Coca-Cola: When it comes to customer feedback, negative is more valuable than positive

As I am putting together some notes on the role of Twitter to study sentiment, I come across an interview with Coca-Cola's head of creative content for Asia-Pacific, Pratik Thakar, here. At one point, Thakar says the following about social media as a source of consumer insight: I believe that social media is a big … Continue reading Coca-Cola: When it comes to customer feedback, negative is more valuable than positive

Unpacking perceived risk in the purchase of services

I am preparing some notes for a Services Marketing module, and thought that I would share this extract with you. Services are mostly composed of intangible elements, which makes it very difficult for a customer to assess the quality of the service before purchasing it (and, sometimes, even afterwards as in the case of credence … Continue reading Unpacking perceived risk in the purchase of services

Day in the Life of an academic #3: welcoming new students

The sabbatical is well and truly over, and the days of focusing on research are just a distant (but cherished) memory. I am now deep into the new semester, busy welcoming the new students (in my role as programme leader for the MSc Marketing), class preparation for the new semester, and dissertation supervision (for students … Continue reading Day in the Life of an academic #3: welcoming new students

Using social media for customer engagement

@Bernardamus reached out to me on Twitter, asking for suggestions of online references for a talk that he is preparing on the role of social media in customer engagement. I thought I would share my initial thoughts with you, and pick your brain, as well 🙂 Customer engagement (CE) is about connections with customers, as well … Continue reading Using social media for customer engagement

Offering high levels of customisation may actually be a bad idea

The marketing literature emphasises the role of the customer in co-creating value with the firm, as opposed to being a passive recipient of value at the end of a transaction. This can be achieved a posteriori, when the customer adds something to the product to make it more valuable for him or herself (for instance, when … Continue reading Offering high levels of customisation may actually be a bad idea

Enforced detox from my smartphone

I had to send my smartphone off to have the screen replaced, and will be without it for a few days. So, it is a kind of detox. An enforced one, though, rather than the I-want-to-spend-some-time-away-from-civilisation kind. The first thing that I missed? The alarm clock. I rely on it twice a day: first to … Continue reading Enforced detox from my smartphone

New book: The Dark Side of CRM

I just received my copy of the book 'The Dark Side of CRM - Customers, relationships and management', which I co-edited with Bang Nguyen and Lyndon Simkin and can be ordered here. The book tackles the duplicitous practices and undesirable behaviours that affect the relationships between firms and customers. Building relationships with customers enables a firm to learn … Continue reading New book: The Dark Side of CRM

Labels matter for how organisations treat customers

A pudding tastes better when it is described as ‘healthy’ than when it is described as ‘diet’. A business proposal is more credible and persuasive when it is delivered by someone with the title 'director' than when delivered by the same person but using any other title. And students judge online courses more favourably when … Continue reading Labels matter for how organisations treat customers

August 2015 round-up

This is a cliché but… where, oh where, did the summer go? I can’t believe that the semester starts again in a couple of weeks’ time. I really am not ready! Looking back at my #5pm pictures, there were a lot of paper sorting, computer time and coffee drinking this month. If I had to … Continue reading August 2015 round-up