About the Center

Founded in 1999 by James M. Kilts, ’74, and the Nabisco Foundation, the Kilts Center strives to:

Enhance the research environment and facilitate thought leadership among Booth's marketing faculty
Attract and graduate the very best MBA talent who will go on to pursue successful marketing and general management careers

Research Activities

The center sponsors a wide variety of basic and applied research in marketing. Topics explored range from the determinants of consumer behavior and analytical models of marketing activities to pricing and consumer dynamics and determinants of brand shares.

This research is supported by visiting faculty and doctoral fellows. Top faculty from around the world spend time on campus and add to the academic discourse for which the university is famous. Doctoral fellows represent future marketing scholars and carry the Chicago Approach to top business schools around the world including Stanford, Wharton, London Business School, University of Michigan, and University of Toronto.

Advancing the Fields of Marketing and Economics

The Kilts Center also contributes greatly to the examination of empirical and theoretical issues in marketing and economics. Each year, the center sponsors the Quantitative Marketing and Economics Conference which brings together researchers from top business schools and universities from around the country.

Support for Future Marketers

In its commitment to attracting and graduating the best MBA talent, the center provides financial support to students who wish to study and pursue careers in marketing with two programs: Marketing Fellowships and Kilts Scholarships. With the generosity and leadership of Jim Kilts and the Kilts Center Steering Committee, several incoming marketing students are awarded a two-year fellowship which also includes a mentoring partnership with the naming Steering Committee member. The Kilts Scholarship is a tuition scholarship which is awarded to second-year students who demonstrate excellence in their marketing courses and commitment to a career in marketing.

Kilts Mentoring Program

In addition to scholarships, the Kilts Center has established a mentoring program that pairs up marketing alumni and students. Thanks to a generous gift from Karen Katen, AB ’70, MBA ’74, this program provides a unique, valuable benefit to students by enabling them to learn from alumni experiences, and gives alumni a way to share their expertise and stay connected.

Marketing Databases

The Kilts Center for Marketing at Chicago Booth and The Nielsen Company have joined together to make marketing data available to approved academic researchers in the United States. The Nielsen datasets start in 2004 and are updated annually.The center maintains a comprehensive set of scanner data for academic research.

In addition, Kilts Center houses two additional datasets for academic use worldwide: ERIM database and Dominick’s database.