School of Advertising and Public Relations
ADPR Alumnus Loebner Hired as Global Head of Inclusive Design at Wunderman Thompson
Creating inclusive design has risen to the forefront of conversation in advertising and other fields, and the timing couldn’t be better for Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations master’s alumnus Josh Loebner (’99). Loebner recently landed a role he calls a dream job: global head of inclusive design for international marketing communications agency Wunderman Thompson. It’s a position he has worked towards for the past 23 years by developing skills and interests at various jobs, as well as by attaining his PhD in rhetoric, communication, and information design from Clemson University.
Loebner’s initial route to advertising was, as … Read more “ADPR Alumnus Loebner Hired as Global Head of Inclusive Design at Wunderman Thompson”
ADPR Alum Matt Dirsa’s Legacy Lives on Through Scholarship and Award Established by His Family
Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations alumnus Matthew (Matt) Dirsa was a man of many interests—he loved outdoor activities such as rock climbing, golf, and snowboarding, but he and his friends also taught themselves how to knit stocking caps and he trained to be a sushi chef.
“He wasn’t afraid to try anything and when he passed, it was amazing the number of people who contacted me. I had no idea he knew that many people, he was a special man,” said Melinda Gathers, Dirsa’s mother.
Dirsa had worked in advertising positions in New York and China when he … Read more “ADPR Alum Matt Dirsa’s Legacy Lives on Through Scholarship and Award Established by His Family”
Researchers in the Tombras School Win Big at Recent American Academy of Advertising Conference
Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations professor Eric Haley, along with colleagues Tyler Milfeld and Dan Flint from the UT Marketing Department, took home the Best Article 2021 Award for the Journal of Advertising, the field’s leading journal. Additionally, Eric Haley, along with colleagues from the University of Illinois, was awarded Best Article 2021 for Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising and Best Article 2021 for Journal of Interactive Advertising. Haley also received the Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising’s Best Article Award in 2020.
Articles lead by Tombras School faculty members … Read more “Researchers in the Tombras School Win Big at Recent American Academy of Advertising Conference”
Advertising Research Productivity Ranked Fourth Nationally
The School of Advertising and Public Relations is tied for fourth nationally and eighth globally for advertising research productivity in a recent study published by the Journal of Business Research.
The study examined visibility in journals articles on advertising from 2008-2019, primarily focused on the three prominent U.S.-based advertising journals (Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, and Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising) as well as advertising-focused research in communications, marketing, business, and broader interdisciplinary academic journals.
The ranking supports the university administration’s priorities of increased visibility of campus research in top-tier journals and having more … Read more “Advertising Research Productivity Ranked Fourth Nationally”
Dr. Michael Hoefges, who taught from 2001-03 in the Department of Advertising (now the School of Advertising and Public Relations), died March 9 at age 61. He had served as an associate professor at CCI Alumni Start VOLs Remote Internship Program for Students
As many students around the country had their summer internship plans put on hold because of COVID-19 and economic uncertainty, the University of Tennessee’s New York City Alumni Chapter quickly organized a virtual internship program for future communicators.
The VOLs Remote Internship pilot program paired five interns from CCI with social media and digital communication roles at nonprofit organizations dedicated to education.
CCI Board of Visitors member Jamie Lonie (PR ’10), who also serves as president of UT’s New York City Alumni Chapter, said the idea for a digital internship program was born at the October 2019 CCI Board of … Read more “CCI Alumni Start VOLs Remote Internship Program for Students”
2020 ICA Conference – CCI Participants
The 70th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, originally scheduled to be held in Gold Coast, Australia, was held virtually May 20-27. A number of professors and students from the School of Advertising and Public Relations, the School of Communication Studies, and the School of Journalism and Electronic Media participated.
Discussion Moderators & Chairs
ADPR Interim Director & Professor Sally McMillan:
- Chair: Virtual Reality: New Methods, Approaches, and Theories
JEM Assistant Professor Joy Jenkins:
- Chair: How Journalists Use Social Media
ADPR Assistant Professor Matthew Pittman:
- Chair: HIGH DENSITY: Messaging for Public Awareness and Social Change
CS Associate Professor Michelle Violanti:… Read more “2020 ICA Conference – CCI Participants”
Over the Moon(Pie)
An advertising alum’s tweet sent MoonPie sales soaring
Patrick Wells (‘14) was working at Knoxville-based advertising agency Tombras Group and managing social media for MoonPie—a coated graham cracker pie with a marshmallow center—when one of his tweets hit the sweet spot in summer 2017.
After Hostess Cakes tweeted that its Golden Cupcake was the official snack of the solar eclipse, MoonPie’s reply, “lol ok,” went viral, racking up more than 196,000 retweets.
Find out more here.
Mariea Hoy Awarded Inaugural DeForrest Jackson Professorship
Mariea Hoy, a professor in the School of Advertising and Public Relations, is the inaugural recipient of the DeForrest Jackson Professorship.
The school’s first named professorship, the DeForrest Jackson Professorship was created earlier this year with a gift from Suzanne Sackleh Masters of Atlanta, who received her bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations in 1989. Masters made the gift in honor of her favorite professor, DeForrest Jackson.
Jackson came to UT after retiring as communications director for Coca-Cola in Atlanta. He earned his master’s degree in communications from UT and went on to serve as an associate professor of … Read more “Mariea Hoy Awarded Inaugural DeForrest Jackson Professorship”
Director John Haas Serves as Honorary Coach
AdvPR Interim Director and Communication Studies’ Associate Professor John Haas was invited by UT Head Football Coach Butch Jones to serve as an Honorary Coach for the UT v. Missouri game on Nov. 2.
Haas and fellow Honorary Coach UT College of Law Dean Doug Blaze shared their thoughts and impressions on their experience in the following video.