Bernhardt has published numerous textbooks, monographs and articles on marketing and consumer behavior in professional journals such as Journal of Business Research, Journal of Marketing and Public Policy, Marketing and American Education Research Journal, and Journal of Retailing. He is a former president of the Association for Consumer Research and is former chairman of the American Marketing Association.

Bernhardt’s current research interests involve consumer attitudes and behavior, public policy issues in marketing and the marketing of services. He is a former chair of the Marketing Department, has won numerous teaching awards, and has been engaged in consulting and research assignments for many businesses, including BellSouth, Kimberly-Clark, Chick-fil-A and UPS.