Advertising 6 | DEV College of Media

Emily Campos

Get to know some of our College of Media students! Emily Campos is a Class of 2026 advertising major.

What inspired you to choose advertising as your major, and how did you decide that College of Media was the right fit for you?
When I was about 12, I started exploring entrepreneurship by launching my own slime business, managing everything myself from marketing and running my website to shipping products worldwide. Looking back, this experience greatly inspired my passion for both business and writing. When I first entered college, I pursued journalism because it seemed to align closely with these interests. However, after exploring further and discovering advertising, I realized that it perfectly combined the creative and strategic aspects I’d been searching for all along. Advertising is a constantly evolving field, full of opportunities to learn, meet new people, and stay connected with what’s happening around us. That’s why I’m so passionate about advertising.

What is your future goal as an advertising student?
I have two main goals. Professionally, I’d like to start my career working at an advertising agency, ideally in copywriting. My ultimate career goal is to become a creative director, as I’d love to have the opportunity to lead campaigns and collaborate with diverse brands. I’m also interested in exploring other creative fields like film and animation because I enjoy different forms of storytelling and want to expand my experience beyond advertising. On a personal level, my long-term goal is to keep learning, stay curious, and approach every situation with an open mind and an open heart.

What specific opportunities or resources at the College of Media have helped you grow and learn in advertising?
The most valuable resource at the College of Media to me is the people here. Create your own opportunities because you never know who you’ll meet or where those connections can take you. During my freshman year I had three internships—one with New Voices involving student media and another in global science communication, but my third internship started simply because I paid attention to the College of Media’s newsletter. At the time I felt uncertain about my college path and I saw a Zoom session featuring Professor Kevin Wise and his research on eye-tracking in advertising, so I joined. I was intrigued and asked how I could get involved. I wasn’t sure what might come of it, but I was curious enough to follow up. After we talked, he decided to create an internship for me. As a freshman, I ended up working with him, a PhD student, and a grad student on a research team. That experience really showed me how important it is to connect with people and be open to new opportunities. The people here are always willing to help if you show genuine interest, and that’s made all the difference for me.

What course within the College of Media do you enjoy or would like to recommend to other students?
I would recommend any class with Shachar Meron, senior lecturer of advertising. I enjoy the way he teaches, making everyone curious and genuinely interested with the content. One of my favorite classes has been ADV 390: Content Creation. It’s a creative and engaging course that offers a clear view of what advertising involves. Many people underestimate how competitive the advertising industry is, and you need to stand out in order to succeed. This course helps you explore your perspective and figure out how you can contribute to the field.

What advice would you give to incoming students who are considering a career in advertising and are interested in joining our College of Media?
My best advice is to absorb as much as you can from the world around you. Whether it’s learning about different people, noticing details in everyday life, or paying attention to things you’d usually overlook, there’s so much value in staying curious. You not only learn more about the world but also about yourself and what you’re capable of doing with that knowledge.

Also, many incoming students might feel like they are not doing enough or that they need to constantly prove themselves. But I believe that things happen the way they are meant to. What I hope more people realize is how valuable it is to stay open, curious, and engaged with the world around them. When you take the time to observe and appreciate what is in front of you, it can lead to meaningful growth in ways you might not expect. Sometimes, simply being present is enough to move forward.

—Interview by Vivian Wong, New Voices Intern

Senior lecturer of advertising Marisa Peacock wins two campus awards

April 9, 2025

Marisa Peacock, senior lecturer of advertising, won both a Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and a Student Success Impact Award.

Campus Awards for Excellence in Instruction, sponsored by the Office of the Provost, are given for sustained excellence and innovation in undergraduate and graduate teaching, undergraduate and graduate advising and mentoring, online teaching, and research guidance.

For this award, Peacock was cited as “using principles of universal design for learning, offering several ways for her students to learn and succeed. Her innovative, supportive, active-learning teaching methods and commitment to student success have left a lasting impact on students in the classroom and beyond.”

The Student Success Impact Award recognizes faculty and staff who have made a lasting difference in the lives of Illinois students, given to those who were mentioned 10 or more times in the Chancellor’s Senior Survey.

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Media faculty and TAs make list of teachers ranked as excellent

April 7, 2025

Congratulations to all the College of Media faculty and teaching assistants who were ranked as excellent by their students!

This list is based on Instructor and Course Evaluation System questionnaire forms completed by students during the Fall 2024 semester and Winter 2024-25. Only those instructors who distributed ICES forms at least once during this time period and who released their data for publication are included in the list. View the complete list.

Note: * denotes that the instructor ratings were outstanding.

ADVERTISING

KENT BROWN – ADV 314

STEVE HALL – ADV 150

JACQUELINE HITCHON – ADV 250

SHACHAR MERON – ADV 290, 390

MICHELLE NELSON – ADV 598

*MARISA PEACOCK – ADV 491, 498

SELA SAR – ADV 550

PETER SHELDON – ADV 452

JOURNALISM

CHRISTOPHER BALL – JOUR 101, 451

LEON DASH – JOUR 482

*ALISON DAVIS – JOUR 215, 240, 340

JOSH HEUMAN – JOUR 311

ED KIESER – JOUR 427

VINCE LARA-CINISOMO – JOUR 361

CHARLES “STRETCH” LEDFORD – JOUR 215

CAROL LOMBARDI – JOUR 220

MEDIA

*DANIEL ALMANZA – MEDIA 199

EDDIE NJOROGE – MEDIA 100

MEDIA & CINEMA STUDIES

CL COLE – MACS 356

VICTOR FONT – MACS 260, 370

DORIE GEISSLER – MACS 224

JOSH HEUMAN – MACS 391

DEREK LONG – MACS 211

*JENNY OYALLON-KOLOSKI – MACS 485

STRATEGIC BRAND COMMUNICATION

*SHACHAR MERON – SBC 500

STEVE RAQUEL – SBC 502

TEACHING ASSISTANTS

C. CHICK – ADV 150

*K. COOK – ADV 250

*A. GOODREAU – ADV 150

M. KHOWAJA – ADV 150

J. LIN – ADV 360

A. LIU – ADV 250

M. LYERLA – ADV 284

*Z. RANDOLPH – ADV 360

M. ZHAO – ADV 150

*D. CARRILLO-FUCHS – MACS 101

T. CHEN – MACS 150

*J. CINTRON – MACS 101

*Y. GAO – MACS 101

W. HELMKE – MACS 260

Y. HONG – MACS 100

A. JI – MACS 100

*Y. KANG – MACS 101

K. KRISHNA – MACS 101

*G. LEONARDO – MACS 375

J. OH – MACS 100

A. PENG – MACS 101

J. ZHANG – MACS 150

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Advertising and ICR faculty, students present research at 2025 American Academy of Advertising Conference

March 21, 2025

Advertising faculty and graduate students in the MS advertising and ICR doctoral programs, as well as several alumni, participated in the 2025 annual conference of the American Academy of Advertising, held March 6-9 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Faculty and graduate students participated in eight paper presentations and three panels, discussing research and ideas related to teaching AI and advertising, disability, ethics and data, and more.

As vice president of AAA, Chang-Dae Ham, professor of advertising and associate head of graduate studies, organized the research paper reviews and conference program and Kevin Wise, professor of advertising, served as chair of AAA’s graduate student committee.

The full list of Illinois papers and authors included:

“Finessing Realism: Harmonizing Behavioral Realism and Message Framing in Virtual Influencer Advertising – Mind Perception Theory Application”
Seo Jeong Heo, Se Il Park, Floria Yujin Lee

“Does Authenticity Matter? The Impact of Visual Realism and Humanlike Expressions on the Effectiveness of Virtual Influencers”
Jinping Wang (University of Florida), Assistant Professor Guolan Yang

“Navigating Consumer Acceptance of Cultured Meat: An Exploratory Narrative Review of Communication Strategies”
Ziyang Gong, Tianli Chen, Yan (Anna) Liu, Associate Professor Leona Yi-Fan Su, Jingen Xuan

“In Watermark We Trust? Exploring How Consumers Cope with AI Influencer Advertising: Multidimensional Persuasion Knowledge and Construal Level Approach”
Se Il Park, Floria Yujin Lee, Seo Jeong Heo

“TikTok Made Me Buy It: Breaking Expectations with Shoppable Ads”
Alice Ji, Muskan Khowaja, Kevin Gilloly, Haoxue Luo, Nelson Oshodi, Zoe Randolph, Ruiheng Sun, Chun-Yao Wang, Professor and Head Michelle Nelson

“Exploring How Consumer Evaluation of Social Justice Issues Influence Brand Activism Effectiveness”
Assistant Professor Louvins Pierre, Carolyn Lin (University of Connecticut)

“Understanding Consumer Engagement with Vertical Farming Brands on Twitter: An Approach Using Guided Latent Dirichlet Allocation for Topic Modeling”
Junqi Shao, Tianli Chen, Associate Professor Leona Yi-Fan Su

“When Virtual (vs. Human) Celebrity Voice Matters: Interplay between Celebrity Type and Endorsing Message – Construal Level Theory Application”
Floria Yujin Lee, Seo Jeong Heo, Se Il Park

Panels

“Teaching Data Ethics in Advertising: Pedagogical Approaches That Meet Industry Demand“
Natalie Brown Devlin (University of Texas at Austin), Associate Professor Ewa Maslowska, Daniela Molta (Syracuse University), Associate Professor Harsh Taneja

“Generative AI and the Future of Advertising Creativity: Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Industry”
Weizi Liu (Texas Christian University), Yanyun (Mia) Wang (University of Boulder), Assistant Professor Louvins Pierre, Tripp Westbrook (Firehouse Agency), Linda Groendyke (Digital Insights Labs), Jon Irwin (Liquid Agency)

“Disability DEI in Advertising: Preparing Future Advertising Professionals to Embrace Disability Authentically in Their Work”
Cathy Chan Butler (American Association of Advertising Agencies), Josh Loebner (VML), Professor and Head Michelle Nelson, Edward Timke (Michigan State University), Beth Haller (Towson University), Erin Whiteside (University of Tennessee), Summer Shelton (Limelight Insights by Shugoll), Maria DeMoya (University of Tennessee), Eric Haley (University of Tennessee)

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Advertising, ICR alum receives prestigious 2025 Erwin Ephron Demystification Award

March 19, 2025

Helen Katz (MS ’86, advertising; PhD ’88, ICR), EVP of Research at Publicis Media, has been named the recipient of the prestigious 2025 Erwin Ephron Demystification Award. This lifetime achievement award honors industry leaders who are exceptional communicators and excel in making complex subjects accessible, embodying the spirit of legendary advertising research guru Erwin Ephron.

Katz, the 11th recipient of this esteemed award, has had a significant impact throughout her career, most recently leading the global data intelligence practice at Publicis Media. In her speeches and writings, Katz has consistently and passionately argued that effective media selection requires reliable measurement based on high-quality data.

She has also distinguished herself as a teacher, serving as an adjunct professor at both DePaul University and New York University. In addition to numerous articles in industry publications and academic journals, Katz has authored three textbooks on advertising and media, including the widely acclaimed The Media Handbook, now in its 8^th edition.

Katz is a member of the U.S. Joint Industry Committee on alternative currencies, a member of the Media Rating Council, and of the ARF Board of Trustees. She served on the James Webb Young Advisory Board and continues to support the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising through case studies for classes.

Advertising alum Armando Sanchez-Monsivais chosen for AAF’s Most Promising Rising Star Award

March 19, 2025

Armando Sanchez-Monsivais (BS ’19, advertising), integrated marketing manager at Discord, received the American Advertising Federation’s Most Promising Rising Star Award for 2025.

The Most Promising Rising Star Award recognizes alumni who have made notable contributions to the advertising industry within five to eight years of graduating from the Most Promising program.

This accolade celebrates individuals who have demonstrated exceptional talent, leadership, and innovation in their careers, making a significant impact on the field and championing an inclusive industry along the way.

Recipients of this award embody the values and excellence that the Most Promising program instills in its inductees and serve as inspiring role models for current students and aspiring advertising professionals.

At Discord, Sanchez-Monsivais’sjob is to ensure the platform’s features, partnerships, and brand reach gamers in an impactful way that makes them excited to hang out and game with their friends.

He has served on the advisory board for We Are Next, where he spearheaded the Brand Ambassador Program, the Young Talent in Tech team, and the widely popular Coffee at a Distance.

In addition to serving on the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising’s James Webb Young Advisory Board, he is also on the AAF’s Mosaic Next Generation Leadership Council, ADCOLOR Advisory Board, and Creative Ladder Alumni Advisory Council.

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How soon will TV networks move to paid-streaming model?

March 14, 2025 | The News-Gazette

Slowly but surely, streaming is becoming the preferred method of watching television and increasingly there is little content that is not available on streaming. Slowly but surely, the trend is that all content is migrating to become available on streaming, and on occasion exclusively so.

Harsh Taneja, Associate Professor of New and Emerging Media in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising

Harsh Taneja, associate professor of new and emerging media in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising, was quoted in The News-Gazette’s “Kathy’s Mailbag” series on March 14.

Addressing how soon TV networks would move to a paid-streaming model, Taneja says there is no reason to believe that network shows belonging to the biggest broadcast networks will become streaming-only. At least not yet.

“Broadcast and cable TV is very much alive, (and) will be in fall 2025. However, it isn’t thriving,” he said.

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American Advertising Federation at Illinois boasts largest student chapter in the nation

February 12, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood

The American Advertising Federation at Illinois is the largest student chapter in the nation, currently boasting more than 400 members. Caroline Burns, a senior in advertising and president of the AAF at Illinois, knows why.

“I think it’s a combination of we’ve been around for so long at the University of Illinois so there’s the legacy there, but it’s also just the people are so great. I think once you join, you find your tight-knit community and you find your people,” Burns said.

AAF at Illinois, which is one of more than 1,000 registered student organizations on campus, helps to equip members with the tools, skillsets, and experience to make an impact in the advertising field. It’s open to any major but the majority are advertising focused.

There are 13 separate agencies that operate within AAF that specialize in different areas of advertising, including video ad production, consumer insights, and experiential marketing.

While each agency has a different purpose, they all provide members with the opportunity to work with real clients, tour ad agencies, and gain insider knowledge about the industry.

Many of the agencies include student teams partnering with clients, who are typically from the Champaign-Urbana area, and helping them execute an advertising campaign.

Last semester, an AAF agency worked with the Libman cleaning supply company and created a video ad for them. This semester, a team carried out a full-service ad campaign for Atomic Wings, which recently opened on Green Street in Champaign.

AAF has just set me up for so much success—jobs, everything, I owe it all to AAF.

Caroline Burns

Senior in Advertising, President of AAF at Illinois

Burns likes to think of AAF as a mini-internship that gives students “a little peek of what your life might be like in the advertising industry.”

Some of the agencies are considered “open,” which means they are designed for any experience level, while others require an application process.

In addition to agency experiences, AAF members participate in competitions, take trips, and plan social events throughout the year.

The annual National Student Advertising Competition will be held in South Bend, Indiana, on April 12, with an Illinois team presenting an ad campaign for AT&T. The Illinois team earned second place at the district level competition in 2023.

Carrie Wilson-Brown, lecturer of media and cinema studies and of advertising, and faculty advisor for the NSAC team, said the competition is an opportunity for students to apply their classroom knowledge and skills in the advertising industry.

In addition, Wilson-Brown said preparing for the competition allows students to gain confidence and find talents and leadership abilities they didn’t know they had.

AAF meeting — AAF students at a meeting.

“There is an excitement and comradery that builds throughout the year as the team sees their ideas, plans, and goals take shape into a real-world marketing campaign,” Wilson-Brown said.

Burns thanks AAF for helping her find her first internship during her sophomore year at a networking event held in Chicago. She interned last summer at Pepsi, which led to a job offer after graduation in Boston as a customer account manager.

“AAF has just set me up for so much success— jobs, everything, I owe it all to AAF,” she said.

AAF’s spring registration opened on February 10 for new members. Burns recommends students review the agency descriptions on the website and then try different ones for a few weeks.

“[Students should] see what fits their schedule and their interest and then by the third week, they should have a pretty set idea about what they would want to stick with for the semester, whether that’s one agency, two, or even three,” Burns said.

She also advises prospective members to talk to students in the agencies and those running it.

“There are so many opportunities to grow and network, not only personally but professionally,” Burns said. “Community is what we’re all about.”

Read more about the AAF at Illinois or follow them on Instagram @aafillinois.

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New experiential learning opportunities for Media students include international, domestic trips

January 13, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood

Three experiential learning opportunities are being offered to students this spring including two new trips—one to the nation’s capital and another to two Scandinavian countries—as well as a return visit to the West African country of Sierra Leone.

Washington, D.C., March 19-22

Colleen King, clinical assistant professor of journalism and director of the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media, will be taking eight students to Washington, D.C., to visit news outlets and key government locations.

In addition to participating in newsroom tours, students will receive journalism advice for coursework and career planning; learn to identify local journalism beats; and understand the basics of how professional newsrooms and control rooms operate.

The trip is designed to help students gain invaluable knowledge about U.S. history and the First Amendment to better cover politics, campaigns, and elections, as well as the day-to-day workings of the U.S. government.

Some of the sites the students will visit include the NBC News/MSNBC Washington bureau, the CBS News Washington bureau, Politico, the Albritton Journalism Institute and its website NOTUS (News of the United States), a tour of Capitol Hill, and a visit to the National Archives.

(Update: See photos from their trip to DC.)

Sierra Leone, West Africa, March 14-22

Charles “Stretch” Ledford, associate professor of journalism, and Alison Davis, lecturer in journalism, will lead a return trip back to Freetown, Sierra Leone, with six students in the “Globally Focused Advanced Documentary Filmmaking” class.

Under the supervision of Ledford, Davis, and Dr. Francis Sowa, dean of communications, media, and information studies at the University of Sierra Leone’s Fourah Bay College, Illinois and Fourah Bay journalism students will continue production of the documentary film Uman Tok: Tailoring Hope, Reclaiming Futures. An early cut of the film won first place in the 2024 Illinois Broadcasters Association Student Silver Dome Award for Television Photojournalism.

The multi-year international reporting project tells the story of Uman Tok, a small, woman-led nonprofit in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital city. Uman Tok (“woman talk” in the local language) employs 15 marginalized women at a living wage to produce reusable, washable menstrual pads for schoolgirls around the country who otherwise would not have a means of managing their monthly periods.

In addition to collaborating on the documentary film, students will be working on a virtual reality experience, a podcast, and an ink-on-paper comic book for readers of any level.

The media the journalism students produce will be used in an advertising campaign for Uman Tok created by students in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising’s capstone course this spring.

This year, both Illinois journalism students and their peers from Fourah Bay College will not only work together in the field, but also live together on the same compound, in an environment designed to foster organic collaboration, shared learning, and more authentic and deeply reported stories.

Scandinavia Tour, May 26-June 4

Marisa Peacock, senior lecturer in advertising, is planning a 10-day study abroad trip for 21 students to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden.

Designed to give students a deep dive into the branding, advertising, and cultural strategies of major global companies, the trip will also provide a broader exploration of Scandinavian design, architecture, and culture.

Students will visit corporate headquarters of iconic companies like LEGO, IKEA, H&M, and UNIQLO to understand their global marketing strategies and meet with alumni working with these brands in fields of design, marketing, and communication.

Additionally, the itinerary includes visits to renowned cultural and design sites such as the Swedish Museum of Architecture and Design, Nyhavn harbor, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

Peacock said she pitched the idea of visiting the area due to an interest in Scandinavian design, which blends functionality with simplicity and modernity, and because brands like IKEA, LEGO, and UNIQLO incorporate corporate responsibility with a dedication to diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, which is also an important hallmark of brand building.

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Louvins Pierre

Assistant Professor

Affiliations

Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising
Institute of Communications Research

Education

Ph.D., University of Connecticut (Communication)
M.A., University of Connecticut (Communication)
B.A., Tuskegee University (Communication)
A.A., The Honors College at Miami Dade College (Mass Communication)

Course Specialties

Consumer Insights

Background

Louvins earned his graduate degrees from the University of Connecticut after first receiving his bachelor’s and associate’s from Tuskegee University and Miami Dade College, respectively. So far his research has appeared in Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, Journal of Marketing Communications, Journal of Promotion Management, and The Journal of Social Media in Society. Louvins is also a frequent ad hoc reviewer for the International Journal of Advertising and Journal of Interactive Advertising. As an educator, he has taught courses on a wide range of topics, including consumer insights, advertising fundamentals, principles of public relations, public relations writing, communication theory, media literacy, intercultural communication, and public speaking.

Research and Creative Endeavor

Louvins’ scholarship focuses on advancing theory and providing implications for practitioners. His research examines how brands, through advertising, influence consumer perceptions and decision-making. He applies advertising, marketing, and consumer psychology theories to understand consumer behavior and inform marketing strategies in various contexts such as purpose advertising, social media, and digital marketing.

Overall, Louvins’ areas of expertise are 1) how aspects of consumers’ identity and identification with brands or advertising spokespersons factor into their brand and advertising evaluations, and 2) how consumers’ knowledge of persuasion tactics influences their processing of advertising information and brand perceptions.

Theoretically, Louvins’ studies are often, although not exclusively, informed by social identity theory, persuasion knowledge model, dual processing models, and narrative transportation theory. Methodologically, he is most familiar with experiments, surveys, and corresponding quantitative data analysis techniques.

Louvins’ ongoing research projects are broadly investigating how the evolving nature of digital media and emerging technology (e.g., artificial intelligence) can be leveraged to help organizations better resonate with consumers’ sense of identity and knowledge structures to produce favorable consumer attitudinal perceptions and decision-making.

Contact

lpierre@illinois.edu

Category: Advertising

Emily Campos

Senior lecturer of advertising Marisa Peacock wins two campus awards

Media faculty and TAs make list of teachers ranked as excellent

Advertising and ICR faculty, students present research at 2025 American Academy of Advertising Conference

Panels

Advertising, ICR alum receives prestigious 2025 Erwin Ephron Demystification Award

Advertising alum Armando Sanchez-Monsivais chosen for AAF’s Most Promising Rising Star Award

How soon will TV networks move to paid-streaming model?

American Advertising Federation at Illinois boasts largest student chapter in the nation

New experiential learning opportunities for Media students include international, domestic trips

Washington, D.C., March 19-22

Sierra Leone, West Africa, March 14-22

Scandinavia Tour, May 26-June 4

Louvins Pierre

Affiliations

Education

Course Specialties

Background

Research and Creative Endeavor

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