April 22, 2026
Advertising faculty with appointments in the Institute of Communications Research, doctoral students in ICR, graduate students in advertising, and ICR alumni participated in the 2026 annual conference of the American Academy of Advertising, held March 26-29 in Austin, Texas.
Through presentations and panels, they discussed research and ideas related to teaching AI and advertising, ethics, and more. Advertising Professor Chang-Dae Ham serves as the 2026-27 president-elect of AAA and will become AAA’s president next year.
Below is a list of the Illinois participants and their research.
Special Topic Sessions
“Navigating Advertising Academic Leadership During a Time of Change: An Inside Look at Administration Roles in the Age of A.I., Program Changes, and Industry Upheaval”
Speakers: Huan Chen (University of Florida), Joe Phua (Southern Methodist University), Shu-Chuan (Kelly) Chu (DePaul University), Matthew S Eastin (University of Texas at Austin Professor and Head Michelle Nelson, Soojung Kim (University of North Dakota), Fuyuan Shen (Pennsylvania State University), Tom Reichert (University of South Carolina), Heidi Hennick-Kaminski (Michigan State University), Harsha Gangadharbatia (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
“Teaching Privacy in the Age of AI: Preparing Ethical Advertising Professionals”
Speakers: Kristen Sussman (Texas State University), Faren Karimkhan (Syracuse University), Daniela Molta (Syracuse University), Associate Professor Ewa Maslowska, Carina Alderete (Accenture)
Panels
“Foundational Framework in Virtual Influencer Marketing: Bridging Operational Control and Narrative Archetypes in Virtual Influencer Design”
Speakers: ICR doctoral student Seo-Jeong (Rachel) Heo, Professor and Associate Head of Graduate Studies Chang-Dae Ham
“When Robots Cross the Line: Consumer Moral Judgments of Robots’ Harm and Authority Violations”
Speakers: ICR doctoral student Seo-Jeong (Rachel) Heo, Yuhosua Ryoo (University of Minnesota Duluth), ICR alum WooJin Kim (University of Colorado Boulder)
“Scandals, Morality, and Cancel Culture: How Consumers Judge Brands and Influencers”
Speakers: Saima Kazmi (University of Oregon), Assistant Professor Louvins Pierre, Josh Anderson (University of Arizona)
“When Identity Disclosure Matters: The Interplay of Identity Disclosure, Message Type, and Product Type in AI Influencer Advertising on Social Media”
Speakers: ICR doctoral student Se Il Park, Professor and Associate Head of Graduate Studies Chang-Dae Ham
“Beyond the Algorithm: The Double-Edged Impact of Explainable AI”
Speakers: ICR alum WooJin Kim (University of Colorado Boulder), ICR doctoral student Se Il Park, Professor and Associate Head of Graduate Studies Chang-Dae Ham, ICR alum Un Chae Chung (University of Wisconsin Whitewater)
“Peripheral Cues in a Democracy? Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model to Examine Information Cues and Negativity in Millions of Political TV Advertisements”
Speakers: ICR doctoral student Alice Ji and Professor and Head Michelle Nelson
“Zero-Click Persuasion in LLM Advertising: The Role of Response Structures and Regulatory Mode Fit”
Speakers: ICR doctoral student Seo-Jeong (Rachel) Heo, Yuhosua Ryoo (University of Minnesota Duluth)
“Measuring AI-Advertising Aversion: An Initial Scale Development and Empirical Assessment of Its Relationship with AI Anxiety”
Speakers: Assistant Professor Louvins Pierre, Viviana Carolina Zambrano Rodriguez (University of South Carolina), MS advertising student Jiayi (Joy) Wang
“From Black Box to Glass Box: The Moderating Role of AI Literacy on the Political Matching Effect”
Speakers: ICR alum WooJin Kim (University of Colorado Boulder), ICR doctoral student Se Il Park, ICR alum Un Chae Chung (University of Wisconsin Whitewater), ICR alum Seo Yoon Lee (Texas Christian University), ICR doctoral student Jiyeon Chang
“Adaptive or Defensive? How Perceived Regulatory Efficacy Shapes Consumer Coping with Targeted Advertising”
Speakers: Professor and Associate Head of Graduate Studies Chang-Dae Ham, Ilwoo Ju (Purdue University)
“Signaling Transparency or Triggering Skepticism? Exploring How AI Disclosure in Product Advertising Influences Purchase Intention”
Speakers: Assistant Professor Louvins Pierre, Viviana Carolina Zambrano Rodriguez (University of South Carolina), MS advertising student Jiayi (Joy) Wang, ICR doctoral student Nisa Rahman
Moderators
Professor Sela Sar served as moderator for a panel on the theme of “Rethinking Advertising Research”
ICR doctoral student Yujin (Floria) Lee served as moderator for a panel on the theme of “Social Representation in Advertising”
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