Brett Christenson
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department Marketing
Office Address 455 Business Building
Phone Number
814-865-7149
Email Address
bjc6003@psu.edu
Brett Christenson
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department Marketing
Office Address 455 Business Building
Phone Number
814-865-7149
Email Address
bjc6003@psu.edu
I'm a Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing at Pennsylvania State University’s Smeal College of Business. I earned my Ph.D. in Consumer Behavior from the University of Alabama, studying how sounds, like music and voices, affect people. Prior to this, I served as a Lecturer of Marketing at Baylor University, preceded by a decade of industry experience. I also previously worked in Major League Soccer with FC Dallas and AEG in Los Angeles, as well as in digital marketing with the startup agency ReachLocal as a data analyst for their global services.
With Penn State, I teach and coordinate programming related to the sports industry, serving as Smeal Faculty Coordinator of Sports Business Activities. This includes teaching courses on sports marketing and strategy, advising the network of student organizations across campus, including the annual Penn State Sports Business Conference and Sports Business Club. I also teache courses on consumer behavior and pursue research related to my academic interests, including Name, Image, Likeness (NIL), sensory effects on consumers, and marketing campaign performance. My research has been published in the Journal of Business Research, Journal of Retailing, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, and Industrial Marketing Management. I've also had work featured in media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, FoxNews.com and Harvard Business Review.
Expertise
Sensory Marketing, Audition and Consumer Perception, Music Theory and Audiology, Emotions and Affective States on Consumer Behavior, Psychological Distance and Construal of Objects, Evolutionary Psychology, Persuasion and Motivation
Education
Ph D, Marketing (Consumer Behavior), University of Alabama, 2020
MBA, Marketing, The University of Texas at Dallas, 2010
BBA, Marketing (Sports, Sponsorship and Strategy), Baylor University, 2006
Courses Taught
MKTG 330 – Consumer Behavior (3)
Application of behavioral science concepts to the understanding of buyer behavior as a basis for marketing management decision making.
MKTG 449 – SPORT MKT STRATEGY (3)
This course provides an overview of the business of sports, with an emphasis on marketing and market strategy. Particular topics include business strategy and competitive forces in sports, fan psychology, fan behavior, segmentation, targeting, positioning, sports brands, market research, fan satisfaction, licensing, facilities, technology, ethics, and careers in sports. It will provide practical case-study examples from the sports industry, and challenges students to explore solutions to a variety of business problems in sports. Students will apply concepts and frameworks from assigned readings and class discussions, to think critically about current and ongoing issues in business and marketing in the sports industry, and to present recommendations in a professional setting. Assignments and group presentations are intended to provide practical, hands-on experience, which students can leverage to enhance their value in the sports industry.
MKTG 812 – EVAL MKTG COMM (3)
This course provides students with the basic principles, procedures, and objectives of using analytics to assess digital marketing communications. Course content focuses on key areas of marketing communication evaluation, including audience engagement, messaging and content effectiveness, campaign reach and influence, marketing mix allocation, social sentiment and impact, and mobile and website user experience. Students will gain practical experience with a variety of analytic tools and software.
BA 303 – Marketing (3)
An overview of marketing for non-business majors. Topics include customer behavior, service/product development, pricing, and promotion in diverse markets.BA 303 Marketing (3) The goal of BA 303 is to provide broad-based exposure and understanding of marketing and its processes. The course is meant to be a "stand alone" marketing course for those interested in the role of marketing within the business context and will cover a range of topics from the basic (what is marketing) to the processes (market segmentation, marketing strategy, development of product, price, place and promotion) to the broader societal questions (why marketing exists, ethics, the future of marketing). There will also be an opportunity to examine marketing from the perspective of various industries for non-business students. Exams will test factual knowledge of marketing and the marketing process. Written homework assignments will ask students to work both individually and in teams to apply course concepts. These may include assignments developing one's skill set in consumer psychology, target market selection, writing a positioning statement, developing a marketing plan, new product development concepts, promotional campaign ideas, and ethical questions to discuss and debate. Students may also be asked to form small groups for discussion and/or make presentations to the class based on set marketing topics specific to one's area of interest. Students will also be expected to participate in class discussions. A student may not receive credit towards graduation for both B A 303 and MKTG 221 or MKTG 221W. Furthermore, a student may not receive credit towards graduation for both B A 303 and MKTG 301 or MKTG 301W.
MKTG 397 – Special Topics (1)
Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest.
MKTG 440 – Services Marketing (3)
Marketing theory and methods applied to profit and nonprofit service industries such as health care, finance, transportation, tourism, arts and consulting.
Selected Publications
Accepted for publication and in press.