Category: Institute of Communications Research

Professor

Affiliations

• Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising
• Institute of Communications Research
• Center for Social and Behavioral Science

Education

• Ph.D., University of Minnesota (Mass Communication) 
• M.A., University of Minnesota (Mass Communication)

Course Specialties

Sar has taught a variety of small and large-lecture courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels:

• ADV 281 Advertising Research Methods
• ADV 476 Global Advertising 
• ADV 483 Audience Analysis and Media Planning
• ADV 497 Colloquium in Advertising
• ADV 550 Foundations of Advertising
• ADV 581 Quantitative Research Methods in Advertising 
• ADV 588 Graduate Seminar II 
• ADV 590 Special Topics in Advertising
• ADV 597 Proseminar in Advertising
• ADV 598 MS Professional Project 
• MDIA 587 PhD Proseminar I

Background

Sar is an advertising professor. His teaching and research area concentrate on affect, advertising and consumer behavior. He is a senior associate editor of the International Journal of Advertising. He was Head of Advertising Division at AEJMC (2014-2015), President of American Academy of Advertising (2022-2023) and Director of Institute of Communications Research (2020-2023). He serves as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising and Journal of Interactive Advertising.

Research and Creative Endeavor

Sar’s research interest focuses on affect and advertising. He researches mood, emotions, perceptions, memory, judgment and decision making related to social/risk and health advertising. He also researches how people share emotional information and public health campaign messages online using affective computational approaches to study them. His research agenda contributes to the scholarship of advertising by providing a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and processes of how mood and emotions interact with various social advertising/risk and health messages to influence attitudes and behavior. His articles have appeared in the Journal of Advertising, International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, Journal of Interactive Advertising, Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, Marketing & Psychology, Journal of Marketing Communications, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, New Media and Society, and among others. 

Related Links

• Illinois Experts

Associate Professor

Affiliations

• Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising
• Institute of Communications Research
• Illinois Informatics
• Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB)

Education

• PhD, University South Carolina (Mass Communications/Public Health)
• MA, Sogang University (Mass Communications)
• BA, Ewha Womans University (Social Welfare/Mass Communications)

Course Specialties

• AI & Digital Health
• Entertainment Branding: Branding K-pop
• Public Relations Strategies
• Persuasion and Consumer Response
• Social Media and Personal Branding
• Graduate Seminar I
• Graduate Seminar II

Background

Dr. Oh is an interdisciplinary researcher, teacher, and consultant for societal- and individual-levels of wellbeing via innovative communications and media strategies. Her research investigates the realms of emerging media effects and scrutinizes the dissemination of health and risk misinformation. She explores how digital technologies can be leveraged for promote health prevention and the public good. Her research addresses three main themes: 1) the role of media and emerging communication technologies in shaping the public’s understanding of urgent public health and social issues, and influencing behaviors at both individual and policy levels; 2) strategies to mitigate the harmful consequences of misinformation; and 3) how brands in both the private and public sectors can enhance their communication efforts to promote public good through strategic approaches that emphasize transparency, trust, and emotional engagement.

Before embarking on her academic career, Dr. Oh lent her expertise to Samsung iMarketKorea, a leading B2B marketplace in the early to mid-2000s, excelling for five years as a Strategic Planning and Communication Manager. Dr. Oh served as the Faculty Chair of the Public Relations Minor Program and as Faculty Advisor for the Korean Student Association (KSA) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Awards

2025: Inaugural Teri Thompson Outstanding Article Award for best article published in Health Communication since the journal’s inception. Taylor & Francis Group. National Communication Association, Denver, United States. 

2024: JWY Research Award, Department of Advertising, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States.

2021: Best Research Paper, 2nd place, Global Colloquium, Korea Advertising Society (KAS), Korea.

2016: Rainbow Top Research Paper Award, Korea Health Communication Association.

2015: Red Raider Public Relations Research Award, International Public Relations Research Conference.

2014: Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award, University of South Carolina.

2011: Third-Place Award, Communicating Science, Health, Environment, and Risk Division, 94^th annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Research and Creative Endeavor

Dr. Oh’s work inherently possesses an interdisciplinary nature, combining insights from diverse fields including but not limited to communication, media effects, public relations, public health, psychology, sociology, and computational analysis. This approach helps a comprehensive view of digital media effects and misinformation. Dr. Oh serves on the editorial board of Health Communication and The Korean Journal of Advertising and Public Relations. Her research has been published in esteemed journals such as Health Communication, Risk Analysis, Mass Communication & Society, International Journal of Communication, and Public Understanding of Science, among other prestigious journals in her research field. Additionally, she acted as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation (NSF). 

Select Publications

^#Chen, J., ^#Gumusel, E., ^#Sutton, J., Zhou, K. Z., & S.-H. Oh. (Accepted). Regulating deceptive design: A comparative analysis of U.S. and EU laws on dark patterns. The Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

Maslowska, E., ^#Guo, Z., Oh, S.-H., & Smit, E. S. (2025). Exploring Public Health Agencies’ Communication on Social Media in the Early Stages of the Covid-19 Pandemic An International Perspective, Journal of Health Communication 6(1), 1-26.

Kim, SJ., & Oh, S.-H. (2024). The challenges of engaging African American communities during a public health crisis: The role of government information, COVID-19 discourse, and emotional content on social media. Journal of Strategic Communication, 1-17.

Kim, S.-H., Oh, S.-H., Zain, A., Heo, Y, & Jun, J. (2023). Transition from idealized science to culture of skepticism in South Korea: Micro-level evidence for the two-culture model of public understanding of science. International Journal of Public Opinion Research.

Yoo, WH., Hong, YS., & Oh, S.-H. (2023). Communication inequalities in the COVID-19 pandemic: socioeconomic differences and preventive behaviors in the United States and South Korea. BMC Public Health 23 (1), 1290.

Yoo, WH.,&Oh, S.-H. (2023).The Effects of Social Determinants of Health on COVID-19-Preventive Behavioral Intention in South Korea and the United States: Mediating Role of Health Communication. Korean Advertising Studies.

Kim, L^#., & Oh, S.-H⁺ (2023). Predicting Telephone Anxiety: Use of Digital Communication Technologies, Language and Cultural Barriers, and Phone Avoidance. Communication Research Reports. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2023.2221845

Yoo, WH., Oh, S.-H., & Kim, T. (2023). How Social Media Exposure Influences Preventive Behavioral Intention during the COVID-19 Outbreak in South Korea: A Communication Mediation Model Approach. Journal of Creative Communications. 18 (2), 166-182.

Yoo, WH., Oh, S.-H., & Chio, D-H. (2023). Exposure to COVID-19 Misinformation across Instant Messaging Apps: Moderating Roles of News Media and Interpersonal Communication. International Journal of Communication, 17, 712-734. 

Oh, S.-H⁺., Lee, Cj., & Park, SH^#. (2022). Trust matters: The effect of social media use on public health policy support through (mis)beliefs in the context of HPV vaccination. Health Communication.  Published online ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2096985

Oh, S.-H⁺., Lee, S-Y^#., & Han, CH^#. (2021). The effects of social media use on preventive behaviors during infectious disease outbreaks: The mediating role of self-relevant emotions and public risk perception. Health Communication, 36(8), 972-981. 

Ham C-D., Chung, UC^#., Kim, WJ^#., Lee, SY^#., & Oh, S.-H. (2021). Greener than others? Exploring generational differences in green perceptions and purchase intentions of the US consumer: Consumer socialization and social intelligence perspectives. International Journal of Market Research, 64(3), 376-396.

Lim, HJ, Oh, S.-H., Kim Y., & Kim, J.-N. (2019). Activists and their communicative behaviors for effective crisis communication in the age of social media. Asian Journal of Public Relation, 3(1), 1-14.  

^# undergraduate student, graduate student or post-doctoral student

⁺ corresponding author

Related Links

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• Research Gate
• Communication Technology Research for Literacy @Lab
• Illinois Experts

Professor and Head

Affiliations

• Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising
• Institute of Communications Research 
• Affiliate Faculty, Family Resiliency Center

Education

• PhD in Communications, 1997, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 
• MA in Journalism and Mass Communication, 1991, University of Wisconsin-Madison 
• BS in English, 1989, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Course Specialties

Nelson has taught a variety of small and large-lecture courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

• ADV 199 Advertising & Identity in a Globalized World (Fall 2009)
• ADV 283 Advertising and Brand Strategy (Spring 2017)
• ADV 399 Global Advertising Studies (Spring on campus; ADV 399 Summer Rome, Italy; 2011)
• ADV 393 Advertising & Society (Spring 2016)
• ADV 476 Global Advertising (Fall 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014)
• ADV 481 Advertising Research Methods (Spring 2007)
• ADV 482 Qualitative Analysis in Advertising (Fall 2016, Fall 2017)
• ADV 483 Audience Analysis (Fall 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010; Spring 2008)
• ADV 491 Advertising Management Planning (Spring 2007, Spring 2012)

Graduate Courses

• ADV 582 Qualitative Research Methods in Advertising (Fall 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
• ADV 585 Advertising Planning and Decision Making (Spring 2015)
• ADV 587 Graduate Seminar: Theory (Spring 2009)
• ADV 588 Graduate Seminar II (Spring 2012)
• ADV 597 Proseminar in Advertising (Fall 2013)
• ADV 598 Professional Project (Fall-Summer 2012; Fall 2013; Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017)

Background

Nelson studies and teaches advertising and consumer research. She has published nearly 70 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. She is associate editor of the International Journal of Advertising. She has worked, researched, or taught in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Austria, United States, and Jamaica.

Research and Creative Endeavor

Nelson’s early research examined individual differences with respect to persuasion and consumer behavior (e.g., gender, culture). However, she is probably best known for her research on brands in entertainment (e.g., games, movies). While investigating the prevalence and response to branded messages, Nelson became interested in consumers’ media literacy or persuasion knowledge about these so-called hidden brand techniques. As a result, Nelson’s current research and public engagement endeavors focus on advertising/media literacy. For example, Nelson is pursuing longitudinal ethnographic work with parents and pre-school children to understand the development of consumer literacy. At the same time, Nelson is interested in assessing advertising/consumer literacy among adults and understanding how literacy influences the persuasion process and marketplace behaviors. She is currently involved in an international research project (funded by NIH) related to culture, health, and advertising in Jamaica.

In addition, Nelson has a continued research interest and fascination with new technology, branding, and media. She is pursuing research with a team of students and faculty related to virtual reality mediated experiences.

Related Links

• Google Scholar
• Researchgate
• LinkedIn
• Illinois Experts

Media Literacy Research

• JUS Media? Programme: Food-Focused Media Literacy for Jamaican Families

Making Media for a Healthier U

• Food-focused media literacy for primary school children

Video

Professor

Affiliations

• Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising
• Institute of Communications Research

Education

• B.A. (Oxon) Modern Languages & Literature, Oxford University, England
• M.A. (Oxon) Modern Languages & Literature, Oxford University, England
• M.B.A. Graduate School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Ph.D. Graduate School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Related Links

• Illinois Experts

Professor
Associate Head of Graduate Studies

Affiliations

• Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising 
• Institute of Communications Research 
• Informatics, School of Information Sciences
• Center for Social & Behavioral Science

Education

• Ph.D., Journalism-Advertising, School of Journalism, University of Missouri 
• M.A., Advertising, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida 
• M.B.A., Marketing, School of Business, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea 
• B.A., Media Communication, College of Social Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea

Course Specialties

• Innovations in Advertising (ADV 360/460/590) 
• Digital Advertising (ADV 490/590) 
• Advertising Management Planning (ADV 491) 
• Audience Analysis & Advertising Media Planning (ADV 483) 
• Advertising Research Method (ADV 281) 
• Graduate Research Seminar I (ADV 587) 
• Quantitative Research Method in Advertising (ADV 581)

Background

Dr. Ham joined Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising in 2010 as a tenure-track faculty. Prior to joining academia, Dr. Ham worked in the advertising industry for ten years as an account executive, account planner, and Internet marketing consultant at LG AD (HS AD), a major advertising agency in Korea. During the time, he managed diverse integrated marketing communication projects for clients such as LG electronics, Baskin Robbins, and many others, collaborating with diverse domestic and international agencies, media, and digital vendors including Google Double Click, Naver, Dentsu, and so forth. 

He has served as Director of Graduate Studies in Advertising (2020-2023); Executive Director, Global Professional Training Program (2011-); Associate Editor, International Journal of Advertising and Asian Journal of Communication; Vice President, American Academy of Advertising (AAA); Chair of Research Committee, American Academy of Advertising (AAA; 2021-2023); Chairs in Special Topic, Professional Freedom & Responsibility (PF&R), and Co-Chair of Pre-Conference, Advertising Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC; 2022-); and Vice President, Korean American Communication Association (2015-2017).

Awards

2024 Runner-Up, Best Paper of the Year, 2023, Journal of Interactive Advertising, recognized at the Annual Conference of American Academy of Advertising (AAA), Portland, OR. 

2024 Adviser, Dissertation Award (Woojin Kim), American Academy of Advertising (AAA), Annual conference, Portland, OR. 

2023 Best Reviewer of the Year of 2022, International Journal of Advertising, recognized at the Annual Conference of International Conference on Research in Advertising (ICORIA), European Advertising Academy. 

2023 Best Paper of the Year, 2022, Journal of Interactive Advertising, recognized at the Annual Conference of American Academy of Advertising (AAA), Denver, CO. 

2023 Charles H. Sandage Scholar in Advertising Research, Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2022 James W. Carey Faculty Fellow for Research, Institute of Communications Research, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

2022 Most Influential Articles in 2021 by the editors of journals of the American Academy of Advertising (AAA) 

2022 Best Paper of the Year, 2021, Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, recognized at the Annual Conference of American Academy of Advertising (AAA), St. Petersburg, FL. 

2022 Best Paper of the Year, 2021, Journal of Interactive Advertising, recognized at the Annual Conference of American Academy of Advertising (AAA), St. Petersburg, FL. 

2021 Best Research Paper, 2nd place, Global Colloquium, Korea Advertising Society (KAS), Kangwon-Do, Korea 

2019 Research Fellowship Award, American Academy of Advertising (AAA), Annual conference, Dallas, TX. 

2018 Top faculty research paper, open research category, Advertising division, 2nd place, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), Annual conference, Washington D.C. 

2017 The fourth most read/downloaded article of the year in 2016, International Journal of Advertising, recognized at the International Conference on Research in Advertising (ICORIA), Annual conference, European Advertising Academy, Ghent, Belgium. 

2017 Top faculty research paper, Advertising division, 3rd place, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), Annual conference, Chicago, IL. 

2016 The second most read/downloaded article of the year in 2015, International Journal of Advertising, recognized at the International Conference on Research in Advertising (ICORIA), Annual conference, European Advertising Academy, Ljubljana, Slovenia. 

2015 Top faculty research paper, Public Relations division, 4th place, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), Annual conference, San Francisco, CA. 

2014 Top faculty research paper, Advertising division, 3rd place, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), Annual conference, Montreal, Canada. 

2012 Top faculty research paper, Mass Communication & Society division, 4th place, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), Annual conference, Chicago, IL. 

2011 Top faculty research paper, Advertising division, 2nd place, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), Annual conference, St. Louis, MO. 

2009 Top research paper in Scholar-to-Scholar session, International Communication Association (ICA) Annual conference, Chicago, IL.

Research and Creative Endeavor

Dr. Ham has explored how consumers cope with, and steel themselves against, diverse persuasion tactics in digital, throughout the lens of consumers’ marketplace metacognition, social intelligence, persuasion inference, media literacy, and mind perception. His research topic includes, but not limited to, native advertising, online video advertising, online behavioral advertising, corporate social responsibility, and political advertising literacy. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and/or book chapters in advertising, marketing, and communication. Currently, his research focuses primarily on consumers’ coping mechanism with data-driven advertising, algorithmic advertising, and artificial intelligence marketing.

Related Links

• Google Scholar
• ResearchGate
• LinkedIn
• www.cdham317.com
• Communication Technology Research for Literacy Lab (CTRL Lab: Control Squared Lab)
• Political Advertising Literacy Group
• Illinois Experts