2024 ExxonMobil Lecture Series: Celebrating the Decade of the Mexican Avocado featuring Avocados from Mexico CEO and President, Alvaro Luque 

On February 22, 2024, Temerlin Advertising Institute at SMU hosted their annual ExxonMobil Lecture Series on Sustainability at the Angelika Film Center in Dallas. This event offered an immersive experience, blending educational discourse with a vibrant networking atmosphere for over 200 students, professionals, and sustainability enthusiasts. All gathered to hear from the man responsible for revolutionizing the avocado market, Alvaro Luque, President and CEO of the non-profit marketing organization, Avocados from Mexico (AFM). The expanding popularity of avocados took center stage as the event seamlessly wove together the threads of sustainability, and marketing innovation. Luque’s insights provided a rich tapestry of his 30-year marketing journey, emphasizing the strategic vision that catapulted Avocados From Mexico to its status as a household name and a symbol of sustainability in the produce market. The night was a great success and we are already excited for next year!  

The evening began with a networking hour where guests could connect over drinks, avocado focused hors d’oeuvres and sweets, as well as AFM’s signature build your own guacamole cart. The cart allowed guests to pick and choose their favorite ingredients and experience AFM’s brand message of always good by showcasing how avocados can be delicious, healthy, and fun! 

When it came time for the lecture, Luque was an immediate crowd pleaser with his utilization of AFM’s  famous jingle to kick things off. His discussion centered on the remarkable journey of Mexican avocados in the U.S., where today, 8 in 10 avocados consumed are from Mexico, contributing over $11 billion in economic output. He went on to emphasize the importance of understanding their target audience and how being the first fresh produce brand to advertise in the Super Bowl played a large part in evening the playing field for them as a brand, increasing awareness in such a large market, and setting a precedent for industry innovation. 

 At the presentation’s conclusion, TAI’s Dr. Carrie La Ferle went on to engage in a lively Q&A with Luque. La Ferle shared how delighted she was by his genuine care about the next generation, engaging in every question presented, and further sharing words of wisdom with the students in the audience. Dr. La Ferle later stated how impressed she was “by Mr. Luque’s passion for strategy and his keen eye for how to, in the words of Luque, “Make AFM in the produce category, like Pepsi or Coke were to beverages.”

   

“If you ever doubted the ability to market produce like a CPK, developing a visible brand in a brandless category, doubt no more,” said Dr. Carrie La Ferle of the Temerlin Advertising Institute. 

Guests left the evening with more than valuable insights on developing visible brands in brandless categories. Each attendee received a goodie bag which included their very own Avocados From Mexico. 

The 2024 ExxonMobil Lecture Series: The Decade of the Mexican Avocado, highlighted the Temerlin Advertising Institute’s dedication to integrating sustainability with marketing excellence and moto of “Better Advertising. Better World.” 

Previous ExxonMobil Lectures included brands like Publicis, Pepsi Co, Honest Company, Nike, Chick-fil-A, and Monster, features like Signs of Humanity and David Baldwin, and topics like Spirituality.

TAI Hosts Visiting Scholar Dr. C.W. Park for Lecture on Brand Attachment

Monday March 20, the Temerlin Advertising Institute hosted a lecture by Visiting Scholar Dr. C. W Park, marketing professor at University of Southern California. Dr. Park discussed his research, “Brand Attachment: Theory and Practice,” with many SMU students and faculty attending the event. Through his research, Dr. Park assesses levels of brand attachment and how brands can attempt to achieve a strong consumer relationship.

“We all know that consumers trust and love products that meet their needs and provide a pleasing experience,” SMU MBA Candidate Kenneth Ryan said. “But Dr. Park helped complete the picture by elaborating on the growing importance of developing brand identities whose values match the consumers’ values. His chat at SMU gave students and faculty a glimpse into this growing field of marketing research.”

Dr. C.W. Park lecturing to audience of SMU students and faculty.

In his lecture, Dr. Park discusses the “3 E’s,” which are different types of benefits a brand can provide to consumers to develop trust, love, and respect for the brand. The “3 E’s” include enabling benefits, enticing benefits, and enriching benefits.

“I really liked Dr. Park’s presentation when he talked about the 3 E’s regarding brand attachment, especially Enriching benefits for customers,” TAI graduate student Phuong Nguyen said. “It’s hard enough to reach out to people these days and sell your products, and it’s even harder to provide them with inspiration and create a long-lasting relationship. I’m sure Dr. Park’s research paper will tell more about how brand attachment has a strong impact on the survival of the brand. These are very interesting and compelling ideas for brands that want to enter a new market.”

Dr. Park has published numerous articles in Journal of Marketing ResearchJournal of Consumer ResearchJournal of Marketing, and Journal of Consumer Psychology. He has also co-authored several books on marketing and brand management. Dr. Park was Editor of Journal of Consumer Psychology (2008-2012) and is currently the Director of the Global Branding Center at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California (2008-present).

In addition, he was an advisor for Samsung from 1989 to 1998 and also served as a member of the Board of Directors for Samsung Corporation from 2001 to 2010. In addition, he has been serving as advisor for Pulmuone Corporation since 1993. He has been running and teaching a number of marketing executive programs at Marshall since 1998.

Temerlin Advertising Institute was honored to host Dr. Park for a lecture on his research. TAI is passionate about staying informed on all current topics in the advertising industry, hosting guest speakers periodically throughout the year.

TAI Hosts Visiting Scholar Dr. Kevin Wise for Lecture on Engagement with Mobile Phones

Friday October 21, Temerlin Advertising Institute hosted a lecture by Visiting Scholar Dr. Kevin Wise, an advertising professor at the University of Illinois. Dr. Wise discussed his research, “Effects of Movement on Cognitive and Emotional Responses to Stimuli Viewed on Mobile Phones.” His research explores the psychology underlying interactive media use, suggesting that from a cognitive perspective physical cues may activate psychological concepts that, in turn, influence psychological responses to stimuli. Many SMU staff and students attended the lecture.

Dr. Wise lecturing at SMU.
Dr. Wise lecturing at SMU.

“Mobile devices are ubiquitously prevalent in today’s world,” Adeline Tolliver, Instructional Designer for SMU’s CTE, said. “We see students and faculty around campus walking or standing while hypnotized by their mobile devices and dwelling in the digital as much as in the physical. Dr. Wise’s work on the evaluation of emotional responses by stimuli in mobile devices, while participants were in motion or still, sheds a light on the potential impact of movement to the cognitive and emotional responses to stimuli and inform scholars in the field of advertisement as well as other fields. His session was very informative, and I was able to identify many relevant findings that could have significant impact in my field of teaching and learning.” 

At the University of Illinois, Dr. Wise teaches Advertising Research Methods, and he received his PhD from Stanford University.  He is the Chair of the Information Systems Division of ICA, and serves on the editorial review boards of Media Psychology and the Journal of Interactive Advertising.  

Temerlin Advertising Institute was honored to host Dr. Wise for a lecture on his research. TAI is passionate about staying informed on all current topics in the advertising industry, hosting guest speakers periodically throughout the year.

TAI Hosts Visiting Scholar Dr. Jooyoung Kim for Lecture on Advertising Engagement

SMU students and faculty with Dr. Kim.
SMU students and faculty with Dr. Kim.

Friday September 30, Temerlin Advertising Institute hosted a lecture by Visiting Scholar Dr. Jooyoung Kim, an associate advertising professor at University of Georgia. Dr. Kim discussed his research, “Advertising Engagement: Conceptualization and Measurement,” with many SMU students and faculty attending the event. Through his research study, Dr. Kim developed an advertising engagement concept and measurement scale that offers other researchers a ground for further study of engagement. It also provides a useful tool in assessing effectiveness of video advertisements.

“[It was a] fascinating presentation by a visiting scholar covering what advertising engagement really means and how it can be measured,” Program Specialist for SMU CAPE Lea Worth said. “[It was] interesting to see what kind of research is being conducted by other schools and how they approach their research. I look forward to hopefully seeing this method of measuring engagement being adopted by the broader ad industry in the future”

At the University of Georgia, Dr. Kim teaches advertising management, advertising campaigns, advertising research, global advertising, and quantitative research methods for both undergraduate and graduate students. He has been published in various academic journals, including Journal of Advertising, Psychology & Marketing, and Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.

Dr. Kim lecturing on engagement.
Dr. Kim lecturing on engagement.

In addition, he has been invited to share his research with several global companies in South Korea such as LG, Hyundai Motor Company, and KT. Recently during summer 2016, he was a visiting professor at Saatchi & Saatchi in New York City through Advertising Educational Foundation (AEF). Dr. Kim is an active member of American Academy of Advertising and serves on the Editorial Review Board of Journal of Advertising, International Journal of Advertising, and Journal of Interactive Advertising.

Temerlin Advertising Institute was honored to host Dr. Kim for a lecture on his research. TAI is passionate about staying informed on all current topics in the advertising industry, hosting guest speakers periodically throughout the year.