Dr. Carrie La Ferle is a Professor of Ethics & Culture in the Temerlin Advertising Institute at SMU in Dallas, TX. Raised in Toronto, Canada; Carrie worked for Chiat/Day on the Nissan account before working in Tokyo for 4 years. Formally trained as a sociologist, she brings a broad understanding of culture and interpersonal communication to effective messaging. She is further certified as a Cultural Intelligence & Unconscious Bias Trainer and Educator.
With over 60 publications examining the impact of social, ethical, and cultural influences on the practice of advertising, Carrie is an expert on cultural phenomena. She has traveled the globe from places such as Thailand, China, S. Korea, Indonesia, and the Philippines, to Greece, Spain, Russia, Australia, and Tunisia, while further living in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Costa Rica. Beyond teaching cultural intelligence and social responsibility in advertising, Carrie's recent research examines the impact of culture on sustainability and how religious symbols in the US, India, and Israel can enhance message effectiveness. Her latest research explores CQ in Advertising to enhance an organization’s DEI&B initiatives.
She is a member of the Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility and a voice on the Association of National Advertisers Global CMO Growth Council, supporting the need for cultural intelligence and ethical representation in marketing for industry growth. In 2021 she co-authored, Preaching and the Thirty-Second Commercial: Lessons from Advertising for the Pulpit, and was honored with the Rotzoll Career Award for Advertising Ethics & Social Responsibility.
Carrie works to positively influence society by sharing the importance of building trust and authentic long-term relationships between brands, their consumers, and society through cultural understanding and ethical behavior. She further thrives on developing cultural intelligence within education and any organization looking to understand how cultural knowledge can positively impact effective communication and interpersonal relationships. Carrie lives in Dallas, TX with her husband of 25 years and they have two adult children.