Urška Tuškej is a DMS Marketing prospect (“Marketinški up”) prize winner for the best diploma thesis of 2009/10. The prize was awarded at the 15th Slovenian Marketing Conference in Portorož.

Among 10 diploma theses, a five member expert committee selected Urška Tuškej's work”Consumers’ Identification with a Brand” as this year's winner. Urška graduated 2009 under the supervision of Associate Professor Dr. Klement Podnar at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Ljubljana.

In September 2009, Urška Tuškej graduated from the study program Marketing and Marketing Communications at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana. Her diploma is an insight into consumers' identification with a brand and earned her a nomination for next year's Prešeren awards. To improve and widen her knowledge in the field of marketing communications she enrolled for a postgraduate study (at doctoral level) at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana.

Besides being fascinated with brands and branding, she also has a great affinity toward analytics and research. That is why she enrolled for a second study program at the Department of Informatics and Methodology, at the same faculty. She is now in her final 4th year.

Even though her academic career is still in its early stages, she has already published her first two research papers:

• WOM Marketing Principles and Techniques in Launching Campaign of a New Brand on the Market
• Consumers' Identification With a Brand

She is not only a devoted academic, however, but a talented practitioner as well. During her study, she worked at Formitas marketing agency every summer and in 2007 she took over some serious projects on a regular basis. In March 2007, she and a group of co-students prepared a echoing event (Oglaševalska letina) on the Slovenian Advertising Festival. In 2008, she presented one of Formitas projects on the 11th Media Trends Seminar (SEMPL).