New Faculty Explores Socio-Cultural Impact of Advertising

Dr. Kevin Thomas is an assistant professor and one of three new faculty members in the Department of Advertising & Public Relations this year. Though he his new to the faculty, Dr. Thomas knows the department well as he received his Ph.D. here at The University of Texas at Austin earlier this year. Prior to Texas, Dr. Thomas received his undergraduate degree from Loyola Marymount University in 2000 and an MBA from California State Polytechnic University in 2005.

Here Dr. Thomas discusses how he found his way to Texas, the value of an MBA to a Ph.D. and why he hopes his students will feel uncomfortable next semester.

What were you engaged in professionally prior to coming to Texas for your Ph.D.?

Prior to starting my doctoral studies I worked as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Manager at a regional grocer called Smart & Final (there was actually a Mr. Smart and Mr. Final that started the company in the early 1900s). I managed the promotional aspects of the company's loyalty card program and coordinated internal and external market research projects. My main responsibility was to develop, implement, and measure the effectiveness of target marketing campaigns using the company's database of over 2 million cardholders.

Do many of your peers also have that business background or do you find that was more of an unconventional decision?

There was a time when the divide between the business world and academia was particularly pronounced. However, I feel like the relationship between the two is definitely shifting. Most of my peers bring a considerable amount of business experience with them into the classroom, and that experience also finds its way into their research endeavors. In my humble opinion, this is a good thing -- our students receive a more well-rounded education and the research we conduct takes on deeper practical implications.

How has your M.B.A. influenced your research?

Like most MBA programs, my educational focus at Cal Poly centered on the economic impact of business. Aside from an ethics course or two, the social and cultural effects of business (specifically marketing/advertising) were all but ignored. My current research attempts to address that void. I strongly believe that advertising is a powerful form of social communication, and as such advertisers have a responsibility to at minimum understand the social and cultural consequences of their work.

Why Texas? Judging from your other degrees, you seem like a California guy.

When I initially made the decision to pursue a PhD I actually had no intention of leaving California. However, I soon realized the importance of finding a program that fit well with my research interests. UT Austin offered not just one, but two faculty members that conducted multicultural research. The prospect of having two supportive mentors coupled with the advertising program's inherent flexibility made the move to Texas a no-brainer. While Cali will always be home, I have come to greatly appreciate all that Austin has to offer.

What was it about the department that influenced your decision to stay and join the faculty here at UT rather than going elsewhere after completing your Ph.D.?

Well, the initial plan was to earn my degree in as short of time as possible and make my way back to California. However, it didn't take me long to realize that the resources available to me here are second to none, and by staying I'd have the opportunity to work with and around some of the brightest minds in academia.

What are your working on now that most excites you?

I'm currently working on a paper that critically examines the lack of diversity within the advertising industry. Legislators and scholars have long argued that increasing diversity within the advertising industry will lead to improved representations of historically marginalized populations. In effect, diversification of the advertising industry is positioned as a means to promoting social justice. In my paper I examine the validity of this argument by applying the work of Michel Foucault (power/knowledge) and Antonio Gramsci (cultural hegemony). What excites me about this project is that it give me the opportunity to connect deeply theoretical constructs to public policy. It's bridging theory with practice, which is my ultimate goal as a scholar.

Next semester you're going to be teaching a multicultural advertising course for graduate students. What can students expect from that class?

We will be engaging with a number of sensitive topics, such as race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class. Students can expect to be uncomfortable. However, I am determined to provide a safe space wherein we can productively explore the roots of their discomfort together.