EYE LEVEL With Jesper Clement at Department of Marketing

Interview by Simon Mølvig

Jesper Clement’s journey to Copenhagen Business School started long before he walked through its doors. Years earlier, he took his first steps into the world of architecture and design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Today, he blends this creative foundation with business insights, offering a unique perspective to his students. In this interview, we explore his path from design studio to lecture hall and how an architectural mindset shapes his approach to teaching and research.

So, how did that path eventually lead you to a business school? It seems like a pretty big shift.

“It really was. After I graduated and started my own studio, I quickly realized that designing beautiful things wasn’t the whole story. I often got this question from clients: “It looks amazing, but can you guarantee it will be profitable? Will we get our money back?” At first, I thought, What a crazy question! I mean, I knew what was beautiful – why not just accept that it’s also valuable?” he says.

That sounds like a turning point?

“I started to wonder if there was a way to bridge that gap – to find a link between good design and good business. I must admit that I’m still not able to answer that question because this link is extremely blurry. And it’s not so easy to outline. That curiosity, that we need to understand how aesthetics can drive profitability. So that’s why I’m ended up here at the Department of Marketing” he says.

“I started to wonder if there was a way to bridge that gap – to find a link between good design and good business.”

– Jesper Clement.

And now you’re doing research at the Department of Marketing. How did that become your focus?

“Well, I became fascinated with understanding how people perceive design. It’s not just about what looks good to me as a designer, but what looks good to consumers – what actually captures their attention. My research now focuses on visual attention: what do people look at, why do they look at it, and do they also perceive it as beautiful? And in more business-like terms – are they willing to pay for it? Will it stick in their memory, and create lasting brand value?” he says.

So, turning to your teaching – what gives you the energy and motivation in the classroom? What drives you when you teach?

“It’s really about the feeling of having my students engaged and genuinely interested in the topic. That’s what drives me. Of course, it’s a balance – it’s about how I present the material, but also about the relevance of the topic. When students see the clear link between visual impressions and their marketing impact. And also when they choose to write their master thesis using the techniques we work with here in the lab at the Department of Marketing,” he says and continues.

“Things like eye tracking, facial expression analysis, and emotional recording. It’s highly motivating for me and also very inspiring for me, because sometimes they come up with an idea that I haven’t thought of. And then we debate. Is it doable? Can we measure these things that they suggest, and the good thing with the master’s thesis is that we give it a try. And, as long as they do their best, and can argue for what they did, then it’s perfectly okay. And it’s very inspiring for me,” he says.

Can you recall a moment in your teaching when you truly felt, that you made a difference?

“When the students come in the break, give an example and it’s spot on. Then I say, I think we should take this for the entire class and have this as a topic for debate. It’s not that I can tell them something, and then they just have to accept that this is the truth. But the debate in class, pros and cons, is this doable? Is this relevant? Is it insights that is relevant for for the topic? This is when I have the feeling of really making a difference” Jesper concludes