Associate Professor of Media Studies Emily Contois was recently awarded the Paul Kurnit Award by the Advertising Education Foundation for distinguished scholarship in the field of advertising and society.
The award recognizes the most outstanding piece of work published in Advertising & Society Quarterly during 2022 and 2023. The award honors original research contributions that build bridges between the advertising and marketing professions and the academic community.
Contois was recognized for her 2022 article “White Claw and Gender Neutrality: What Hard Seltzers Reveal about Alcohol Advertising’s Long Journey toward Gender Inclusion.”
“I research what our everyday culture means and why it matters, especially when it comes to food and drinks,” shared Contois. In 2019, she took note when White Claw hard seltzer outsold every craft beer on the market and surpassed even industry stalwart Budweiser.
By 2020, numerous executives named hard seltzer the most significant change in the beer market since light beer launched in the 1970s. Contois’ article puts this industry transformation into historical and cultural context.
“In all of my projects, I examine how media shapes our identities and what it reveals about how power is held in society, often inequitably,” said Contois. In the case of hard seltzers, she explored how brands packaged and advertised these drinks in gendered ways, whether specifically for women or for men — or, as was the case with White Claw, in more gender-neutral ways that garnered a larger audience.
Beyond her award-winning research, Contois’ teaching explores advertising and society. Her annual Advertising History, Culture & Critique course provides the liberal arts foundation for TU’s advertising minor, which is a collaboration between the Department of Media Studies and the School of Art, Design & Art History.
“The advertising minor offered by TU truly complements my marketing major, allowing me to combine my passions for art and business,” said Simi Khanolkar, who also read Contois’ hard seltzer article as part of her course. “Professor Contois’ research on hard seltzer advertising was eye opening regarding how gendered perceptions have a prevalent role in American culture and advertising.”
“Professor Contois represents the best of TU and Media Studies: inclusive and interdisciplinary, professionally distinctive and dazzling,” said Media Studies Department Chair Ben Peters. “We are delighted to join with top professionals and scholars in congratulating her on receiving this prestigious industry-wide award.”