Morgan Ward, Ph.D., is a marketing scholar specializing in branding, consumer perception, and consumer decision making. She serves as an expert witness for complex legal cases, offering opinions and consultation in matters related to trademark infringement, secondary meaning, likelihood of confusion, and false and deceptive advertising. Drawing on over two decades of expertise in consumer psychology, marketing strategy, and empirical research, she has provided expert testimony and submitted reports to both Federal and State Courts.
Dr. Ward is recognized for her expertise in designing and evaluating consumer perception studies. Her work focuses on developing defensible surveys that assess likelihood of confusion and secondary meaning in trademark infringement disputes and matters concerning brand identity. This methodological focus complements her broader research examining the psychological drivers of brand perception and how consumers use products and brands to signal status, construct identity, and navigate cultural meaning.
Dr. Ward’s research on how products and brands convey status and shape consumer identity has appeared in leading journals such as the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, and Journal of Marketing. Her work has been featured in prominent media outlets such as CNN, Time, and NPR. She has presented at academic conferences, executive forums, and industry events. Dr. Ward has also consulted with organizations ranging from early-stage companies to Fortune 500 firms on consumer insights, brand positioning, and marketing strategy. She is a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA), the Association for Consumer Research (ACR), the International Trademark Association (INTA), the Society for Consumer Psychology (SCP), and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP).
Dr. Ward holds a Ph.D. in marketing and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. She was previously an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business and at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, where she is now an Adjunct Professor.