Texas Showcase -- Heather Schulz
Having the opportunity to study, learn and work with Heather at the university has been an enjoyment. Heather is sincere in her quest for knowledge and passionate about those topics she researches. Furthermore, her insight regarding consumer behavior has been a great contribution to the world of academia and advertising.
Why did you pick UT to do you PhD work and what other programs had you considered?
The University of Texas at Austin is a tier-one research institution and has a top-ranked Advertising program. It is also one of the few universities to offer a Ph.D. in Advertising. At other schools, the Ph.D. is typically in a broader field such as Mass Communications, Communications, or Journalism and Mass Communications. I have always had a specific interest in studying advertising, consumers, and brands.
Where did you do your undergraduate work and where were you raised?
I grew up primarily in Lincoln, Nebraska, however, our family moved around a lot, so I spent a few years in St. Paul, Minnesota, Hays, Kansas, and West Point, Nebraska until I left for college. I obtained a Bachelor of Journalism degree with an emphasis in Advertising from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. I also have a Master of Science in Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
How did you become interested in advertising?
As I entered college as an undergraduate student, I declared as a Finance major as a way to continue my interest in math while adding the business strategy as well. But, as I continued to take these classes, I realized I was becoming bored with the subject. I could do the math, but I was not as interested as I was before. I realized that part of this was due to the fact that I no longer had an artistic outlet to balance out the cold, hard numbers that I found fascinating. During my sophomore year, I was also a resident assistant in the dorms. I was telling one of my co-workers about my dissatisfaction with my current major. He (another Finance major by the way) suggested I take an advertising course as an elective. He said, "You always enjoy putting together the social events for our dorm and creating the posters to advertise for the event. Why not take an advertising class?" I decided to follow up on this casual comment, and during that first semester of my first advertising class I realized I had found my career. To me, advertising is a perfect blend of art and business strategy. You get to express the visual elegance, and back it up with numbers from your research. As a side note, I also ended up getting a minor in Art Theory and Practice while an undergraduate student at UNL. In an art class one day, one of the students asked me about my primary major. When I said "Advertising," he said with a smile, "Oh, art with a purpose." I thought this was an interesting description as well. The fine arts are focused much more on self-expression and creating a dialogue through the juxtaposition of new and interesting ideas. But advertising always has a persuasive intent and a business strategy guiding the campaign. Therefore, I additionally enjoy studying advertising because it is art with a purpose.
What and where is your dream job?
Now that I am a Ph.D. Candidate, I am currently starting down the path of applying for assistant professor positions at other universities. My dream job would be to land a position at a tier-one research institution at schools that are on the same level as UT. UT has a great graduate program and stellar faculty who are constantly engaged in exciting new research projects. I hope wherever I go I am able to continue this process of teaching, conducting research, and having intellectual discussions with others.
What is your favorite hobby/activity outside of the advertising field; what do you do in your free time?
I love to rent movies from the public library. Austin has a fantastic public library system. I love the classics, so I tend to rent movies from the American Film Institute's list of top 100 movies of all time. I just recently downloaded a list of Oscar winning movies for best film, best actor/actress, and best supporting actor/actress. Last week I watched Precious, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Queen, and Cold Mountain. They were all excellent and emotionally moving films.
Do you plan to stay in Austin?
I do not. I will need to move in order to obtain an assistant professor position at another university. I have loved living in Austin these last four years, and in the future I will keep my eye open for an academic conference being held here so that I can visit and reconnect with others.
What made you choose your particular topic of interest (conspicuous consumption and brand consumption)?
I have a pretty reflective personality. I am always self-analyzing thinking, "Why did I buy this and not that?" "Why did I act that way?" "Why did he/she buy that?" Being a consumer is a process that everyone participates in, especially while out in the social atmosphere. Therefore, as I go about my everyday routines, I am casually observing myself and others and picking up on patterns of behavior. The great thing is that my job allows me to study what I am observing through a more grounded and empirical manner. Sometimes, when I read a journal article on consumer behavior, I am amazed by the author(s) ability to pick up on a phenomenon or aspect of behavior. I hope to someday write journal articles that inspire other researchers as well.
How do you stay motivated?
A lot of self-motivation is needed to get through a doctoral program. It takes discipline and long hours of studying, reading, and writing. I have always loved being in the school environment, and engaging in intellectual discussions. But I think that you just have to make your mind up that either you are going to put in the effort or you are not. I have had many pep talks with myself when my motivation on a particular project was waning. However, I also have continuous emotional support from my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, my extended family, and my best friends. Although at times they can't fully comprehend the time and effort it takes to do this, they have always been my cheerleaders.
What are your favorite brands and why?
I have always had an interesting connection to two types of brands. I love the mass-produced brands like Nike, Coca-cola, Apple, Starbucks, McDonalds, etc. because these companies have somehow managed to connect with many consumers simultaneously and over an extended period of time. Yet, I have always been fascinated by the luxurious brands as well. Far fewer consumers own products made by brands such as Gucci, Fendi, Chanel, Armani, Calvin Klein, etc., yet many still identify with these brands. Their advertisements often seem to resemble works of fine art: their magazine advertisements look like paintings or fine photography, their television commercials resemble mini-movies, and even their products can take on the form of sculpture. Luxury brands may not inherently possess their current brand equity. It has been built up through advertising campaigns, and I think their attention to aesthetic detailing is often what separates them from the other brands in the same product category.
What advice would you give to perspective students?
I think that anyone studying advertising needs to appreciate both the artistic and strategic side to campaigns. Often, students will pick one side and forget the importance of the other. The creative team may at times dismiss the importance of strategy, and the account executives will sometimes be so focused on strategy that they forget to allow for creativity in the execution of their plan. It is when both aspects are working together that you see the truly successful (and award-winning) campaigns. To anyone who has ever pondered taking an advertising class, I would encourage them to do so. To quote Tellis and Ambler (2007) in their edited book, The SAGE Handbook of Advertising, "Advertising is a craft, an art, and a science; it is multi-disciplinary and complex; but understanding it makes for an enlightening and rewarding experience" (p. 15).