University of Charleston President Marty Roth has received an international award for research that helped shape how marketers understand social media and brand relationships.
The European Marketing Academy and the International Journal of Research in Marketing recently honored Roth and his co-authors with the 2026 Jan-Benedict E.M. Steenkamp Award for Long-Term Impact.
The award recognizes research that continues to influence its field many years after publication.
Roth co-authored the paper, "The influence of social media interactions on consumer-brand relationships: A three-country study of brand perceptions and marketing behaviors," which was published in 2016. At the time, many companies were still trying to understand how social media could help build relationships with customers.
Over the past decade, the study has become an important reference for researchers examining how people connect with brands online in different cultures.
"We are humbled and flattered to receive this competitive and prestigious award," Roth said. "We sincerely appreciate the IJRB award committee and editorial review board's consideration and ultimate selection of our article for the Steenkamp Award."
The award is given each year to research papers published in the journal 10 to 15 years earlier that have made a lasting impact. This year's winning paper was selected from 272 eligible articles.
Roth shared the honor with co-authors Simon Hudson, Li Huang and Thomas Madden.
Luk Warlop, chair of the 2026 Steenkamp Award Committee, said the study arrived at a time when businesses were investing heavily in social media but had little evidence showing how it strengthened customer relationships.
"This paper was one of the early papers to change that," Warlop said.
According to Warlop, the research showed that social media engagement can strengthen relationships between consumers and brands. The study also found that cultural differences can affect those relationships. He noted that the paper has been cited more than 1,400 times and continues to influence research today.
The research was completed while Roth served as professor and chair of the International Business Department at the University of South Carolina's Darla Moore School of Business.
The recognition highlights the long-term impact of Roth's work and its contribution to understanding how consumers and brands interact in the digital age.
