Carrie Ferle

Dr. Carrie La Ferle is the Marriott Endowed Professor of Ethics & Culture in the Temerlin Advertising Institute at SMU. Dr. La Ferle holds a Ph.D. in advertising from The University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. in advertising from Michigan State University and a B.A. in sociology from the University of Western Ontario. She has been teaching undergraduate and graduate classes in international advertising and advertising ethics for more than 20 years. Her research examines how culture (national, racial/ethnic, religious, etc.) impacts advertising and consumer behavior. She further examines ethical issues as they relate to culture and the impact of advertising on society.

Dr. La Ferle’s work is widely published in prestigious journals such as the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, International Journal of Advertising and Journal of Business Research. She has been a Visiting Fellow at Nanyang Technological Institute in Singapore, spent a year researching the industry in Costa Rica, and has taught international advertising multiple times in Hong Kong. Her latest work in the Journal of Advertising examines how guilt and shame messaging in an eastern context can impact bystander intervention when confronted with domestic violence. In June of 2021, she released a book exploring how preachers can use advertising techniques to be better equipped for entering into the life stories of church attendees.

Dr. La Ferle has received multiple awards for her teaching, research and service to the field. At SMU she is the recipient of the President’s Associates Outstanding Faculty Award (2009), the Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor Award (2012), the Golden Apple (2018) from Meadows School of the Arts, and TAI’s Research Scholar of the Year award (2019). In 2018, Dr. La Ferle was chosen as an AAF Shining Star in recognition of women who have positively impacted the Dallas advertising industry. In spring 2021, Dr. La Ferle received the prestigious Kim Rotzoll Career Award for Advertising Ethics and Social Responsibility from the American Academy of Advertising.

Through her teaching, research, and service efforts, Dr. La Ferle works to positively influence society. She supports the rights of brands to provide information, but encourages cultural understanding and ethical behavior in order for brands to build trust and authentic long-term relationships with their consumers.

Dr. La Ferle is a certified Cultural Intelligence & Unconscious Bias Trainer and Educator. She has been an active member of the American Academy of Advertising for 25 years, holding numerous positions including newsletter editor, secretary and vice president. She serves on the editorial review board of the Journal of Advertising. Dr. La Ferle is a member of the Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility and a voice on the ANA’s Global CMO Growth Council supporting the need for cultural intelligence and ethical representation in marketing for industry growth.

Prior to academia, Dr. La Ferle worked in advertising in Toronto, Los Angeles and Tokyo. She currently lives in Dallas with her husband and their two teenaged children.

Education

• Ph.D. Advertising, University of Texas at Austin
• M.A. Advertising, Michigan State University
• B.A. Sociology, University of Western Ontario