Andy Murray Shopper Marketing Scholarships Awarded

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Center for Retailing Excellence at the University of Arkansas’ Sam M. Walton College of Business has awarded the first two Andy Murray Shopper Marketing Scholarships. Established in 2011, the scholarship recognizes Andy Murray, founder and retired chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi X, and is funded through a gift from Saatchi & Saatchi X and the Center for Retailing Excellence.

“It is gratifying to see the recognition of the importance of this discipline, which has added a new dimension to retailing,” Murray said. “Saatchi & Saatchi X has elevated the practice of shopper marketing around the world, and I am so pleased to see this level of support from the Center for Retailing Excellence.” Murray, who retired from Saatchi & Saatchi X in 2011, is now chief executive officer of Mercury 11.

For more than a decade, Murray has been a partner of the Center for Retailing Excellence, providing leadership and sharing his expertise in consumer insights and shopper marketing at the annual fall conference, presented by Saatchi & Saatchi X. During his tenure as executive advisory board member, Murray served as a keynote speaker for seven conferences, addressing numerous topics ranging from shopper logistics to leadership in shopper marketing. Murray also served as executive in residence during the fall 2005 semester, co-teaching the Marketing Honors Curriculum, and was named Supplier Educator of the Year by the Center for Retailing Excellence in 2004.

The first two recipients of the scholarship are Katie Streepey, a junior double major in marketing and management, and Yuhui (Micy) Liu, a junior double major in marketing and psychology with a minor in political science.

The Center for Retailing Excellence was established in the Walton College in 1998 with a portion of the $50 million endowment from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation.