Lundquist College of Business Philip H. Knight Chair and professor of marketing Linda Price recently earned the extraordinary honor of being named an Association of Consumer Research (ACR) Fellow and American Marketing Association (AMA) Fellow in the same year. She is the first woman to have received both awards.

Price was named an Association for Consumer Research Fellow in October 2018, then named an American Marketing Association Fellow in November 2018. Only nine scholars have ever earned both honors, and four of those individuals signed Price's nomination letter. She is the first person ever to receive both awards in the same year.

These are both association's highest honors for scholarly contributions to the discipline.

Price is invited to give a talk at a special session during the ACR's 50th conference in Atlanta, Georgia. She is among only a handful of women to win the lifetime honor of fellow. In the 50-year history of the association, 34 fellows have been named, and of those, only six are women. The organization reaches approximately 2,000 members.

For the AMA fellowship, Price is invited to attend a reception in her honor during the AMA winter meetings, which coincidentally are scheduled to be held this upcoming year at her alma mater—the University of Texas at Austin.

“What we hope for and want in our careers is to do stuff that matters," Price said. “These awards suggest that people are paying attention to the work and believe that it has merit and value and lasting worth. I've engaged in research projects that take a long time, that require a lot of data collection, that don't always come to fruition quickly, but over time they have been extremely well-cited, and opened up new areas of research. This kind of acknowledgement suggests it's worth it to take the long road."

Encouraging a deep and prolonged engagement with important research questions is a quality Price prizes in her advisory relationship with up and coming student researchers.

“I love my job," she said. “The part I love most of all is mentoring PhD students. It's nice to see so many PhD students that I worked with closely at the beginning of their careers now being named to prestigious positions including AMA and ACR fellows. I like to help young scholars make their mark on the world. That is really gratifying and joyful."

Price said she is currently working with two UO Lundquist College PhD candidates who she believes will have exceptional careers.

PhD candidate Kivalina Grove and Price are currently examining bicycle helmet use on campus and in Eugene, with access to some fascinating data from the new PeaceHealth-provided bikeshare program.

“We get to watch how it unfolds, how it spreads or doesn't spread, how we can increase usage, and how we can also ensure we understand what the safety and community benefits are or are not," Price said.

Interestingly, early data indicates fewer people use bike helmets when borrowing a public bike, even when they typically use a helmet with their own bike. Price and Grove aim to establish why, and possibly even provide a solution. However, they also speculate that the infusion of large, clearly marked “PeaceHealth" bicycles may alter car drivers" behaviors, perhaps encouraging more attention to bicyclists.

“Are we driving down helmet use while also making drivers more attentive?" she asked. “Bicycling is central to the identity of the Eugene community. Who is being included and who is being excluded from this app-based program?"

Another PhD candidate, Nathan Warren, is working on a project with Price that is also very relevant to the Oregon community.

Many in the region are passionate about the outdoors, spending as much time as possible invested in nature, the land, and living a very simple life. But some take it to another level. These avowed “dirtbags"—a reclaimed term for those who prefer to a simple life as void of consumerism as possible, are also part of the romantic branding of the outdoor lifestyle.

“They are sacrificing a lot of other amenities in order to spend much of their time outdoors—whether that be kayaking, hiking, skiing, or another activity," Price explained. “These people are often on the borders of both society and the wilderness."

“From a consumption perspective it can be rather paradoxical," Price said. “On the one hand you are really trying to simplify your life, but on the other, you're not really bringing much to society while doing that."

It's this fresh and enthusiastic approach to collaborative research that has earned Price the reputation of a proactive, valued team member.

“It is an extremely rare honor to be named both an ACR and AMA Fellow," said Joshua Beck, assistant professor of marketing at the Lundquist College who has worked with Price. “Individuals receiving both awards exist at an important intersection of scholarship that speaks to a variety of audiences—from marketers, to consumers, to policy makers—and it is wonderful that Linda is taking her place among those whose research has reverberated across our discipline. We at the college have been privileged to enjoy and benefit from Linda's extraordinary presence. It's inspiring to see the entire field celebrate her accomplishments."

—AnneMarie Knepper-Sjoblom "05, Lundquist College Communications