Curriculum Vitae

RESEARCH STATEMENT

My research focuses on understanding advertising and consumer behavior within interactive environments such as social media, news feeds and websites. To date, I have investigated the impact of content customization on interactive advertising, the psychological factors that contribute to the creation and consumption of user-generated content, the impact of new forms of technology on teaching and learning, as well as the perceptions of advertising delivered through social media channels.

My current work is in the area of Web 2.0 technologies, including social media fatigue, social couponing, celebrity endorsements on Twitter, and the consumer expectations associated with branded content on Facebook.

EDUCATION

  • Ph.D., Advertising (2008)
    • University of Texas at Austin
    • Concentrations in Digital Media, Consumer Behavior & Information Studies
    • Dissertation Title: Consumer Control and Customization in Online Environments: An Investigation into the Psychology of Consumer Choice and its Impact on Media Enjoyment, Attitude, and Behavioral Intention
  • M.A., Advertising (2004)
    • University of Texas at Austin
    • Concentrations in Online Consumer Behavior and Information Science
  • B.S., Advertising (2000)
    • University of Texas at Austin
    • Concentrations in Media Planning, Business Foundations and Interactive Advertising

PUBLICATIONS

  • Bright, Laura F. (2010). Media Evolution and Web 2.0 Technologies. In Handbook of Research on Digital Media and Advertising: User Generated Content Consumption, Matthew S. Eastin, Terry Daugherty and Neal M. Burns (eds.), IGI-Global: Hershey, PA.
  • Bright, Laura F. and Terry Daugherty (2012). Does customization impact advertising effectiveness? An exploratory study of consumer perceptions of advertising in customized online environments. Journal of Marketing Communication, Vol. 18(1), p. 19-37.
  • Bright, Laura F. and Terry Daugherty. (2011). Advertising in the Web 2.0 World: Online Customization and Its Impact on the Perception of Advertising Amongst Digital Natives. American Academy of Advertising Annual Conference Proceedings (extended abstract).
  • Bright, Laura F., Terry Daugherty and Matthew S. Eastin. (2008). Attitudes Toward User-Generated Content, American Marketing Association Educator’s Conference Proceedings.
  • Bright, Laura F., Matthew S. Eastin, Terry Daugherty, and Harsha Gangadharbatla (2008). The Psychology of Consumer Control Contextualized Within DVR Technologies, International Communication Association Conference Proceedings.
  • Bright, Laura F. and Gary Wilcox. (2008). Am I on Your Playlist?: Explorations into the Impact of Podcasting on Academic Performance, Texas Computer Educator’s Association Technology Research Symposium Conference Proceedings.
  • Cunningham, Nicole, and Laura F. Bright (2012). The Power of a Tweet: An Exploration of Female Perceptions of Celebrity Endorsements on Twitter. American Marketing Association Summer Marketing Educators’ Conference Proceedings, Chicago, IL, August 17 – 19.
  • Daugherty, Terry, Matthew S. Eastin, and Laura F. Bright. (2008). Exploring Consumers Motivations for Creating User-Generated Content. Journal of Interactive Advertising.
  • Daugherty, Terry, Matthew S. Eastin, Laura Bright, and Shu-Chuan Chu. (2010). Expectancy-Value: Identifying Relationships Associated with Consuming User-Generated Content. In Handbook of Research on Digital Media and Advertising: User Generated Content Consumption (1 volume), Matthew S. Eastin, Terry Daugherty and Neal M. Burns (eds.), IGI-Global: Hershey, PA.
  • Daugherty, Terry, Harsha Gangadharbatla and Laura F. Bright. (2010). Telepresence and Persuasion. In Immersed in Media: Telepresence in Everyday Life. Cheryl Campanella Bracken and Paul Skalski (eds.), Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Landreth-Grau, Stacy, Laura F. Bright, and Susan Bardi Kleiser (2012). Too Much Facebook: An Exploratory Examination of Social Media Fatigue. American Marketing Association Summer Marketing Educators’ Conference, Chicago, IL, August 17 – 19.
  • Turnbull, Donald and Laura F. Bright. (2008). Advertising Academia with Sponsored Search: An Exploratory Study Examining the Effectiveness of Google AdWords at the Global and Local Level. International Journal of Electronic Business.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

  • Bright, Laura F. (2012). Advertising Curriculum in 2012 and Beyond: The Future of Media Planning. American Academy of Advertising Annual Conference (Pre-Conference Symposium), Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, March 15 – 18.
  • Bright, Laura F. (2012). Five New Channels & Five New Measures for Non-Profits. DFW Non-Profit Communicators Conference, Fort Worth, Texas, May 18th.
  • Bright, Laura F. and Terry Daugherty (2011). Advertising in the Web 2.0 World: Online Customization and Its Impact on the Perception of Advertising Amongst Digital Natives. American Academy of Advertising Annual Conference, Mesa, Arizona, April 7 – 9.
  • Bright, Laura F. and S. Marina Choi (2007). An Exploratory Study Examining Intra-site Advertising and Its Effect on the Online Consumer Experience. Information Architecture Summit, Las Vegas, NV, March 23 – 25.
  • Bright, Laura F., Terry Daugherty and Matthew S. Eastin (2008). Attitudes Toward User-Generated Content, American Marketing Association Educator’s Conference, Austin, TX, February 15 – 18.
  • Bright, Laura F., Matthew S. Eastin, Terry Daugherty, and Harsha Gangadharbatla (2008). The Psychology of Consumer Control Contextualized Within DVR Technologies, International Communication Association Conference, Montreal, Quebec, CA, May 22 – 26.
  • Bright, Laura F., and Harsha Gangadharbatla (2012). Hey, Whipple, Tweet This: A Guide to Bridging the Gap Between Social Media Education and Practice in 2012 and Beyond. Advertising Education Federation Annual Pedagogy Conference, Austin, Texas, June 2 – 5. (Top poster session)
  • Bright, Laura F. and Gracieli Scremin (2006). Blue Ads, Red Ads: Are Connections Being Made in the Political Blogosphere?. Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference, San Francisco, CA, August 1 – 4.
  • Bright, Laura F. and Gary Wilcox (2008). Am I on Your Playlist?: Explorations into the Impact of Podcasting on Academic Performance, Texas Computer Educator’s Association Technology Research Symposium, Austin, TX, February 4 – 8.
  • Cunningham, Nicole, and Laura F. Bright (2012). The Power of a Tweet: An Exploration of Female Perceptions of Celebrity Endorsements on Twitter. American Marketing Association Summer Marketing Educators’ Conference, Chicago, IL, August 17 – 19.
  • Gangadharbatla, Harsha, Kelty Logan, and Laura F. Bright (2012). Just How Valuable is Television Advertising Compared to Advertising in Social Media in the Minds of Consumers?. “What is TV?” Conference, Portland, OR, March 2 – 5.
  • Landreth-Grau, Stacy, Laura F. Bright, and Susan Bardi Kleiser (2012). Too Much Facebook: An Exploratory Examination of Social Media Fatigue. American Marketing Association Summer Marketing Educators’ Conference, Chicago, IL, August 17 – 19.
  • Scremin, Gracieli and Laura F. Bright (2005). Deconstructing Brazil’s Racial Democracy: An Analysis of African Brazlian Portrayals in Magazine and Television Advertising. American Academy of Advertising Conference, Reno, NV, April 1 – 3.
  • Turnbull, Donald and Laura F. Bright (2008). Advertising and Awareness with Sponsored Search: An Exploratory Study Examining the Effectiveness of Google AdWords. American Society for Information Science and Technology, Columbus, Ohio, October 24 – 29.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  • Research Fellow, Media Research Labs, LLC, November 2008 – July 2009
    • Private research facility specializing in advertising research.
    • Used eye-gaze, biometric, and survey data to study consumer response to advertising in various media, including television, mobile devices, print and online content.
    • Consumer panel management for an active database of 2000+ members.
  • Consumer Panel Manager, Texas Media Research Lab, Fall 2006 – Summer 2008
    • Faculty Supervisor: Terry Daugherty, Ph.D.
    • Department of Advertising, University of Texas at Austin
  • Teaching Assistant, Spring 2005 – Fall 2006
    • Course: Advertising Research
    • Faculty Supervisor: Terry Daugherty, Ph.D.
    • Department of Advertising, University of Texas at Austin
  • Interactive Lab Manager, Fall 2002 – Spring 2004
    • Faculty Supervisor: Gene Kincaid, Senior Lecturer
    • Department of Advertising, University of Texas at Austin

TEACHING INTERESTS

  • Digital Media, Interactive Advertising, Channel Planning and Strategy, Integrated Marketing Communications, Consumer Behavior, Research Methods, and Information Management in New Media Environments

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • Strategic Communication in New Media, Professor – Spring 2012, Texas Christian University (undergraduate)
  • Channel Planning and Strategy, Professor – Spring 2012, Texas Christian University (undergraduate)
  • Strategic Communication in New Media, Professor – Fall 2011, Texas Christian University (undergraduate)
  • Channel Planning and Strategy, Professor – Fall 2011, Texas Christian University (undergraduate)
  • Channel Planning and Strategy, Professor – Summer 2011, Texas Christian University (undergraduate)
  • Channel Planning and Strategy, Professor – Spring 2011, Texas Christian University (undergraduate)
  • Strategic Communication Campaigns, Professor – Spring 2011, Texas Christian University (undergraduate)
  • Channel Planning and Strategy, Professor – Fall 2010, Texas Christian University (undergraduate)
  • Advertising and The Consumer, Professor – Fall 2010, Texas Christian University (graduate / undergraduate)
  • Principles of Marketing, Instructor – Spring 2010, Texas State University (undergraduate)
  • Integrated Marketing Communications, Instructor – Spring 2010, St. Edward’s Univ. (graduate)
  • Information and Analysis, Instructor – Spring 2010, University of Texas at Austin (undergrad.)
  • Advertising on the Internet, Instructor – Spring 2008, University of Texas at Austin (undergrad.)
  • Advertising on the Internet, Instructor – Spring 2007, University of Texas at Austin (undergrad.)
  • Advertising Research, TA – Spring 2005 & Fall 2006, University of Texas at Austin (undergrad.)
  • Media Management, TA – Fall 2006, University of Texas at Austin (graduate)
  • Media Planning, TA – Summer 2005, University of Texas at Austin (undergrad.)
  • Media Research, TA – Spring 2005, University of Texas at Austin (undergrad.)

WORK EXPERIENCE

  • Seedling Online / August 1996 – Present
    Internet consultancy specializing in website development and maintenance as well as optimization efforts including search engine marketing and interactive advertising. I currently consult with Seedling Online on an as needed basis.

    • Digital Media Consultant / Partner
      • Client relationship management for a roster of 15 clients, including contract acquisitions and negotiations, project tracking, and overall communications management
      • Content management for all websites using online content management systems as well as WordPress platform
      • Management of mailing list systems for 10+ clients resulting in increased event attendance and website visitations
      • Deployment of interactive marketing campaigns, including Google AdWords, search engine optimizations, Amazon affiliate programs, and email marketing
      • Experience with clients in a variety of industries including real estate, music, accounting, health care, non-profits, entertainment and environmental engineering
      • Responsible for acquisition of $150,000+ in client sales
      • Conducted usability testing to facilitate website improvements and redesigns
  • Media Research Labs, LLC / November 2008 – July 2009
    Privately held market research facility that conducts consumer research on media effects. Data collection methods include biometrics, eye gaze, and surveys.

    • Research Fellow
      • Creation and management of online consumer panel including recruitment of 2,000+ panel members via direct marketing efforts
      • Development and execution of survey instruments for all studies
      • Data integration via Excel and SPSS for all survey data
      • Contribution to research design and experimental protocols
      • Management of research assistant staff to ensure data integrity
      • Writing and editing of market research reports
      • Website maintenance
      • Secondary research analysis for report contributions
      • Completion of work in a fast paced, team focused environment
  • The University of Texas at Austin / January 2007 – May 2008
    Instructor of record for undergraduate Advertising course entitled “Advertising on the Internet”.

    • Instructor of Record
      • Responsible for creating and delivering 3 50-minute lectures to 100+ undergraduate students on a weekly basis (using PowerPoint and Keynote)
      • Development and execution of class assignments, projects, and exams
      • Created readings packet including topics related to interactive advertising, search engine optimization, web 2.0, social media, permission marketing, interface design and usability
      • Solely responsible for administering exams, grading course materials, and managing communications with students
      • Obtained access to 10+ guest speakers to deliver special topics lectures as well as facilitate networking opportunities for students
      • Held office hours on a weekly basis to assist students with assignments, resolve issues and clarify key points to be derived from the readings
      • Consistently received positive feedback on student evaluations
  • Texas Media Research Lab / January 2005 – August 2008
    Research facility funded by a Ford Foundation grant and operated by Department of Advertising at UT. Lab is used to conduct primary research on media effects specifically related to advertising and interactive media.

    • Consumer Panel Manager / Research Assistant
      • Managed 30,000 member consumer panel via Cold Fusion and MS Access configuration, including cleaning data, sampling, and demographic reporting
      • Responsible for all panel member communications including prize notifications and account information management
      • Administrated 20+ studies for the online panel resulting in over 40 publications and conference presentations
      • Conducted primary research in the lab environment including working on a research team to develop and execute experiments related to media effects
      • Teaching assistant duties for Advertising Research courses (grading, advising students, teaching labs, managing communications)
      • Wrote and submitted theory based research articles for academic conferences and journals
  • Texas Interactive Lab / August 2002 – May 2004
    Research facility funded by The University Co-Op and operated by the Department of Advertising at UT. The lab serves as reference center that makes media-related research available to students as well as providing access to latest interactive advertising tools.

    • Lab Manager
      • Responsible for creation of training materials for all media based software applications including MRI, Qualitap, SRDS, Scarborough, Redbooks, and Media Flight Plan
      • Managed communications with college technology team to insure smooth operation of all technical components of the lab
      • Worked with professors and students to effectively analyze secondary market research data
      • Developed assignments for professors related to specific software skills needed to complete course projects
      • Primary point of contact for all lab visitors including providing tutorial sessions and tours
  • SchoolPeople, Inc., / January 1999 – June 2001
    Web-based educational management software company.

    • Marketing Coordinator
      • Communicated product specifications to development team
      • Managed graphic design team for the creation of all marketing collateral, including corporate website, print advertising, and premier product line brochures
      • Managed marketing budget ($75K/year)
      • Coordinated attendance and/or presentations at national conferences for 9 salespeople
      • Trained and provided technical assistance for national accounts

SERVICE

  • Co-Advisor for TCU Ad Association, Schieffer School of Journalism (Fall 2011 – present)
  • Frog Camp Faculty Facilitator, Summit Camp, Bruceville Eddy, Texas (August 2011)
  • Member of Schieffer School Technology Committee (Fall 2011)
  • Member of Search Committee for Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Position in Strategic Communication with International Advertising Specialization (Fall 2011)
  • Reviewer, American Academy of Advertising, Special Topics for Annual Conference (2012)
  • Reviewer, American Academy of Advertising, Annual Conference (2012)
  • Reviewer, International Communication Association, Annual Conference (2012)
  • Reviewer, Special Issue on Social Media, Journal of Interactive Advertising (Summer 2011)
  • Reviewer, International Journal of Advertising (2009 – Present)
  • Reviewer, Journal of Interactive Advertising (2010 – Present)
  • Reviewer, American Academy of Advertising, Annual Conference (2011)
  • Reviewer, Special Issue on Social Media, International Journal of Advertising (Spring 2010)
  • Reviewer, Special Issue on New Media, Journal of Interactive Advertising (Summer 2011)
  • Moderator, American Academy of Advertising, 2011 Annual Conference, Mesa, AZ
  • Moderator, College of Communication Research Colloquium (Spring 2011)
  • Masters Report Committee Member, Rachel O’Neal (Fall 2010 – Spring 2011)
  • Masters Report Committee Member, Ashley Iszkun (Spring 2011)
  • Masters Report Committee Member, Meagan Bechtel (Spring 2012)
  • Thesis Committee Chair, Nicole Cunningham (Spring 2011 – Spring 2012)
  • Undergraduate Council Representative for College of Communication, Texas Christian University (Fall 2011 – Fall 2014)
  • Member of Class Size Committee for Schieffer School of Journalism,Texas Christian University (Spring 2011 – Present)
  • Member of Subcommittee for Advertising Curriculum Development, Division of Strategic Communication, Schieffer School of Journalism, Texas Christian University (Fall 2010)
  • Guest Speaker for Graduate Pro-Seminar course in Schieffer School of Journalism, Texas Christian University (Fall 2010)
  • Co-host of Career Development Session for Schieffer School students featuring Karen Phillips from T3 Advertising Agency (Austin, Texas), October 4th, 2010
  • Media Planning Advisor, AAF Competition Team, Schieffer School of Journalism (Spring 2011 – present)
  • Guest Speaker for Introduction to Information Studies course, iSchool, University of Texas at Austin (Spring 2011)
  • Academic Mentor, Athletic Department, University of Texas at Austin (Fall 2009)
  • Associate Board Member, American Society for Information Science and Technology, University of Texas chapter (2007)
  • Texas Media Program Representative, Department of Advertising, University of Texas at Austin (Spring 2005 – Fall 2008)
  • Advertising Graduate Council, Department of Advertising, University of Texas at Austin (Fall 2002 – Fall 2008)
  • Logistics Coordinator, Women’s Scholarship Fund Silent Auction & Banner Brunch, Association for Women in Communication, Austin, Texas Chapter (2009)
  • Co-Chairwoman, Women’s Scholarship Fund Silent Auction & Banner Brunch, Association for Women in Communication, Austin, Texas Chapter (2010)
  • Volunteer, Artists for Media Diversity, A4MD.org development, promotion, and grant writing (Fall 2009 – Spring 2010)

GRANTS AWARDED

  • Junior Faculty Summer Research Grant, Texas Christian University, 2011 ($6,000)
  • College of Communication Research Grant, Dean’s Office, Fall 2011 ($1,125)

HONORS AND AWARDS

  • Media Advisor for National Student Advertising Competition Team, “First Place” for District 10 (Spring 2012)
  • Media Advisor for National Student Advertising Competition Team, “Best Media Plan” for District 10 (Spring 2012)
  • Jesse Jones Continuing Education Fellowship, 2007 – 2008 ($13,000)
    College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin
  • Ray Hall Continuing Education Fellowship, 2007 – 2008 ($4,000)
    Department of Advertising, University of Texas at Austin
  • David Bruton, Jr. Endowment Fund Fellowship, 2007 ($1,000)
    Office of Graduate Studies, University of Texas at Austin

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • American Academy of Advertising
  • American Marketing Association
  • American Society for Information Science and Technology
  • Artists for Media Diversity
  • Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
  • Association for Women in Communication
  • Fort Worth Social Media Club
  • TCU Ad Association