Brenda Demith

Brenda Demith is an adjunct lecturer in the Temerlin Advertising Institute at SMU, where she teaches Advertising Principles of Marketing.

With over 25 years of experience in business, her first job in advertising was at Temerlin-McClain, where she delved into planning on the Bennigan’s and JCPenney accounts. She then crossed over to the “client side” to work in consumer insights and brand management at PepsiCo/Frito-Lay, leading new product development, brand communication and global promotions for Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos and Rold Gold.

After crossing back over to the agency side to be an account director with The Richards Group, Demith founded her own marketing research agency, Fuel Marketing. She has had the opportunity to work with entrepreneurs, brand teams, insights teams and agencies from a wide range of companies including Chevron North America, Frito-Lay, Keurig-Dr Pepper, Brinker International, Williamson-Dickie and GameStop.

Demith’s expertise encompasses the disciplines of strategic planning, marketing research, brand positioning and advertising communication. Her focus has been on developing innovative qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and connecting brands to consumers and their core values.

Her research focus with consumers is the evolution of brand purpose in today’s zeitgeist - how people want to connect with the brands they consume and what they expect and desire from those brands in return.

At SMU, Demith is committed to helping students bridge the gap between academic learning and the real-world application of fundamental marketing and advertising concepts. Her students work on collaborative ideation techniques and writing and presenting in their own voices.