Professor Swaminathan has published in various leading marketing and management journals including Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, Marketing Science, and Strategic Management Journal. She recently completed a three-year term as Co-Editor of Journal of Marketing, and has previously served as associate editor for the Journal of Consumer Psychology and Journal of Marketing. She has won awards for her research, including the Lehmann award for the best dissertation-based article and Journal of Advertising’s Best Paper Award, was also named as a Marketing Science Institute Young Scholar Professor Swaminathan previously served on the American Marketing Association's Academic Council for the period 2014–2020, and during that time served as a president of American Marketing Association's Academic Council. In light of her many scholarly and service contributions to the field of marketing, the American Marketing Association named her as AMA Fellow in 2024. In 2025, she won the University-wide award for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring at the University of Pittsburgh. She has recently authored a forthcoming book titled “Hyper-Digital Marketing: Six Pillars of Strategic Brand Marketing in an AI-Powered World” published by Palgrave-Macmillan.

Professor Swaminathan’s research and commentaries on branding and digital marketing are quoted in various international media outlets such as Forbes, Washington Post, The Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, U.S. News & World Report, NPR, Sirius Radio, Science Daily, Slate, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Economic Times (India), Frontline (India), BBC Brasil (UK), and Último. She has worked with companies such as The Hershey Company, Kraft Heinz, StarKist, AC Nielsen, GlaxoSmithKline, and Procter & Gamble on marketing and branding consulting projects. She has also extensively worked with small businesses on advising them regarding their digital marketing efforts.