LOUIS J ZMICH
My Skills & Experience
I am an Assistant Professor of Marketing at The University of Tampa.
I received my Marketing Bachelors and Management Information Systems Masters from Northern Illinois University (NIU) and my Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from Louisiana Tech University. While at NIU, I was the Marketing and Social Media Intern for the College of Business for three years and interned at Apex Energy Solutions as a Junior Sales Partner for two years.
My research interests comprise three broad categories (1) Social Media & the Influencer–Sponsor Selling Relationship, (2) Salesperson Influence Tactics & the Behavioral Change Associated with Digital Media, and (3) the Personal Selling & the Salesperson–Customer Dyadic Relationship.
I plan to work, research, consult, and produce knowledge in these categories, (or other) categories, in the years to come. It is the research element that drives my passion for the doctoral program and higher education in general.
However, as a sales and marketing student, the classroom setting has always brought excitement and a sense of discovery as new knowledge is presented to young professionals looking to make a difference in this world.
Apart from academia, I am passionate about website and media creation, along with physical forms of art, be it vinyl, cassettes, film photography, painting, and home-brewing. I also enjoy hiking, backpacking, and traveling the world, experiencing new cultures.
Publications Announcements
MY PILLARS OF SUCCESS
Here are the highlights
Doctoral Candidate
Manuscripts published in Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Marketing Education, and Journal of Selling. Manuscripts under review at the Journal of Services Marketing and Journal of Selling.
Active
I am an active reviewer for The Journal of Strategic Marketing and I review for conferences like The Academy of Marketing Science, and The American Marketing Association. I volunteer as a graduate worker at annual and international AMS conferences. I also volunteer as a board member for the community Ruston Farmers Market
Flipped Learning
I am active in teaching sales classes as a doctoral student, specifically, personal selling. I heavily leverage technology and the flipped classroom method of learning to co-create value in the classroom thorough hands-on role plays with community business owners.
EDUCATION
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Sep 2018 - May 2022
Louisiana Tech University, College of Business. Department of Marketing and Analysis.
DISSERTATION TITLE: "What do Facial Products Have to do With a Waterfall? The Role of Remoteness, Social Comparison, and Envy in the Purchasing Effectiveness of Sponsored Product Social Media Content."
Successful Dissertation Defense Date: March 31st, 2022
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE: Dr. Laura Flurry (Chair), Dr. William Locander, Dr. Julie Moulard, Dr. Mark Groza
ABSTRACT: Advertising has gone from magazines to television, and now social media. However, unlike the robust advertisement literature, the influencer marketing literature has not caught up to explain how social media sponsored content can perform its best. While companies rely on follower count and interaction (i.e., likes) to determine who to partner with, the need for clarity on how to best predict digital advertisement success is needed. This study brings the literature of advertising and cognitive psychology and applies the associative memory, visual persuasion, and remote conveyor theories in the influencer marketing context. This study specifically looks at how creativity through remoteness in sponsored social media images affects purchase intentions and upward social comparison. This study then reaffirms the literature relationships between upward social comparison and purchase intentions through envy, while establishing a psychological boundary condition of self-esteem. Between two studies, this dissertation tests the conceptual model through fabricated Instagram posts, and with the partnership of a lifestyle influencer and their following.
Awards:
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Society for Marketing Advances: Doctoral Consortium Fellow Nomination (2019): Louisiana Tech University
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Harold & Muriel Berkman Charitable Foundation Scholarship Award (2019) Louisiana Tech University
August 2017 - May 2018
Northern Illinois University, College of Business. Department of Operations Management and Information Systems.
Accomplishments: Learned to code websites using C++, Visual Basic, HTML 5, and R.
Projects: Coded my own website, and began designing websites for clients.
August 2017 - May 2018
Northern Illinois University, College of Business, Department of Marketing.
Minor: Social Entrepreneurship
Awards:
Planey Family Future Outstanding Alumni Award (2017): Northern Illinois University
Dr. Robert Peterson Professional Selling Award (2017): Northern Illinois University
PAST EXPERIENCE
Past Roles
September 2018 - Current
Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
● Collaborate with professors and doctoral students on the development and execution of academic research projects
● Develop proficiency in quantitative analysis, marketing theory, and research methodology
August 2019 - Current
● Work closely with small businesses, providing guidance on marketing materials, social media strategies, website coding, and search engine optimization strategies
● Volunteer to teach various social media strategy classes within the local community, assisting small businesses with their various marking needs
GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
June 2017 - July 2018
Northern Illinois University
● Work with professors on the development and execution of academic research projects
● Learn the intricacies and nuances of research while offering feedback on peer-reviewed conference and journal submissions
● Coauthor on two projects that have led to submission to marketing conferences
GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT
June 2017 - July 2018
Northern Illinois University
● Conducted student roleplays for the Principles of Selling course
● Worked with professors to examine, grade, and provide feedback on student’s work
● Offered input to the development of in-person and online marketing courses
JUNIOR SALES PARTNER
May 2016 - August 2016
Apex Energy Solutions
● Used leading technology to profile neighborhoods and speak with various homeowners
● Provided a professional, passionate, and ethical sales environment for the homeowner
● Canvassed and helped sell $150,000, as an intern, over the three 2016 summer months
December 2015 - June 2017
Northern Illinois University
● Published articles on all four of the College of Business social media pages, while also reporting the analytical data from those outlets to the university on a monthly basis
● Spearheaded the Student Voices Blog and conduct interviews from NIU student profiles
● Worked autonomously and with a team of social media personnel to complete timed weekly tasks
MY SKILLSET
Competence & Aptitude
RESEARCH DRIVEN
My marketing research revolves around the sales discipline. Within that domain, I study social media influencer sales tactics, B2B influence tactics, and sales e-communication technology. I use that research to drive my class integrations, and have manuscripts under review at IMM and JSM.
GROWTH LEADERSHIP MINDED
For two years I have held the role of Doctor of Business Administration Association President. In addition, I am now the Chair of DocSIG through the American Marketing Association. I use these leadership roles to represent doctoral students at conferences, and aid in their career success.
"LOVE this class! I am a design major marketing minor and Louis made sure that us design students had examples of marketing in our fields and he had guest speakers that spoke as well and answered questions for us. I loved this class so much. I was thinking about changing my minor out of marketing but this class has made me want to continue with marketing because he made it so fun and so informative. He was very accommodating during covid, and he made a point to learn our names and our interests. This has been my favorite marketing class and would love to take more classes offered by professor Louis."
Student comment from Personal Selling (MKTG 307)
CONTACT
Click the link for my personal email:
Click the link for my business email:
(813) 257-3969
