April 16, 2008

Bruner's research earns 'most-cited' designation

by Sun Min

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Gordon C. Bruner II, a marketing professor in Southern Illinois University Carbondale's College of Business and Administration, has been named one of the "Most Cited Internet Advertising Authors" by the Journal of Advertising. Two of Bruner's articles were also among the Journal's list of "Most Cited Internet-Related Papers."

The Journal of Advertising is the premier journal devoted to the development of advertising theory and its relationship to practice. The Journal provides a public forum where ideas about advertising are expressed. All papers published in the Journal go through a rigorous, double-blind, peer review process.

"I knew I had been involved with several Internet-related studies that were edgy at the time but I had no idea how much my work affected what other researchers were doing," said Bruner, who shared the SIUC College of Business and Administration 2008 Researcher of the Year Award with Wallace N. Davidson, Henry J. Rehn Professor of Finance.

"Studies that perform citation analysis are useful because you can get a better idea of what person or article(s) are really being read and used. It was very nice to see that I was one of the most cited authors of Internet advertising articles. It was even more thrilling to see that when all Internet-related citations (articles and books) from a set of journals were examined, two of my articles were listed. I did not know my work was having that kind of effect. It's good to get your work published, it's better to have it published in a top journal, but it is really grand to know that your work has influenced the thinking of other scholars," Bruner said.

Bruner is renowned for his books that provide a compilation of measurement scales used in market research. Right now, Bruner is working on book V5 of his series and he's developing an electronic database of "psychometric" scales, which measure certain variables of consumer interest such as brand loyalty, attitude toward an advertisement or brand, intent to purchase and satisfaction.

The scales are reference material that can help unlock a market for business people. Bruner previously created a four-volume index of the scales titled "Marketing Scales Handbook: A Compilation of Multi-Item Measures."

Until now, those who want to tap the information contained in the scales either had to pore over the literature or create it by conducting their own studies. Bruner's electronic database will allow researchers to find the appropriate scales using simple searchable database software. The database will be available on disc and online.

Bruner has also made a name for himself through his cutting-edge research on technology and consumer behavior. Since 2002, Bruner has partnered with a major telecommunications company on several projects.

A member of the College of Business and Administration faculty since 1984, Bruner has been on the Research Honor Roll and Undergraduate Teaching Honor Roll numerous times over the years.

Born in Ft. Worth, Texas, Bruner holds bachelor's and master's degrees in marketing from Texas A & M University and a doctorate in marketing from University of North Texas.