A University of Wisconsin-Stout professor said his selection to a prestigious national advertising program will benefit students in university hospitality, business and management classes.
“To have access to the best and brightest thinkers in advertising will be a unique opportunity to increase my knowledge,” said Eric Brey. “I will be able to learn about the next level of insights and transfer that to the classroom.”
Brey recently was named to the Visiting Professor Program, which is hosted annually by the Association of National Advertisers. He will participate for five days in June with professors from around the U.S. as they study trends in advertising and marketing.
The visiting professors will meet daily during the program with executives from major corporations. The experience will be virtual because of COVID-19, but professors will have the opportunity to return for additional experiences in person in the fall and spring 2022.
Brey, who has a doctorate in hospitality and tourism from Purdue University, is director of UW-Stout’s School of Hospitality Leadership. He was accepted to the program after applying for the first time.
“The whole point is to return with knowledge our students don’t have access to somewhere else,” he said. “We’ll be exposed to incredible companies and how they are practicing marketing and advertising at the highest levels.”
Brey will be teaching a new data analytics course in the fall and hopes to gain cutting-edge insight into the field. “Leaders need to understand what customers want. I’m really hoping to gain a deeper understanding of analytics and data and bring that back to our students,” he said.
Brey also teaches marketing and strategy courses. The content applies not just to hospitality students but to other majors at UW-Stout, including business administration and management.
“The misconception is that hospitality is so different, but it’s a very specific type of business. Large hotel chains are experts in marketing and finance, along with operating successful hotels,” he said.
The Visiting Professor Program is sponsored by the ANA Educational Foundation, with the goal to “connect the marketing, advertising and academic communities. Together we educate and inspire the next generation of talent while advancing the understanding of marketing and advertising in society.”
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