Patti Williams

Current Courses

• MKTG278 - Strategic Brand Mgmt

  Which brands make you happy? Apple? Amazon? Starbucks? Everlane? Soulcycle? Sweetgreen? What draws you into these brands? How do companies create compelling brand experiences? How could you cultivate a well-loved brand? This course explores such questions with the goal of identifying the ingredients for building an inspired brand. The course is created for students interested in building a brand and/or immersing themselves in the enhancement of an existing brand, and it is comprised of lectures, cases, guest speakers, discussions, in and out of class exercises, and a final project. Broadly, the course will be divided into four parts: 1) Understanding Brand, 2) Crafting Brand, 3) Measuring Brand, and 4) Managing Brand. The course will provide students with an appreciation of the role of branding and (taking a consumer-centric approach) will augment students' ability to think creatively and critically about the strategies and tactics involved in building, leveraging, defending, and sustaining inspired brands.

  MKTG278001 ( Syllabus )

• MKTG778 - Strategic Brand Mgmt

  Which brands make you happy? Apple? Amazon? Starbucks? Everlane? Soulcycle? Sweetgreen? What draws you into these brands? How do companies create compelling brand experiences? How could you cultivate a well-loved brand? This course explores such questions with the goal of identifying the ingredients for building an inspired brand. The course is created for students interested in building a brand and/or immersing themselves in the enhancement of an existing brand, and it is comprised of lectures, cases, guest speakers, discussions, in and out of class exercises, and a final project. Broadly, the course will be divided into four parts: 1) Understanding Brand, 2) Crafting Brand, 3) Measuring Brand, and 4) Managing Brand. The course will provide students with an appreciation of the role of branding and (taking a consumer-centric approach) will augment students' ability to think creatively and critically about the strategies and tactics involved in building, leveraging, defending, and sustaining inspired brands.

  MKTG778001 ( Syllabus )

• MKTG952 - Information Processing A

  The purpose of this seminar is to provide graduate students with a solid foundation for critical thinking and research in psychology and marketing on information processing related topics. Topics of discussion include consumer knowledge (learning, memory and categorization), attitude theory, persuasion, affect and social influence. The course draws from the literature in marketing, psychology and economics. The course will enable students to conceptualize, operationalize, and develop research ideas. Therefore, the focus is on understanding theoretical and methodological approaches to various aspects of consumer behavior, as well as advancing this knowledge by developing testable hypotheses and theoretical perspectives that build on the current knowledge base.

  MKTG952301

• MKTG953 - Information Processing B

  The purpose of this seminar is to provide graduate students with a solid foundation for critical thinking and research in psychology and marketing on information processing related topics. Topics of discussion include consumer knowledge (learning, memory and categorization), attitude theory, persuasion, affect and social influence. The course draws from the literature in marketing, psychology and economics. The course will enable students to conceptualize, operationalize, and develop research ideas. Therefore, the focus is on understanding theoretical and methodological approaches to various aspects of consumer behavior, as well as advancing this knowledge by developing testable hypotheses and theoretical perspectives that build on the current knowledge base.

  MKTG953302

Past Courses

• EAS 499 - SENIOR CAPSTONE

  The Senior Capstone Project is required for all BAS degree students, in lieu of the senior design course. The Capstone Project provides an opportunity for the student to apply the theoretical ideas and tools learned from other courses. The project is usually applied, rather than theoretical, exercise, and should focus on a real world problem related to the career goals of the student. The one-semester project may be completed in either the fall or sprong term of the senior year, and must be done under the supervision of a sponsoring faculty member. To register for this course, the student must submit a detailed proposal, signed by the supervising professor, and the student's faculty advisor, to the Office of Academic Programs two weeks prior to the start of the term.

• MKTG224 - ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT

  Immersion in the advertising development process and examination of the practice of advertising. Focuses on decisions regarding advertising objectives, copy selection, budget setting and media selection.

• MKTG227 - MKTG AND ELECTRONIC COMM

  The effect of the Internet and related technologies on business and social institutions is more profound than that of any prior invention, including the printing press and the internal combustion engine. Furthermore, marketing is critical to the success of firms that will shape the consumption-led economies that are fueled by these technologies. MKTG 227 provides a research-based and framework-driven approach to succeeding in this environment, through a rigorous approach to understanding digital marketing and electronic commerce. The course is organized into two sections and utilizes relevant theory, empirical analysis, and practical examples, to develop the key learning points.Guest speakers will participate as well, as appropriate.

• MKTG278 - STRATEGIC BRAND MGMT

  Which brands make you happy? Apple? Amazon? Starbucks? Everlane? Soulcycle? Sweetgreen? What draws you into these brands? How do companies create compelling brand experiences? How could you cultivate a well-loved brand? This course explores such questions with the goal of identifying the ingredients for building an inspired brand. The course is created for students interested in building a brand and/or immersing themselves in the enhancement of an existing brand, and it is comprised of lectures, cases, guest speakers, discussions, in and out of class exercises, and a final project. Broadly, the course will be divided into four parts: 1) Understanding Brand, 2) Crafting Brand, 3) Measuring Brand, and 4) Managing Brand. The course will provide students with an appreciation of the role of branding and (taking a consumer-centric approach) will augment students' ability to think creatively and critically about the strategies and tactics involved in building, leveraging, defending, and sustaining inspired brands.

• MKTG399 - INDEPENDENT STUDY

• MKTG611 - MARKETING MANAGEMENT

  This course addresses how to design and implement the best combination of marketing efforts to carry out a firm's strategy in its target markets. Specifically, this course seeks to develop the student's (1) understanding of how the firm can benefit by creating and delivering value to its customers, and stakeholders, and (2) skills in applying the analytical concepts and tools of marketing to such decisions as segmentation and targeting, branding, pricing, distribution, and promotion. The course uses lectures and case discussions, case write-ups, student presentations, and a comprehensive final examination to achieve these objectives.

• MKTG778 - STRATEGIC BRAND MGMT

  Which brands make you happy? Apple? Amazon? Starbucks? Everlane? Soulcycle? Sweetgreen? What draws you into these brands? How do companies create compelling brand experiences? How could you cultivate a well-loved brand? This course explores such questions with the goal of identifying the ingredients for building an inspired brand. The course is created for students interested in building a brand and/or immersing themselves in the enhancement of an existing brand, and it is comprised of lectures, cases, guest speakers, discussions, in and out of class exercises, and a final project. Broadly, the course will be divided into four parts: 1) Understanding Brand, 2) Crafting Brand, 3) Measuring Brand, and 4) Managing Brand. The course will provide students with an appreciation of the role of branding and (taking a consumer-centric approach) will augment students' ability to think creatively and critically about the strategies and tactics involved in building, leveraging, defending, and sustaining inspired brands.

• MKTG890 - ADVANCED STUDY PROJECT

  RETAIL ECOSYSTEM ACTION LEARNING PROJECTS: This course offers graduate students from Wharton and other Penn schools an opportunity to work on real-world projects for companies in the retail industry and in the wider retail ecosystem. It requires the exploration and analysis of actual business issues or opportunities identified by sponsoring/client companies, as well as the formulation of recommendations. It combines 1) academic principles, 2) application of prior business knowledge to the project at hand, and 3) a solutions-oriented mentality. In addition to supervised project work and regular updates to the corporate client/project sponsor, the course involves classroom meetings and discussions on topics pertaining to the projects. While this course focuses on "marketing" topics, projects might also incorporate topics from related disciplines such as operations, management of innovation & technology, data analytics, international management, design, and real estate. Indeed, the goal will be to constitute interdisciplinary teams from Wharton and other relevant Penn graduate schools. ADVANCED STUDY PROJECT (GENERAL): The principal objectives of this course are to provide opportunities for undertaking an in-depth study of a marketing problem and to develop the students' skills in evaluating research and designing marketing strategies for a variety of management situations. Selected projects can touch on any aspect of marketing as long as this entails the elements of problem structuring, data collection, data analysis, and report preparation. The course entails a considerable amount of independent work. (Strict library-type research is not appropriate) Class sessions are used to monitor progress on the project and provide suggestions for the research design and data analysis. The last portion of the course often includes an oral presentation by each group to the rest of the class and project sponsors. Along with marketing, the projects integrate other elements of management such as finance, production, research and development, and human resources.

• MKTG899 - INDEPENDENT STUDY

  A student contemplating an independent study project must first find a faculty member who agrees to supervise and approve the student's written proposal as an independent study (MKTG 899). If a student wishes the proposed work to be used to meet the ASP requirement, he/she should then submit the approved proposal to the MBA adviser who will determine if it is an appropriate substitute. Such substitutions will only be approved prior to the beginning of the semester.

• MKTG952 - INFORMATION PROCESSING A

  The purpose of this seminar is to provide graduate students with a solid foundation for critical thinking and research in psychology and marketing on information processing related topics. Topics of discussion include consumer knowledge (learning, memory and categorization), attitude theory, persuasion, affect and social influence. The course draws from the literature in marketing, psychology and economics. The course will enable students to conceptualize, operationalize, and develop research ideas. Therefore, the focus is on understanding theoretical and methodological approaches to various aspects of consumer behavior, as well as advancing this knowledge by developing testable hypotheses and theoretical perspectives that build on the current knowledge base.

• MKTG953 - INFORMATION PROCESSING B

  The purpose of this seminar is to provide graduate students with a solid foundation for critical thinking and research in psychology and marketing on information processing related topics. Topics of discussion include consumer knowledge (learning, memory and categorization), attitude theory, persuasion, affect and social influence. The course draws from the literature in marketing, psychology and economics. The course will enable students to conceptualize, operationalize, and develop research ideas. Therefore, the focus is on understanding theoretical and methodological approaches to various aspects of consumer behavior, as well as advancing this knowledge by developing testable hypotheses and theoretical perspectives that build on the current knowledge base.

• MKTG995 - DISSERTATION

• MKTG999 - INDEPENDENT STUDY

  Requires written permission of instructor and the department graduate adviser.

• Outstanding Reviewer, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2018
• Outstanding Reviewer, Journal of Consumer Research, 2016
• Wharton WEMBA Class of 2016 Excellence in Teaching Award, 2016
• MBA Core Curriculum Award, “Goes Above and Beyond the Call of Duty”, 2014
• MBA Core Curriculum Award “Goes Above And Beyond The Call of Duty”, 2012
• MBA Core Curriculum Excellence in Teaching Award, 2011
• Wharton Excellence in Teaching Award, 2010
• MBA Core Curriculum Award “Goes Above And Beyond The Call of Duty”, 2008
• Wharton Excellence In Teaching Award, 2007
• Fellow, Wharton Risk Center, 2007
• Wharton Excellence in Teaching Award, 2006
• 2001 Marketing Science Institute Young Scholars Conference, 2001
• 2000-2006 James G. Campbell Jr. Memorial Term Assistant Professor, 2000
• 1999 Marketing Science Institute Research Grant (with Aimee Drolet), 1999
• 1997 Procter & Gamble Market Innovation Research Fund Recipient, 1997
• 1997 UCLA Graduate Division Merit Fellowship, 1997
• 1997 American Marketing Association Doctoral Consortium Fellow, 1997
• 1997 Center for International Business (CIBER), Internationalization Marketing Consortium Fellow, 1997
• 1996 CIBER International Research Grant (with Jennifer Aaker), 1996
• 1992-1993 Los Angeles Women in Business MBA Fellowship Recipient, 1992
• 1991-1993 Dean’s List, UCLA, MBA Program, 1991

• Super Bowl Ads Were Slightly Less Sexist This Year. Don’t Celebrate Yet., The New Republic - 02/01/2015
• Expect Lots of Puppies, Little Cleavage in SuperBowl Ads, Fortune - 01/30/2015
• What the #%*# Did That Ad Just Say?, Marketplace - 06/04/2013
• Research Roundup: Foreign Diversification, Social Comparisons and Consumer Identity, Knowledge at Wharton - 05/08/2013
• Lights, cameras…nappies, Financial Times - 04/11/2013
• The Hazards of Celebrity Endorsements in the Age of Twitter, Knowledge@Wharton - 04/09/2013
• Vegetables in the Winter, Served Family Style, New York Times - 01/29/2013
• Merck Under Fire for Marketing Meds to Kids, Marketplace Business - 06/21/2012
• Thinking vs. Feeling: The Psychology of Advertising, The Atlantic - 10/27/2011
• Silicon Valley moves into Madison Avenue | Marketplace From American Public Media, Marketplace Public Radio - 10/03/2011
• Circles and Swooshes: What’s Behind the Trend Toward Kinder, Gentler Logos, Time - 03/14/2011
• Will Fewer Choices Reap Higher Profits for the Girl Scouts, Knowlege@Wharton Today - 02/03/2011
• Top Business Trends of 2010, Wharton@Work - 01/01/2010
• For ‘Avatar,’ An Unprecedented Marketing Push, NPR - 12/17/2009
• Do Ads with High Schock Value Work?, Marketplace - 10/14/2009
• The Urge to Buy Turns on Ethics, Philadelphia Inquirer - 09/19/2009
• Worn Clothes Make the Man, Wall Street Journal - 08/20/2009
• Hog Futures Down, Knowledge@Wharton - 07/20/2009
• Warmer, Fuzzier: The Refreshed Logo, New York Times - 05/31/2009
• ITunes: The Preferred Plastic, Philadelphia Inquirer - 02/04/2009
• World’s most recession-proof economy? The Super Bowl, Espn.com - 01/28/2008
• Why Do Some People Shop Impulsively, Newsweek - 08/17/2007
• Guilt Won’t Stop Impulsive Shoppers, Researchers Say, CBC - 08/09/2007
• Single Question Could Lead to Drug Use, ABC News - 07/26/2006
• Do Mixed Emotions and Advertising Mix?, Knowledge@Wharton - 10/16/2000

Knowledge @ Wharton

• Why This Year’s Super Bowl Ads Were ‘Meh’, Knowledge @ Wharton - 02/05/2019
• Did Gillette Miss the Mark with Its Toxic Masculinity Ad?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 01/24/2019
• Emotional Rescue: How Brands Can Create Stronger Customer Bonds, Knowledge @ Wharton - 11/09/2018
• Dunkin’, WW and IHOB: When Do Name Changes Pay Off?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 10/11/2018
• Emotions as ‘Power’: How to Handle Chronic Stress, Knowledge @ Wharton - 04/25/2017
• Talcum Trouble: Where Does J&J’s Responsibility Lie?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 05/11/2016
• Customer Journey Mapping Is at the Heart of Digital Transformation, Knowledge @ Wharton - 11/04/2015
• Six Lessons Your Brand Can Learn from Google’s Logo Reboot, Knowledge @ Wharton - 09/01/2015
• Research Roundup: Foreign Diversification, Social Comparisons and Consumer Identity, Knowledge @ Wharton - 05/08/2013
• How ‘Scroogled’ Could Hurt Both Microsoft and Google, Knowledge @ Wharton - 03/08/2013
• The Hazards of Celebrity Endorsements in the Age of Twitter, Knowledge @ Wharton - 02/27/2013
• Patients versus Profits at Johnson & Johnson: Has the Company Lost its Way?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 02/15/2012
• Seeing Red, Knowledge @ Wharton - 01/30/2012
• Has Reebok Misled with Its EasyTone Ads? No ‘Butts’ About It, Knowledge @ Wharton - 09/30/2011
• Ronald McDonald — Ambassador of Goodwill — Or Purveyor of Poor Health?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 05/19/2011
• Will Fewer Choices Reap Higher Profits for the Girl Scouts?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 02/03/2011
• Logo Overhaul: Will Customers Still Answer the Siren Call of Starbucks?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 02/02/2011
• Can Walmart Make Us Thinner?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 01/24/2011
• Available All the Time: Etiquette for the Social Networking Age, Knowledge @ Wharton - 03/08/2010
• Brands on the Brink: Marketing in a Down Economy, Knowledge @ Wharton - 02/03/2010
• Buying Authenticity, Knowledge @ Wharton - 10/06/2009
• Available All the Time: Etiquette for the Social Networking Age, Knowledge @ Wharton - 09/30/2009
• Technological Evolution Stirs a Publishing Revolution, Knowledge @ Wharton - 08/05/2009
• Marketing for Financial Advisors: Harness Data, Drill Deep into a Niche — and Thrive, Knowledge @ Wharton - 07/22/2009
• When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Don’t Skimp on Their Ad Budgets, Knowledge @ Wharton - 11/26/2008
• ‘Dead-tree Medium’ No Longer: For Many Marketers, Print Outperforms Digital, Knowledge @ Wharton - 03/19/2008
• If Online Marketing Is the Future, Why Are Some CMOs Stuck in the Past?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 02/06/2008
• Super Bowl Showstoppers: Despite the Economy, the Big Game Is Still on for Advertisers, Knowledge @ Wharton - 01/23/2008
• The Holiday Shopping Outlook: I Saw Mommy Dissing Santa Claus, Knowledge @ Wharton - 11/14/2007
• In the Growing Market for Online Video, TV Networks Want a Piece of the Action, Knowledge @ Wharton - 10/03/2007
• Media Moves: Will the New Online Advertising Models Click?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 05/30/2007
• At Google, the Search Is On for a New Approach to Old Media, Knowledge @ Wharton - 03/07/2007
• Brand It Like Beckham: Can the Soccer Star Sustain the Hype?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 01/24/2007
• Product Placement in the Pews? Microtargeting Meets Megachurches, Knowledge @ Wharton - 11/15/2006
• Burgers and Other Goods in the Blink of an Eye: How Effective Are Short Ads?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 10/18/2006
• To Blog or Not to Blog: Report from the Front, Knowledge @ Wharton - 10/18/2006
• Will the New Nike+iPod Sport Kit Hit the Ground Running, or Hit the Wall?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 07/26/2006
• The Coffee Wars Heat Up: New Strategies to Jolt the Caffeine-Conscious Consumer, Knowledge @ Wharton - 04/19/2006
• Talking Chimps, Subservient Chickens And Others Blend Entertainment and Advertising, Knowledge @ Wharton - 04/05/2006
• Christmas Creep: The Shopping Season Is Longer, but Is It Better?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 03/01/2006
• ‘Tastes Great, Less Filling, and Perfect with Cheese’: Beer Tries to Brew Up a New Image, Knowledge @ Wharton - 01/25/2006
• Food Fight: Obesity Raises Difficult Marketing Questions, Knowledge @ Wharton - 03/09/2005
• James Bond’s BMW and Other Product Placements: New, Racier Ways to Advertise, Knowledge @ Wharton - 12/15/2004
• Creating the Buzz Behind Bill’s Blockbuster, Knowledge @ Wharton - 07/14/2004
• Low-carb, High-carb: What’s a Baker/Pasta Maker to Do?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 06/16/2004
• Getting Close to the Customer: Quantitative vs. Qualitative Approaches, Knowledge @ Wharton - 05/05/2004
• It’s Showtime: Will the GE-Vivendi Deal Please the Critics?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 09/10/2003
• Darn Those Pop-Up Ads! They’re Maddening, But Do They Work?, Knowledge @ Wharton - 08/13/2003
• 2002: The Year of the Apology, Knowledge @ Wharton - 12/04/2002