A newly released study ranks the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) among the top 10 universities in the United States for scholarly research on advertising--a significant increase from a similar study 10 years ago. UNLV rose to number nine in the current rankings, when it failed to break into the top 50 previously. The research findings will be detailed in the article "A 10-Year Retrospective of Advertising Research Productivity: 1997-2006," to be featured in the next edition of the Journal of Advertising.

"We were shocked with the meteoric rise of UNLV when comparing our recent study with a similar study 10 years ago," said lead researcher John Ford of Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, Va.

Ford's research team noted husband and wife researchers Michael and Kathryn LaTour bolstered UNLV's previous ranking by placing in the top three percent of more than 1,000 authors who contribute regularly to the top scholarly advertising journals. Michael heads the marketing department in the UNLV College of Business, where he examines topics such as mental and physical reactions to advertising. Kathryn is an assistant professor of hospitality marketing in the UNLV William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, specializing in hospitality-industry advertising. The pair recently collaborated in examining Wendy's restaurants response to an unfavorable
accusation (later proven false) from one of its customers, providing a number of suggestions for businesses navigating reputation-defining issues.

The ODU research team also recognized UNLV professors Jack Schibrowsky and Angeline Close, faculty members of the UNLV College of Business marketing department, as important contributors to the university's improved ranking.

For additional information on the UNLV College of Business and the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, please visit http://www.unlv.edu.