Thomas (Tom) O'Guinn

Thomas Clayton O’Guinn is Professor of Marketing and Thomas J. Falk Distinguished Chair in Business.

He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to coming to Wisconsin he was at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Professor O’Guinn’s research is broadly sociological. His work is often near the intersection of sociology and social psychology, or micro-sociology. Among his most notable works are several multi-method pieces, including survey data, content analysis, and ethnography. His work is sociologically and theoretical substantive.

His work began with studies of special groups of consumers, such as Mexican-American immigrants, then moved to those consumers who used consumption in a compulsive manner, and then to how various strata were affected by television viewing in terms of their beliefs about others, or economic and consumption norms. He then co-founded (along with then doctoral student, Albert Muniz, Jr.), a research stream on consumption and brand-centered communities. More recently his work explores social strata, particularly social class, as it relates to the use and value of physical space within commercial settings, and the value of objects and services delivered with them. He is also currently working on social class and consumption within New American Urban neighborhoods, institutional responses by marketers to social disruption, and a sociological model of brands.

Selected Accepted Journal Articles

• Paulson, E. & O'Guinn, T. (2017). Erika L. Paulson and Thomas C. O’Guinn (2017), “Marketing Social Class and Ideology in Post-World-War-Two American Print Advertising,”. Journal of Macromarketing

Selected Published Journal Articles

• OGUINN, T. & Tanner, R. & Maeng, A. (2015). Turning to Space: Social Density, Social Class and the Value of Things in Stores. Journal of Consumer Research (42), 196-213.
• Pracejus, J. & O'Guinn, T. & Olson, D. (2013). When White Space Is More than Burning Money: Economic Signaling Meets Visual Commercial Rhetoric. International Journal of Research in Marketing (30), 211-218.
• Paulson, E. & O'Guinn, T. (2012). Working Class Cast: Images of the Working Class in Advertising 1950-2010. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences (644), 50-69. doi: 10.1177/0002716212453133.
• O'Guinn, T. & Muniz, Jr., A. (2009). The Social Brand: Towards a Sociological Model of Brands. Brands and Brand Management:Contemporary Research Perspectives
• Pracejus, J. & Olsen, G. & O'Guinn, T. (2006). How Nothing Became Something: White Space, Rhetoric, History and Meaning. Journal of Consumer Research (33), 82-90.
• Muniz, A. & O'Guinn, T. (2001). Brand Community. Journal of Consumer Research (27), 412-432.
• Shrum, L. & O'Guinn, T. (1998). The Role of Television in the Construction of Consumer Reality. New Developments and Approaches in Consumer Behaviour Research, 53-68.
• Shrum, L. & Wyer, Jr., R. & O'Guinn, T. (1998). The Effects of Television Consumption on Social Perceptions: The Use of Priming Procedures to Investigate Psychological Processes. Journal of Consumer Research (24), 447-458.
• Shrum, L. & O'Guinn, T. (1997). Processes and Effects in the Construction of Social Reality: Accessibility as an Explanatory Variable. Communications Research, 436-471.
• Shrum, L. & O'Guinn, T. (1997). The Role of Television in the Construction of Consumer Reality. Journal of Consumer Research, 278-294.
• Faber, R. & O'Guinn, T. (1992). A Clinical Screener for Compulsive Buying. Journal of Consumer Research (19), 459-469.
• O'Guinn, T. (1991). Touching Greatness: The Central Midwest Barry Manilow Fan Club. Highways and Buyways: Naturalistic Research from the Consumer Behavior Odyssey, 102-111.
• O'Guinn, T. & Belk, R. (1989). Heaven on Earth: Consumption at Heritage Village, USA. Journal of Consumer Research (16)
• O'Guinn, T. & Faber, R. (1989). Compulsive Buying: A Phenomenological Exploration. Journal of Consumer Research (16), 147-157.
• O'Guinn, T. & Wells, W. (1989). Subjective Discretionary Income. Marketing Research (1), 32-41.
• Faber, R. & O'Guinn, T. (1988). Compulsive Consumption and Credit Abuse. Journal of Consumer Policy (11), 97-109.
• Faber, R. & O'Guinn, T. (1988). Expanding the View of Consumer Socialization: A Non-Utilitarian Mass Mediated Perspective on Consumer Socialization. Research in Consumer Behavior (3), 49-77.
• Faber, R. & O'Guinn, T. (1987). Ethnicity, Acculturation and Product Attribute Importance. Psychology and Marketing (4), 121-234.

Presentations

On the Image-University of California, Berkeley ( 2015 ) Images of Service in American Print Advertising 1900-2015

Consumer Culture Theory Conference ( 2015 ) Owning Community

University of Texas, Austin ( 2014 ) Erving (Goffman) Goes Shopping: Social Density, Social Class and Object Value

University of Maryland, College Park ( 2013 ) The Economy of Space

Georgetown University ( 2013 ) A Sociological Model of Brands

Association For Consumer Research: Chicago ( 2013 ) A Social Model of Brands

Yale University ( 2013 ) Looks like a Bus Station: Shopper Density, Status Inferences, and Object Valuations by Consumers

Haring Symposium: Indiana University ( 2013 ) Branding in a Time of Social Disruption

UW Madison Department of Sociology ( 2013 ) Looks like a Bus Station: Shopper Density, Status Inferences, and Object Valuations by Consumers

Association For Consumer Research: Vancouver ( 2012 ) Working Reality: Advertising Representations of Social Class and Race During a Time of Increasing Income Inequality,1970-2010

Yale Consumer Insights Conference, Yale University ( 2012 ) The Social Brand: Disruption and Brand Creation

Rudd Center For Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University ( 2012 ) Branded Reality: The Construction of Commercial Social Reality

Communication, Consumers, and Citizens: ?Revisiting the Politics of Consumption, ( 2011 ) Constructing the Commercial Classes: Stratification, Representation and Social Tableau

Product Design and Manufacturer’s Association, Anaheim, California ( 2010 ) Designing Brands

Undergraduate Courses

Contemporary Topics (MKT 365 Section 2), Spring 2009.

Contemporary Topics (MKT 365 Section 1), Fall 2010.

Contemporary Topics (MKT 365), Fall 2006.

Brand Management (MKT 365 Section 2), Fall 2007.

(MKT 335 Section 1), Fall 2012.

(MKT 335 Section 2), Fall 2012.

Graduate Courses

Seminar-Marketing PhD (MKT 971 Section 1), Fall 2009.

Special Project (MKT 799), Fall 2012.

Contemporary Topics (MKT 765), Fall 2006.

Contemporary Topics (MKT 765), Spring 2010.

Brand Management (MKT 765 Section 1), Fall 2007.

Brand Strategy (MKT 735 Section 1), Spring 2009.

Brand Strategy (MKT 735 Section 1), Fall 2009.

Brand Strategy (MKT 735 Section 1), Fall 2010.

Brand Strategy (MKT 735), Fall 2011.

Brand Strategy (MKT 735 Section 1), Fall 2012.

Learning/Teaching Oriented Publications

O'Guinn, T. & Faber, R. (1991). Mass Communication and Consumer Behavior. Handbook of Consumer Behavior Theory, 349-400.

Editorial and Reviewing Activities

Journal of Marketing - Since January 0001 Invited Manuscript Reviewer

British Journal of Sociology - Since January 0001 Ad Hoc Reviewer

Consumers, Markets and Culture - Since January 0001 Editorial Board Member