I am a marketing professor who specializes in augmented/extended realities, metaverse marketing, brand storytelling, and influencer marketing. I am a public speaker and consultant who helps your brand thrive in today's and tomorrow's new realities. <br> \~ ⨏ \~ <br> MY PASSION is to explore augmented reality’s strategic potential for marketing: I published the first-ever conceptual article on AR marketing, which won Article of the Year award and is one of the most-cited publications about this topic. I have taught AR since 2015 as part of my social media and digital marketing courses at Cal Poly. At Brock University, I developed and teach the world’s first dedicated Augmented Reality Marketing courses for undergraduate as well as MBA students. <br> \~ ⚬ \~ <br> MY RESEARCH combines ethnographic methods with socio-cultural frameworks to cut through the complexities of marketing and consumption: I explore how augmented reality can deepen consumer/brand relationships, how it helps customers feel more competent and autonomous, how Pokémon GO players co-create and transport into hybrid-realities, how managers can deploy AR initiatives, and how various types of augmented realities offer different strategic opportunities for brands. My social media research explores how marketers can build their brands in today’s polarized and tribal societies by fighting back against online critics. <br> \~ × \~ <br> I LOVE building bridges between academia and the broader business community: I'm a member of Adweek's Academic Council and serve on the advisory board of Schulich’s Future of Marketing Institute. I regularly publish research-driven insights in Adweek, MKTGsquad, and other AR-specific publications. I provide expertise for marketing agencies and consult wine, CPG and technology companies in the US and Canada on branding and augmented reality marketing. I decipher the babel and help people see the big picture. <br> \~ 🦊 \~