ND marketing prof recognized for consumer behavior research

John Sherry

University of Notre Dame marketing professor emeritus John F. Sherry Jr. was recently named as the 2021 Fellow in Consumer Behavior by the Association for Consumer Research (ACR). The fellowship is the highest honor granted by ACR in recognition of an individual’s scholarly contribution to consumer behavior research over his or her career.

Sherry, the Raymond W. & Kenneth G. Herrick Professor of Marketing Emeritus at Mendoza College of Business, joined Notre Dame in 2005. For the two previous decades, he was a member of the Marketing Department at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. He served as chairman of the Department of Marketing at Notre Dame from 2005-2014 and retired in May 2020.

Sherry is an anthropologist who studies both the sociocultural and symbolic dimensions of consumption and the cultural ecology of marketing. Much of his research centers on marketplace ritual, symbolic communication, and the lived experience of consumption. Research topics have included the study of tailgating in an American collegiate football setting, fast fashion and the ethnic appeal of luxury brands, and street art as a way to reclaim public places.

He is a past president of both ACR and the Consumer Culture Theory Consortium and a former associate editor of the Journal of Consumer Research. He is a fellow of the American Anthropological Association and the Society for Applied Anthropology. Sherry has edited and written 10 books and authored more than 100 articles and chapters.

Since the award’s establishment almost 40 years ago, only 39 individuals have received this honor. Sherry was one of two recipients named in 2020; Melanie Wallendorf of the University of Arizona was also recognized.

“These scholars have made an indelible scholarly impact on our discipline and are being recognized for being legends in the field,” said Rajiv Vaidyanathan, executive director and ACR board member. “The ACR Board bestows this honor sparingly and expects fellows to have had a significant and sustained influence on the field of consumer behavior. These are individuals who have advanced scholarship in a variety of ways.”

ACR Fellows receive lifetime membership to the Association for Consumer Researchers and are invited to make a presentation at the ACR conference. The 2021 conference will be held in Seattle, Washington.

For more information about the award, visit the ACR website.