Tombras School of Advertising & Public Relations

ADPR Ranked Top 10 Worldwide

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ADPR AMONG MOST VISIBLE IN THE WORLD IN LEADING ADVERTISING RESEARCH JOURNALS

There’s another TOP 10 in town. But this time, it’s tops in advertising research.  According to a July 2021 publication in the Journal of Business Research, UTK is tied with Michigan State University as the 4th most visible program in top-tier advertising research journals in the US and 8th worldwide for the most recent decade 2010 – 2019.  The independent study profiled program visibility in the world’s top three advertising journals.

“This is a special accomplishment for our program,” said long-time UTK advertising program professor Eric Haley, “especially given that have a relatively small number of advertising faculty members.”  The ranking supports the UTK administration’s priorities of increased visibility of UTK research in top-tier journals and having more top-ten academic programs.

Advertising at UTK is housed in the College of Communication and Information’s School of Advertising and Public Relations.

“A decade (2008–2019) of advertising research productivity: A bibliometric review,” John B. Ford, Subhalakshmi Bezbaruah, Prokriti Mukherji, Varsha Jain, Altaf Merchant

Journal of Business Research, 136 (2021) 137–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.07.030.

Researchers, Bread Company Explore Attitudes Toward Ex-Offenders

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A multidisciplinary research team from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, investigated how messages about a fresh start might improve public attitudes toward individuals with a criminal background.

Knowing from prior research that the US perspective often associates drug addiction with a blemished character, the team of UT researchers hypothesized that framing a messaging campaign in terms of the fresh start mindset might counteract the blaming attitude that can make people feel less inclined to help addicts and ex-offenders.

To test their theories, the team—marketing doctoral student Tyler Milfeld of Wichita, Kansas, and Dan Flint, Regal Professor of Marketing in UT’s Haslam College of Business, and Eric Haley, DeForrest Jackson Professor in the College of Communication and Information—partnered with Dave’s Killer Bread.

Read the rest of the article on the University of Tennessee news site.

Industry-experienced Lecturers Bring New Perspectives

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Lecturers bring real-world experience to bridge theory and practice in an important way. Practitioners from the industry are experts that have lived in the workforce and can integrate new strategies and tactics into our classes. Many of our adjunct lecturers facilitate experiential-learning and community outreach through their real-world clients and cases. The following illustrates the accomplishments of four ADPR lecturers.

Ellie Amador

Ellie AmadorEllie Amador is the director of marketing for the University of Tennessee System. She engages with Tennesseans and university stakeholders across the country to promote the UT brand. Amador provided strategy, development, and execution of the “Everywhere You Look” campaign, which seeks to raise awareness of university programming impacts. Her accomplishments include a 2016 PRSA Award of Excellence in Mentorship, graduate of the UT Leadership Institute, and recipient of the Knoxbiz.com 40 under 40 award.

Courses Taught – PBRL 380 Professional Seminar

Becky Huckaby

Becky HuckabyBecky Huckaby, APR is the Vice President of public relations for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority and host of the podcast From the Runway Up. Huckaby is a PRSA Fellow, PRSA APR, and an Accredited Airport Executive. Her teaching focuses on experiential-learning and community outreach. Through Huckaby’s classes, students have worked with clients from: Junior Achievement of East Tennessee, Knoxville 211, Tennessee Clean Water, MetroDrug Coalition, and Medic Regional Blood Bank.

Courses Taught – PBRL 270 PR Principles, PBRL 320 PR Writing, PBRL 380 Professional Seminar, and PBRL 470S Campaigns

Jennifer Sicking

Jennifer Sicking is the associate director of media relations and public relations for the University of Tennessee System. She is an award-winning writer and media relations professional with two decades of industry experience in higher education and journalism. Sicking’s accomplishments include top honors from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), an award from the TN College Public Relations Associations for an original poem, and accolades for her work on Our Tennessee and the Torchbearer.

Courses Taught- PBRL 320 PR Writing and PBRL 420 PR Advanced Writing

Sharon Toedte

Sharon Toedte has taught for the University of Tennessee since 1993 and for the School of Advertising and Public Relations since 2005 where she brought with her over a decade of industry experience. Toedte was on the founding board for the Knoxville chapter of the American Marketing Association and is the former director of Whittle Communications. Toedte has served as a committee member for the annual UT Social Media Week by providing direct connections to the Knoxville and Knox County Mayors, as well as, making connections with industry leaders. Toedte is a two-time recipient of the College of Communication and Information Lecturer Teaching Award.

Courses Taught- ADVT / PBRL 310 – Design, ADVT/PBRL 340 Research Methods, ADVT 360 Advertising Media Strategy, and ADVT 480 Advertising Issues

This story is part of our Women’s History Month series which highlights how the women of ADPR #ChooseToChallenge. You can see more stories in our news archives.

Contact: adpr@utk.edu

Beth Avery Foster and Courtney Childers #ChooseToChallenge

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Zoom photo of advertising Campaigns course

March was Women’s History Month – All month ADPR highlighted the women in ADPR who #ChooseToChallenge. Two faculty members from the School of Advertising and Public Relations are doing that by fighting the opioid epidemic.

Under the direction of UT President Randy Boyd, the University of Tennessee System is working to combat the TN opioid crisis. In August 2019, UT held its first Summit for Opioid Addiction and Response (SOAR).

To diminish opioid fatalities, the Department of Health and Human Services awarded faculty members at UT a grant to strengthen opioid prevention resources in rural Appalachian communities, to understand community needs, and to implement a response plan. The grant team included the Director of ADPR, Beth Avery Foster, professors from the College of Nursing, and Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, Jenny Crowley. The consortium created a detailed strategic plan to address opioid prevention and recovery services.

Avery Foster targeted the 10 highest at-risk Appalachian counties through social media and community outreach. Her work included focus groups with local law enforcement, first responders, social workers, and other key groups, which allowed them to better understand the unique challenges their communities face in the fight against opioid addiction. Dr. Jenny Crowley hosted training sessions on the use of the overdose medication, Narcan. Crowley coordinated with K-12 schools across rural Tennessee to host prevention trainings with teachers.

“It was a privilege to work with a talented group from across the University that shared passion in our fight against the opioid epidemic,” Avery Foster said. “It is important to me to use my research stream in public health crisis to address issues that matter to our broader community as we serve at a land grant institution, and the fight against opioid abuse could not be a more important one.”

Avery Foster was connected with College of Nursing professor Jennifer Tourville, leader of the UTK Faculty Opioid Workgroup. Tourville was charged by President Boyd to work with Knox County on the creation of the Recovery High Program. The program needed branding and strategic communications, so it was a perfect opportunity to involve ADPR students in those efforts. Dr. Courtney Childers immediately chose the program for her campaigns’ class client.

In the summer of 2020, Courtney Childers used the team’s work to provide a service-learning and community outreach component to her Advertising Campaigns students. Over eight weeks, the students were briefed on the issue, met with different stakeholders that served as the client, and developed a campaign that would help create awareness for the first recovery high school in Knox County.

Few recovery high schools exist across the country. These schools are fundamental to the post treatment recovery plan for students with addiction or mental health needs as they combine academics with therapy and also provide those in recovery with a safe peer group to connect with. The Advertising Campaigns class named this first of its kind school in Knox County, Elevate, as a way to honor the notion of elevating one’s recovery by enrolling in the new school. Service-learning opportunities with clients like Elevate, provide needed hands-on experience for undergraduate students.

In addition to naming the school, the students provided marketing collateral by designing a logo, creating a branding toolkit, providing storyboards for video executions, planning special events, and gathering media contacts for Elevate. The finalized advertising campaign was pitched to members of the grant team, Knox County Schools (KCS) liaison, Daphne Odom, and UT System President, Randy Boyd in July. KCS will be using most of the student work to launch Elevate for its opening in August 2021.

Childers said, “I think that the students learned just as much as the client during this campaign. I’ll never forget the first day of the class when the client showed a short documentary of a recovery high school in Texas which profiled the lives of two students that gained a new life from their treatment program. Many of the advertising students immediately connected and organically shared some of the same hardships they had faced with family and friends. From day one in this class, students were invested in producing high quality work for this campaign.”

Are you or a fellow Vol in distress? If so, call 865-HELP.

Substance abuse is a treatable and preventable disease. Call the Tennessee REDLINE at 1-800-889-9789 for immediate help for anyone suffering from a substance abuse disorder.

ADPR Celebrates International Women’s Day

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Beth Foster, Courtney Childers, Candace White at ceremony

March 8 was International Women’s Day (IWD). IWD celebrates women’s achievements, raises awareness against bias, and takes action for equity. The IWD 2021 theme was #ChooseToChallenge, which encourages us to question stereotypes and help forge an inclusive world. The UT ADPR office was pleased to recognize this deserved focal point for women that is crucial to the women’s rights movement. To engage in the celebration, ADPR shared the accomplishments of its amazing faculty and staff who rewrite the narrative every day. Throughout Women’s History month ADPR is sharing the stories of students, faculty, and alumni who have helped us achieve so much.

Robyn Blakeman

Associate Professor, Robyn Blakeman, began teaching advertising and graphic design in 1987. She was responsible for designing and developing the first Online Integrated Marketing Communications Graduate Certificate and Online Integrated Marketing Communications Graduate programs in the country. In 2002 and 2004 Professor Blakeman was nominated for inclusion in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. In 2003 she was included in Who’s Who in America, and in 2004 became a member of United Who’s Who. She has published two texts, The Bare Bones of Advertising Print Design, and Creative Strategy for Integrated Marketing Communications. Professor Blakeman currently teaches design at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Courtney Childers

Associate Professor, Dr. Courtney Carpenter Childers, joined the School of Advertising & Public Relations faculty at the University of Tennessee in 2006. Dr. Childers has published articles in the Journal of Interactive Advertising, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Media Psychology, the Journal of Current Research and Issues in Advertising, and the Journal of Consumer Affairs. Dr. Childers is the Executive Director of the Adam Brown Social Media Command Center. The Adam Brown Social Media Command Center is one of the only university facilities in the world powered by Salesforce Marketing Cloud Social Studio software and technology. In addition, Dr. Childers served as Chair of UT Social Media Week (UTSMW) from 2011-2021.

Moonhee Cho

Associate Professor, Dr. Moonhee Cho, focuses her primary research on organization-public relationships and engagement, nonprofit public relations, social movements, and strategic use of social/digital media. Cho has published more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals and book chapters. She also has presented more than 55 pieces of original research at national and international academic conferences. She was was the recipient of CCI’s Outstanding Research Award in 2018. She is a former fundraiser and public relations practitioner at Partners for the Future Foundation, the charity arm of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea. She also worked at United Way North Central Florida to develop a donor relations program.

Elizabeth Avery Foster

Beth Avery Foster is Director and Professor in the School of Advertising & Public Relations. She was Co-Director of the Risk, Health, and Crisis Communication Organized Research Unit at the University of Tennessee from 2009-2013. Foster has published more than 40 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals and presented 50 pieces of original research at national and international academic conferences. Her research unit received $156,000 in funding from the University of Tennessee Office of Research. She recently received a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop interventions for the opioid epidemic in rural Appalachia. Foster’s research won the College-wide research award for top faculty researcher in 2010 and 2017.

Mariea Hoy

Mariea Grubbs Hoy is a Professor of advertising in the School of Advertising and Public Relations, University of Tennessee.  She holds her PhD in Business Administration/Marketing from Oklahoma State University.  Her research interests include online privacy, children’s advertising, and advertising disclosures. She has presented at FTC workshops including “Putting Disclosures to the Test” held in September 2016.  She teaches Advertising Campaigns, Advertising Issues and Advertising Research at the undergraduate level and Advertising and Society at the graduate level. She has been featured several times in national news for her work on Sharenting. Professor was the inaugural recipient of the DeForrest Jackson Professorship (2017-2020) in the School of Advertising and Public Relations.

Sally McMillan

Professor Sally J. McMillan’s primary teaching areas are advertising management, media, social media, and research. McMillan served as associate dean for academic programs in the College of Communication and Information (2005-2009), as UT Knoxville Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (2010-2015) and as ADPR Interim Director (2019-20). Her research explores the impact of new communication technologies on individuals, organizations and society; examines factors that lead to academic success for students from diverse backgrounds; and evaluates approaches to communicating with underserved populations about health. She has published more than 50 scholarly articles and has received multiple awards for both her teaching and research. She is a member of the American Academy of Advertising, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the Association of Internet Researchers and the International Communication Association.

Candace White

Professor Candace L. White’s research interests include the role of global corporations as non-state actors in public diplomacy, and how corporate social responsibility and CSR communication affect the image and national reputation of the country with which the corporation is associated. She is a Faculty Fellow at the Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy in the area of global security and an Arthur W. Page Legacy Scholar. She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Public Relations Research and the International Journal of Strategic Communication. She was a Fulbright Senior Specialist at the University of Salzburg, Austria (2010) and at the University of Siena, Italy (2020); with support from the University of Tennessee, she has lectured in Denmark, Scotland, Wales, Austria, Croatia, and Italy. White is the current holder of the DeForrest Jackson Professorship in the School of Advertising and Public Relations. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

Lauren Ziegler

Lauren Ziegler is the Coordinator for the School of Advertising and Public Relations and a Ph.D. Student in the Department of Anthropology (UTK). As a public anthropologist, she has worked in higher education for nearly a decade, focusing on student outreach to diverse and underrepresented students. She works with students, young alumni, and faculty developing outreach programs, creating web and social content, and providing support to the department. Lauren sits on a number of committees at the university including Social Media Week; CCI Diversity and Inclusion committee; and the Disasters, Displacement, and Human Rights biannual conference committee.

Natalie Hill

Natalie Hill is the Communications and Social Media Intern for the School of Advertising & Public Relations. Natalie is a senior public relations major in the School of Advertising & Public Relations. Natalie has worked for several organizations across Tennessee providing them with updated social media management. She worked on a winning campaign for a local nonprofit, Helping Mamas, Knoxville, and is currently working on a social media campaign for VANS in her PBRL 461 course with Dr. Matthew Pittman.

Jill Williams

ADPR student assistant Jill Williams is originally from Nashville, Tennessee. Jill attended UT for her undergraduate education where she received her bachelor’s in Communications with a concentration in public relations. Before graduating in May of 2020, she began to explore her options and decided she wanted to reach new heights and become a master’s student in PR here at UT. Her research interests include computer-mediated communication and how it affects relationships and crisis communications. Jill is planning to write her thesis in the coming year and hopes to continue her education in the social science field by pursuing a PhD.

ADPR Graduate Student and Assistant Professor Published

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Graduate student Shelby Luttman and ADPR Assistant Professor Dr. Sifan Xu have recently been published in New Media & Society for their research paper about how people developed online networks in protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline. The two worked on social media and coding to research this.

“I was learning how to do it [coding] as we went along. Dr. Xu was incredible the whole time and I learned so much,” Luttman said.

The research paper was presented at the International Communication Association Conference digitally.

“It was a long process but it’s been so exciting. When I visited Tennessee there was just a click of it feeling right here and all of the professors, especially Dr. Xu have been so kind and helpful in making graduate school such a great experience,” Luttman said.

Shelby graduated from Appalachian State University in 2019 and is now in the masters program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her focus is in public relations, but she is particularly interested in research regarding health risks. At UTK, she serves as a graduate assistant for Dr. Xu and Dr. Holland.

CCI Presents at 2020 AEJMC Conference

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Faculty and graduate students from the University of Tennessee College of Communication and Information (CCI) presented 10 peer-reviewed research papers at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC) annual conference, which was held virtually Aug. 6-9.

In addition, six CCI faculty served as panelists, moderators, and discussants during the conference.

Faculty serving in AEJMC leadership roles include: Amber Roessner, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media, who was elected to the Standing Committee on Research, and Joy Jenkins, JEM assistant professor, who is the incoming head of the Magazine Media Division. Moonhee Cho, associate professor in the School of Advertising and Public Relations, was selected as an AEJMC 2020-21 Institute for Diverse Leadership Fellow and will serve as a member of the AEJMC Research Committee.

Others serving AEJMC divisions, interest groups, and commissions include: JEM professor Maria Fontenot, PF&R committee chair for the Electronic News Division; Roessner, teaching standards co-chair for the History Division; Jenkins, research committee co-chair for the Commission on the Status of Women; doctoral student Charli Kerns, newsletter co-editor for the Commission on the Status of Women; and doctoral student Darina Sarelska, Presidential Diversity & Inclusion Career Development Graduate Student Fellow. CCI Dean Mike Wirth is a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication Executive Committee (ASJMC).

Advertising and Political Communication Divisions

• “Time, Space and Convergence in Advertising and Public Relations: Contemporary Analysis of Job Market Trends” by PhD student Andrew Brown, ADPR Professor Sally McMillan, PhD student Alexander Carter, and PhD student Nicholas Sarafolean

• “Best Practices in Online Course Development and Instruction: Targeting Advertising Students in a Post COVID-19 World” by PhD student Betsy DeSimone and ADPR Associate Professor Courtney Carpenter Childers

History Division

• “Our Forgotten Mother: Daisy Bates and Her School Integration Campaign” by JEM Associate Professor Amber Roessner and Monique Freemon (PhD ’20)

Mass Communication and Society Division

• “News Media and Twitter Users’ Framing of the Russian Linked Facebook Ads Issue” by JEM Director & Professor Catherine Luther and PhD student Xu Zhang

Public Relations Division:

• “CEO Activism & Employee Relations: Factors Affecting Employees’ Sense of Belonging in Workplace” by ADPR Associate Professor Moonhee Cho, ADPR Assistant Professor Sifan Xu, and Brandon Boatwright (PhD ’20)

Public Relations and Communication Technology Divisions

• “Alexa, What Do You Know: An Investigation of Smart Speakers and Privacy Perceptions” by PhD student Nicholas Sarafolean and ADPR Associate Professor Courtney Carpenter Childers

• “The Target of Incivility: Examining the Uncivil Discourse on Social Media Platforms” by JEM Assistant Professor Mustafa Oz and Bahtiyar Nurumov (Suleyman Demiral University)

• “Effects of Narratives on Individuals’ Skepticism Toward Corporate Social Responsibility Efforts” by ADPR Assistant Professor Sifan Xu and PhD student Anna Kochigina

Sports Communication Interest Group

“Game Time or Not? Behavioral Predictors of Sports Brand Engagement on Social Media” by ADPR Assistant Professor Matthew Pittman and Brandon Boatwright (PhD ’20)

“Occupational and Job Sex Segregation in Sports Information: A 10-year Update” by PhD student Charli Kerns and JEM Associate Professor Erin Whiteside

Faculty and doctoral students who served as moderators, discussants, panelists and workshop leaders are: JEM Lecturer Maria Fontenot, JEM Professor Mark Harmon, JEM Assistant Professor Joy Jenkins, JEM Associate Professor Amber Roessner, JEM Associate Professor Erin Whiteside, and CCI Dean Mike Wirth.

ADPR Virtually Presents at American Academy of Advertising Conference

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Alex Carter and Nicholas Sarafolean

ADPR Graduate Students Alex Carter and Nicholas Sarafolean

School of Advertising and Public Relations has a strong presence at the recent American Academy of Advertising Conference, March 26-29, 2020.

Professor of Advertising, Eric Haley assumed his official role as President of the American Academy of Advertising, March 27. Prior, he served as the Vice President of the Academy from March 2018 to March 2019, and President-Elect from March 2019 – March 2020.

Interim Director and Professor Sally J. McMillan received the American Academy of Advertising Ivan L. Preston Outstanding Contribution to Research Award, March 28, 2020. The Ivan L. Preston Outstanding Contribution to Research Award honors individuals who have made sustained and systematic contributions to advertising research.

Assistant Professor Matthew Pittman and Professor Eric Haley presented their original research paper entitled, Cognitive Load and Social Media Advertising: Platform Use Induces Load Which Leads to Reliance on Cues.

Samantha Lavoi (MS UTK, Advertising, 2019), along with Professor Eric Haley, presented their original research paper entitled, How Pro-Social Agencies Define Themselves and Their Value: A Critical Constructivist Grounded Theory.

UT MS candidate Nicholas Sarafolean, and UT doctoral student, Alexander Carter presented their original research paper entitled,  Applying Taylor’s Message Strategy Model to Smart Speakers. Their paper was a finalist for the AAA outstanding student conference paper award.

UT graduate students, Nicholas Sarafolean and Alexander Carter were awarded American Academy of Advertising graduate student travel grants.  Samantha Lavoi was awarded the American Academy of Advertising’s Ronald Taylor University of Tennessee Student Travel Grant.

Eric Haley Named AAA President

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Eric Haley

 

HALEY NAMED AAA PRESENT-ELECT: ADPR Professor Eric Haley was chosen President-Elect of the American Academy of Advertising (AAA), the leading international organization for the advancement of advertising scholarship,    education and practice. He is currently serving as Vice President and will assume his new role during AAA’s annual conference, March 28-31 in Dallas, Texas. Haley will serve as AAA president in 2020.

Interim Director of ADPR Announced

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Sally McMillan: Interim Director of the School of ADPR, written by Cara Hunter

Dr. Sally McMillanAfter 20 years at the University of Tennessee serving as a faculty member, associate dean in the College of Communication and Information and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Dr. Sally McMillan will serve as interim director of the School of Advertising and Public Relations starting on June 1, 2019.

McMillan did not always plan on pursuing a career in academics. After changing her major many times, McMillan graduated with a degree in English from Southern Adventist University and went on to teach high school students for two years. After realizing that teaching at a high school level was not her calling, she went on to work in book editing and receive a master’s degree in public relations from the University of Maryland. Later, she moved to Wisconsin with her husband where she was hired by a software development company. Starting in the public relations department, McMillan quickly moved up to vice president for sales and marketing and later president of the company. However, McMillan questioned whether she wanted to work in technology for the rest of her life.

Because she had enjoyed adjunct teaching at the college level and had a passion for research, she decided to attend the University of Oregon, where she received a doctorate in mass communication and society. Upon graduation, McMillan taught advertising at Boston University but quickly realized that she did not want to live in Boston forever and applied for a faculty position at the University of Tennessee. McMillan started as an assistant professor and taught for five years before being recruited to serve as the associate dean in the College of Communication and Information. Five years later, she was recruited to be Vice Provost for Academic Affairs where she focused on developing a strategic plan for undergraduate students.

McMillan took advantage of her time in an administrative role to create positive change for undergraduate students. She helped develop One Stop and uTrack and revised curriculum to make it easier for students to graduate on time. Her work, along with the work of many others is reflected in the fact that the four-year graduation rate increased by 22 percent in 10 years.

In 2015, McMillan left her administrative role to return to teaching. She has taught an assortment of advertising and public relations courses and researches a variety of topics. When asked about which career achievement she is most proud of, McMillan states, “Being able to do research that helps students succeed in college has been the most rewarding. Teaching is great because I can work directly with students to help them learn, but being able to step back and research structural changes that can improve student success is the work that I feel can make the most broad-reaching difference.”

McMillan Award

Throughout her many years as a communication practitioner, technology executive, professor, researcher, and administrator, McMillan’s list of achievements does not go unnoticed. This past October, McMillan was awarded Alumna of the Year by the Southern Adventist University Alumni Association for her outstanding professional contributions to the fields of education, administrative leadership, communication and research. McMillan plans to take her experience and love for students into her new role as interim director to continue leading the School of Advertising and Public Relations in the right direction. See more about her award here.