Marketing Professor Julian Saint Clair Receives Prestigious Journal of Marketing Award

LMU Marketing Professor Julian Saint Clair, Ph.D., has received one of the discipline's highest academic honors. His co-authored article, "Intersectionality in Marketing: A Paradigm for Understanding Understudied Consumers," was selected as the winner of the 2025 Shelby D. Hunt/Harold H. Maynard Award.

The annual award recognizes the Journal of Marketing article that makes the most significant contribution to marketing theory in a given calendar year. Saint Clair co-authored the paper with Esther Uduehi of the University of Washington and Rowena Crabbe of the University of Texas at Austin.

According to the award selection committee, the article is "refreshing and thought-provoking" and encourages scholars to consider consumers' multiple, intersecting identities when developing marketing theory. The committee noted that the research challenges the discipline to better incorporate understudied consumer segments and consumers' overlapping identities into theory development.

"Julian's work exemplifies the kind of scholarship we value at LMU - research that advances knowledge while addressing important societal challenges," said Dayle Smith, Ph.D., dean of LMU College of Business Administration. "This prestigious honor affirms the importance of understanding the diverse experiences that shape consumer behavior and business decision-making."

For Saint Clair, the recognition represents a significant milestone in a research journey that began with his doctoral dissertation.

"This is easily one of the most meaningful achievements of my career," he said. "Just being a finalist is a rare accomplishment, and to be selected as the winner is surreal. I'm incredibly grateful that the committee and the editorial review board found it worthy."

The paper introduces an intersectional framework for understanding how consumers' identities and experiences shape their interactions with markets, organizations, and brands. Saint Clair believes the work resonates because it encourages scholars to rethink long-standing assumptions about consumers and marketing practice. He hopes the framework provides researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders with practical tools to engage more meaningfully with intersectionality in marketing.

"One of the most important contributions of this paper is shifting the marketing lens to focus on how identity and power come together to shape every aspect of consumers' lived experiences," he said. "They aren't separate topics - they are in every topic."

The recognition also carries historical significance. Saint Clair and his co-authors are the first African Americans to receive a major award from the Journal of Marketing.

"To do so with a paper that discusses the intersectionality of race, gender, class, and so on is that much more significant for me," he said. "I hope we honor the trailblazers who built the foundations for this work."

Beyond academia, Saint Clair believes the research offers practical lessons for organizations seeking to engage consumers more authentically and inclusively.

"Give your target audience a seat at the table - literally," he said. "Being in the room with someone and talking with them about their lived experience will reveal novel ways for businesses and marketers to create meaningful connections, build lasting relationships, and provide real value that doesn't rely on unsustainable exploitation."

Saint Clair and his co-authors will receive the award at the 2026 AMA Summer Academic Conference, held July 24-26 in Denver.