Richie Barker

Richie Barker is a Senior Lecturer in Communication at Deakin University's School of Communication and Creative Arts within the Faculty of Arts and Education. With a PhD from Monash University and a Graduate Certificate of Higher Education from Deakin, he brings both academic expertise and practical industry experience to his role, having previously worked as a copywriter and communication strategist in advertising and digital media across commercial, not-for-profit, and government sectors.

Dr. Barker's research examines social and technological disruptions in brand communication, with specific focus on:

• Digital media's impact on advertising creativity
• The role of artificial intelligence in creative processes
• Ageism and intergenerational dynamics in the advertising industry
• Transmedia storytelling applications in brand communication

His scholarly work reveals consistent patterns across his publication history, showing how digital technologies transform creative practices while introducing new challenges related to algorithmic bias, information diversity, and age-based discrimination. Barker's research often employs qualitative methods including in-depth interviews with advertising practitioners to explore how professionals navigate technological changes in their field.

Among his notable achievements is the co-authored book Transmedia Brand Storytelling: Immersive Experiences from Theory to Practice (2023) and numerous publications in Q1 journals. His research has attracted competitive funding, including an ARC Linkage Project "Cancer culture: understanding anti-cancer campaigns in Australia" (2022-2025).

Dr. Barker has received recognition for his teaching excellence, including a Citation for Teaching Excellence from the Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) in 2017. He supervises graduate research students and teaches undergraduate and postgraduate units including Creative Brand Communication, Copywriting and Ideation, Marketing Communication, and Transmedia Storytelling.