Education
January holds an Master of Arts in Marketing and Distribution and an Master of Arts in Diplomatics of the University of Ghent. As an academic researcher he developed psychoanalytical market research techniques to consumer behavior by applying the views of Alfred Adler.
Career
In 1987 January co-founded Censydiam (Center for Systematic Diagnostics in Marketing) now Ipsos Censydiam. He supplied qualitative marketing research and business strategies for companies like Coca-Cola, Heineken, Unilever, Volvo, InBev, Johnson & Johnson, Friesland and was engaged in the public sector with projects for Foster Parents Plan and Amnesty International. January Callebaut also introduced the brand approach into the VRT, the Flemish Radio and Television Network, Belgium’s leading broadcasting and media concern.
In 2007 January founded Callebaut&Company and became Chief Executive Officer of WHy5Research, an international diagnostic market research agency, a position he currently holds.
January is one of the founders of the modern diagnostic market research. His insights on consumer behaviour based on a psychoanalytic approach is adopted by various marketing experts like Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller (Marketing Management) and known as the censydiam model.The model is developed to understand better the mechanisms of human motivation.
Nooit te laat om oud te worden (1996, Censydiam Institute) Cross-Culturally Correct Marketing (1997, Garant) Motivational Marketing Research Revisited (1999, (Garant Uitgevers) Deux ou trois choses que je sais de la France (1999) – Lannoo ) Cross-Cultural Window on Consumer Behaviour (2000, Garant ) El Nuevo Modelo Diagnóstico Para El Márketing (2000, Garant ) Understanding Chinese consumers (2000, Garant ) Why yesterday tells of tomorrow (2001, Garant ) Warum Gestern über Morgen erzählt (2001, Garant ) The Naked Consumer Today (2002, Garant ) Marketing is menselijk: collection of columns for the Belgian newspaper De Standaard (2004, Garant ) Colour and Emotion: humanising the message (2005, Synovate) Consumentengeheimen (2009, Davidsfonds) Why you do what you do (2011, Why5 Research ).