Email: kmlcook@illinois.edu
Research Interests
Kirby’s primary research interests are advertising, consumer culture, and identity. Throughout her doctoral program, her research has focused on material possessions, accessibility in advertising, and political advertising literacy. Prior to joining ICR, Kirby worked at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a marketing and communications specialist at Engineering Career Services at the Grainger College of Engineering, and an international student adviser at the International Student and Scholar Services office. Before joining Illinois, she worked as an international consultant at various branding and communication agencies in Stuttgart, Germany; an adjunct business lecturer in Reutlingen, Germany; and a high school English teacher in Daegu, South Korea. Kirby received her master’s degree in advertising from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her bachelor’s degree in classical languages and literature from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro.
Recent Publications/ Presentations
Cook, K., & Nelson, M. R. (2025, October). The Role of Remote Enculturation and Consumption of Cultural Artifacts in Ethnic Identity Formation and Life Satisfaction among Transracial International Adoptees. Association for Consumer Research Conference (Washington, D.C.).
Nelson, M. R., & Cook, K. (2024). Qualitative advertising research. In Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing (pp. 332-343). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Nelson, M. R., & Cook, K. (2024). Accessibility and age: Can legibility improve opportunity to process advertising?. Journal of Advertising, 53(3), 307-325.
Cook, K. (2024, July). The Identity Conflict: Lifelong Journey of a Korean Adoptee [artwork]. Consumer Culture Theory Consortium Conference (San Diego, CA).
Cook, K., & Nelson, M. R. (2024). Exploring the process of remote enculturation through heritage possessions: A case study of transracial international adoptees. Journal of Consumer Culture, 24(2-3), 233-251.
Nelson, M., & Cook, K. (2024, January). Critical Eyes, Deceptive Lies?: Political Advertising and You. College Convention (Manchester, NH).
Nelson, M. R., & Cook, K. (2023). Assessing student knowledge about disabilities and filling the gap: including disability and accessibility content into the advertising classroom. Journal of Advertising Education, 27(1), 23-49.
Nelson, M., Angrave, L., & Cook, K. (2023, April). Inclusive Design 2023 – Accessibility in Marketing, Communications and Education. University of Illinois Web Con 2023 Conference (Virtual).
Nelson, M., Cook, K., Haley, E., Ham, C. D., & Paltaratskaya, V. (2023, March). Understanding and Increasing Everyday Persuasion Knowledge about Political Advertising. American Academy of Advertising Conference (Denver, CO).
Cook, K., & Nelson, M. (2022, October). Scavenger Hoppers & Apex Shoppers: Personification of Consumer Vulnerability in Retail. Association for Consumer Research Conference (Denver, CO).
Cook, K., & Nelson, M. (2022, March). Consumer “Fit” and Vulnerability: Gender, Sexual Orientation, and the Binary Approach in Retail. Society for Consumer Psychology Annual Conference (Virtual).
Courses Taught
- ADV 201: Social Media and Personal Branding (Teaching Assistant)
- ADV 250: Advertising and Brand Strategy (Instructor of Record, Teaching Assistant)
- ADV 284: Consumer Insight (Instructor of Record)
- ADV 490: Digital Portfolio (Instructor of Record)
- SBC 500: Strategic Brand Communication Essentials (Teaching Assistant)
- SBC 501: Strategic Branding: Global Perspectives (Teaching Assistant)
- SBC 502: Business of Brands (Teaching Assistant)
- SBC 503: Consumer Insights I (Teaching Assistant)
- SBC 504: Managing Projects & Teams (Teaching Assistant)
- SBC 505: Consumer Insights II (Teaching Assistant)
- SBC 508: Promotional Strategy (Teaching Assistant)
- SBC 509: Digital Media & Brand Reputation Management (Teaching Assistant)
- SBC 510: Messaging Strategy (Teaching Assistant)
- SBC 511: Strategic Analytics & Data Visualization (Teaching Assistant)
- SBC 512: Professional SBC Capstone Project (Teaching Assistant)
Awards and Honors
- S. Watson and Elizabeth S. Dunn Fellowship (SP26)
- James Webb Young Advertising Travel Grant (FA25)
- Barton A. Cummings Academic Excellence Award (SP25)
- James Webb Young Graduate Student Teaching Award (FA24)
- Lynne Blanton Student Travel Fund (SU24)
- Teachers Ranked as Excellent By Their Students: SP25*, FA24*, SP24 (*Outstanding)
What Most People Don’t Know about Me
I taught in South Korea through the U.S. Fulbright English Teaching Program, instructing more than 500 high school students each week.