Biography and education
Dr. Wilson is a Professor of Marketing where he teaches Promotional Strategy and the American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) course. He received his B.S. in Business Administration and Advertising from the University of Akron in Ohio, an M.B.A. in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis, and a Ph.D. in Marketing and International Business from Saint Louis University.
Before becoming a professor, Dr. Wilson worked in the fields of marketing and international business for 12 years as a senior product manager for AT&T, Vodafone Group, and TelePacific Communications. While working for Vodafone, Dr. Wilson helped to establish a new wireless venture in Hungary and spent one year working in Budapest.
Dr. Wilson's research interests include out-of-home advertising, place branding, investment promotion, and creativity in advertising. His research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, International Journal of Advertising, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, and Journal of Place Management and Development.
Before becoming a professor, Dr. Wilson worked in the fields of marketing and international business for 12 years as a senior product manager for AT&T, Vodafone Group, and TelePacific Communications. While working for Vodafone, Dr. Wilson helped to establish a new wireless venture in Hungary and spent one year working in Budapest.
Dr. Wilson's research interests include out-of-home advertising, place branding, investment promotion, and creativity in advertising. His research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, International Journal of Advertising, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, and Journal of Place Management and Development.
Teaching Interests
Research Interests
Featured grants
- Wilson, Rick (Co-Principal), Zank, Gail (Co-Principal). Using Eye Tracking Technology to Understand the Consumer Processing of Product Claims in Product Consideration Context.”, McCoy Faculty Development Fund, Texas State University, $4350. (Funded: 2015). Grant.
- Wilson, Rick T. (Principal). The DNA of Consumer Collaboration: How Advertising Appeals Influence Consumer Willingness to Share Personal Information Online, Research Enhancement Program, Texas State University, $8000. (Submitted: October 2019, Funded: January 2020 - May 2021). Grant.
- Wilson, Rick T (Principal). The Effects of Credibility on the Processing of Advertising Claims within FDI Advertising, McCoy College of Business Research Grant Program, Texas State University, $2500. (Funded: 2016). Grant.
- Wilson, Rick T. (Co-Principal), Suh, Taewon (Co-Principal). Technology and Advertising: Improving Media Planning and Audience Measurement, Research Enhancement Program, Texas State University, $15980. (Submitted: September 2014, Funded: December 2014 - November 2015). Grant.
- Wilson, Rick T (Co-Principal), Lustick, David (Principal), Lohmeier, Jill (Co-Principal), Chen, Robert F (Co-Principal), Rabkin, David (Co-Principal). Science Express: Learning the Science of Climate Change while Commuting, National Science Foundation, Federal, $2160758. (Submitted: 2011, Funded: 2012 - 2015). Grant.
Featured scholarly/creative works
- Wilson, R. T., Roux, T., & Bright, L. F. (2025). Persuasion in the Age of AI: The Role of Disclosure in Synthetic Advertising. European Academy of Advertising, 23rd International Conference on Research in Advertising (ICORIA).
- Wilson, R. T. (2024). Out-of-Home Advertising: A Bibliometric Review. International Journal of Advertising, 43(2), 286–320. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2023.2186013
- Wilson, R. T., & Baack, D. W. (2023). How the Credibility of Places Affects the Processing of Advertising Claims: A Test of the B2B Communication Effects Model. Journal of Business Research, 168(11), 1–13. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.114238
- Wilson, R. T. (2023). Out-of-Home Advertising: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda. Journal of Advertising, 52(2), 279–299. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2022.2064378
- Suh, T., Wilson, R. T., & On, S. (2023). Gender difference in visual attention to digital content of place-based advertising: a data-driven scientific approach. Electronic Commerce Research, 23(2), 877–897. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-021-09494-9
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: AT&T: First Place (National) and First Place (District), American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition. 2025
- Award / Honor Recipient: McCoy College of Business Achievement Award for Research, McCoy College of Business. August 2025
- Award / Honor Recipient: Outstanding Editorial Review Board Reviewer Award, Journal of Advertising. 2024
- Award / Honor Recipient: Indeed: First Place (District 10) and Second Place (National), American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition. 2022 - 2023
- Award / Honor Recipient: Professor of the Month, Texas State University Interfraternity Council. November 2023
Featured service activities
- Chair
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
- Editorial Review Board Member
Journal of Advertising
- Editorial Review Board Member
International Journal of Advertising
- Member
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
- Member
University Marketing Advisory Board
- Member
Advisory Group, Cool Science Advancing Informal Science Learning, National Science Foundation Research Grant