interpretation of Environmental and Indigenous Cultural Values for Sustainable Dolphin and Whale Watching Tourism
  • Holly Bates Williams, How can literary and visual media be used to alter public attitudes and behaviour toward New Zealand’s native birds?
  • Kathy Zhang, Student Perspectives on eLeaming in a University Setting
  • Yang Yu, Making a Solitary Big Cat Social: Evaluating the Use of Social Media to Promote Snow Leopard Conservation in China
  • Carissa Turner, From Caring to Action: What does it take to spark behavioural change in support of conservation

Master's Students:

  • Maddison Smith, Evaluating action-based storytelling effectiveness for evoking agency and efficacy in adopting pro-environmental behaviours
  • Lily Bryden, Fostering Dementia Friendly Communities: A Business Perspective

Publications

Finkler, W., Vlietstra, L., Waters, D. L., Zhu, L., Gallagher, S., Walker, R., Forlong, R., & van Heezik, Y. (2025). Virtual nature and well-being: Exploring the potential of 360° VR. Applied Psychology: Health & Well-Being, 17, e70008. doi: 10.1111/aphw.70008 Journal - Research Article

Finkler, W., & Robertson, K. (2024). Selling sustainability: Transforming polar cruise marketing. Proceedings of the Australian & New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (ANZMAC): AI for Sustainable Marketing: Bridging Innovation and Responsibility. (pp. 67). Retrieved from https://anzmac.org Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Malthus, T. K., Lee, C., Finkler, W., Walker, L., & Carr, N. (2024). Surviving through the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of iFLY Queenstown. In R. W. Butler (Ed.), Tourism and COVID-19: Impacts, responses, and realignments. (pp. 125-130). Wallingford, UK: CAB International. doi: 10.1079/9781800626164.0013 Chapter in Book - Other

Davis, L. S., Finkler, W., Lo, W. H., Rabbidge, M., Zhu, L., & Zollmann, S. (2024). 360 storytelling for immersive teaching online and in the classroom for secondary and tertiary education. Proceedings of the IEEE Ccnference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops (VRW). (pp. 935-936). IEEE. doi: 10.1109/VRW62533.2024.00264 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Finkler, W., Davis, L. S., Ruwhiu, D., Li, L., Lloyd, N., Beatson, N., & Zhu, L. (2024). Science stories through a cultural lens: The effects of cultural framing of storytelling in the natural and social sciences. Metode Science Studies Journal, 14, 159-165. doi: 10.7203/metode.14.26592 Journal - Research Article

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