Assoc. Prof. Denisa Hejlová, Ph.D.
Researcher | Educator | Strategic Communication Consultant
Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague
Director, Centre for Strategic Communication
I am a researcher and Associate Professor working at the intersection of strategic communication, international political relations, and security studies. My research focuses on communication as a dimension of power in international affairs, examining how states, public institutions, and other actors use communication to influence perceptions, decision-making, and legitimacy in digitally mediated and geopolitically contested environments.
My academic background is in communication studies, which I apply as an analytical framework for research in international relations. I draw on political science and security studies to analyse strategic communication in areas such as government communication, influence operations, reputational security, and the impact of digital platforms and artificial intelligence on democratic governance.
I studied Media Studies at Charles University and Intercultural Communication in Japan, and I have held research stays in the United States and Japan, including as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Columbia University (School of International and Public Affairs) in 2014.
From 2011 to 2023, I served three terms as Head of the Department of Marketing Communication and Public Relations at Charles University, contributing to the development of a fully integrated BA, MA, and PhD programme. In 2023, I established and currently lead the Centre for Strategic Communication at Charles University, which conducts research and expert activities in government and institutional communication, science and health communication, and strategic challenges related to digital and AI-mediated communication.
I am the Head of the Czech–Japan Alumni Club and the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Public Relations Agencies (APRA, 2017) for my contribution to the development of the field of public relations in the Czech Republic. I contributed to the first Code of Ethics “Fair Influencer” in influencer marketing in the Czech Republic Ferovyinfluencer.cz (2020).
Research and thematic focus
- Strategic communication and public relations as frameworks for understanding organisational influence and reputation;
- Political communication and political marketing, including propaganda, public affairs, and hybrid influence operations;
- Government communication and the role of communication in democratic governance and public policy;
- Digital media, emerging technologies, and ethical communication, including influencer marketing and AI applications;
- Public health communication and regulation, with applied research on tobacco control and the marketing and regulation of breast-milk substitutes.
- Co-authoring a Code of Ethics of influencer marketing
- Member of EUPRERA, European Communication Monitor, ECREA
Contact
- E-mail: hejlova@fsv.cuni.cz
- Twitter/X: twitter.com/denisahejlova
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/denisa-hejlova-3279a210
Selected publications
- See full list on Google Scholar
Books / Edited Volumes
Baines, P., Harris, P., Hejlová, D., & Panagopoulos, C. (Eds.). (2025). The SAGE handbook of political marketing. Sage.
Hejlová, D., Koudelková, P., Moravcová, H., Romenti, S., & Valentini, C. (Eds.). (2025). Responsibility in strategic communication: Truth or trap? Emerald Publishing.
Book Chapters / Encyclopedia Entries
Hejlová, D. (2021). Tobacco industry lobbying. In P. Harris, A. Bitonti, C. S. Fleisher, & A. S. Binderkrantz (Eds.), The Palgrave encyclopedia of interest groups, lobbying and public affairs (pp. 1358–1361). Palgrave Macmillan.
Journal Articles
Hejlová, D., Arriesteya, A., Koudelková, P., & Schneiderová, S. (2025). Strategic silence in corporate communication concerning deadstock and overstock in the fashion industry. Corporate Communications: An International Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-12-2023-0183
Ortová, N., Hejlová, D., & Weiss, D. (2023). Creation of a code of ethics for influencer marketing: The case of the Czech Republic. Journal of Media Ethics, 38(2), 65–79.
Hejlová, D., & Klimeš, D. (2019). Propaganda stories in Czechoslovakia in the late 1980s: Believe it or not? Public Relations Review, 45(2), 217–226.
Hejlová, D., Schneiderová, S., Klabíková Rábová, T., & Kulhánek, A. (2019). Analysis of presumed IQOS influencer marketing on Instagram in the Czech Republic in 2018–19. Addictology, 19(1), 7–15.