FACULTY
Prof. Sigma Soni
Prof. Sigma Soni is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at FLAME University. She holds a Doctorate in Sports Marketing and Social Media from MICA, India, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing from Gujarat Technological University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from Gujarat University.
With over eight years of experience spanning industry and academia, she has been associated with organizations such as PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt. Ltd., MICA, and Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication. She has also been recognized with MICA’s Research Excellence Award for her scholarly contributions.
Prof. Soni was a Visiting Scholar at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, and Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University, USA. Her research interests lie at the intersection of digital marketing, sports marketing, technology adoption, and consumer behavior, with a particular focus on online fan communities and the evolving digital media landscape. She has published and presented her work in reputed journals and international conferences in these domains.
Beyond academia, she enjoys nurturing her creativity through gardening and stays active by playing badminton
Published
- Soni, S., Arora, P., Kasilingam, D., & Jain, V (2025). Digital daydreams: Exploring consumer motivations for engaging with the metaverse. Journal of Retailing & Consumer Services, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104294
o ABDC- 'A'
- Trivedi, J., Kasilingam, D., Arora, P., &Soni, S (2022). The effect of augmented reality in mobile applications on consumers' online impulse purchase intention: The mediating role of perceived value. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 21 (4), 896-908. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2047
o ABDC- 'A'
- Trivedi ,J., Arora, P., & Soni, S. (2022). The effect of social media communications on travellers' brand switching intention: An Ecotel's perspective. Tourism Recreation Research, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2022.2052630
o ABDC- 'A'
- Trivedi, J., Soni, S., & Kishore, A. (2020). Exploring the Role of Social Media Communications in the Success of Professional Sports Leagues: An Emerging Market Perspective. Journal of Promotion Management, 27(2), 306- 331. https://doi.org/10.1080/10496491.2020.1829774
- ABDC- 'B'
Accepted
Working Papers:
1) Virtual Bonds, Real Impact: Understanding the Antecedents and Consequences of Online Sports Community Engagement (Submitted)
2) From Avatar to Advocate: Analyzing Virtual Influencers' Effectiveness in Driving Brand Loyalty (Data Collection Stage)
3) Hashtag Her Game: The Influence of Digital Communities on Women's Premier League Fan Engagement (Literature Review stage)
Conference Presentations:
- Exploring the Effect of Event Attachment and Sports Involvement in the Success of Women’s Professional Sports League in International Conference on Media and Communication, Pune. (09/2024). Authors- Arora P, Soni S
- Green Hotel Re-patronage Intention: A BRT Perspective In 2022 Academy of Marketing Science Annual Conference Monterey, California USA. (05/2022). Authors- Arora P, Soni S
- Understanding Virtual Try-On Technology in Retail Fashion: Reinventing Consumers Confidence& Revisit Intention in The Age of Covid" in Annual American Collegiate of Retailing Association Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (03/2022). Authors - Vasawda F, Arora P, Soni S
- Stated Choice Behavior Regarding Green Hotels: A Stimulus Organism Behavior Consequence (SOBC) Perspective in the 15th NASMEI Conference (12/2021). Authors- Arora P, Soni S
- Ecotels Green Practices- Online Community Engagement Through social media. In 14th NASMEI Conference (12/2020). Authors- Arora P, Soni S, Trivedi J
- Influencer Marketing: How Influencers' Credibility Affects Consumer Purchase Intentions Towards 'Slow Fashion.' In 7th International Communication Management Conference (01/2021). Authors- Soni S, Arora P
- The effect of SMC on sports involvement and community engagement. In 6th International Communication Management Conference (01/2020). Authors- Trivedi J, Soni S, Kishore A
Awards and Honors
Awarded as the emerging researcher of the year from MICA's FPM (2021). The MICA FPM committee bestows this award to the scholar in recognition of a year of exceptional research and knowledge advancement.