DrRichie Barker

There is more to advertising than a sales proposition. My research considers the sociocultural and technological dimensions of creative advertising and the people who make it. Creative advertising moves beyond being an interruption to daily life. Through resonance and storytelling, it offers value to the audiences who embrace it.

This perspective frames both my teaching and research at Deakin.

My units at undergraduate and postgraduate level focus on advertising that tells stories, building not just interest but brand communities. This conviction, and my commitment to embedding industry experience in student learning, have been recognised with an HEA Fellowship, a Vice-Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence (2016) and an Australian Awards for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2017).

The teaching-research nexus is central to my approach as an educator. My study of creative practice in advertising has shaped the curriculum I design and the learning experiences I create at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This approach underpins work-integrated learning initiatives, including our involvement in WPP's IGNIT!ON '26 internship program.

I have studied the creative practice of advertising practitioners for over 15 years. My doctoral dissertation examined how emerging technologies reshape creative practice, a line of inquiry I have since extended into Q1 journal publications on the impact of generative AI. I also work in interdisciplinary teams to explore marginalisation in the advertising industry, including the experiences of older practitioners and those who identify as neurodivergent.

Brand storytelling is another strand of my research. My co-authored book Transmedia Brand Storytelling: Immersive Experiences from Theory to Practice traces the campaign work of global experts. Because brand storytelling demands authenticity, the approach has gained relevance in the AI age, where automation-led advertising tends to add to the clutter rather than rise above it.

My research on health communication also reflects my experience as both a practitioner and academic. My industry perspective informs my research on the branding of Medicare, which frames Australia's enduring national health scheme as a cultural object. I am a chief investigator on the ARC Linkage project Cancer Culture: Understanding Anti-Cancer Campaigns in Australia with Cancer Council Victoria, where I trace the creative strategies and processes of the practitioners behind Australia's globally influential tobacco control advertising.

Across all of this work, my focus stays on the people who make advertising and the culture their work reflects and shapes.

Please reach out if you are interested in studying advertising in either an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. I am available to supervise higher degree by research projects – let's talk if you are interested in studying the past, present or future of advertising practice.