February 2016 round-up

I am writing this post from Malta, where I am visiting as part of my post as Chair in Digital Marketing. It is the perfect ending to what was a very convoluted month, in the sense that it is bringing my mind back to research and, in particular, the impact of digitalisation on marketing. I also find it very humbling, and inspiring, to see first hand how the stuff that we research and teach about, works in the real world. And, of course, it is really very nice to walk under clear blue skies, every day.

I am definitely ending February on a much more positive frame of mind than I started the month with. These are the highlights of the month for me.

 

Researching

I did a bit more research* on the use of social media in the business to business context, to ‘top-up’ my knowledge about the topic, as I prepared to write a paper on the topic.

And, in preparation for my visit to the University of Malta, I have done quite a bit of research* on the types of content (shared by firms) that elicit most engagement on Facebook.

 

 

Writing

When I was preparing my monthly report, I realised that I did not achieve as much, writing-wise, as I thought I had achieved. But, hey, it was a hard month on other fronts, so I won’t beat myself up. I submitted a paper on consumer attitudes towards wearables, and I started work on a paper on the use of social media in the B2B context.

 

On the other side of the coin, I got a rejection for the co-authored paper on digitalisation of SMEs. My colleagues and I have now spent many, many, many hours on this particular paper (not to mention the actual research). So, it is a very frustrating outcome. Alas, such is the nature of academic writing.

 

 

Teaching
I am very much enjoying teaching the new module on Digital Marketing Communications, even if it means spending many, many hours preparing for the weekly sessions (I am guessing about 10 hours for a one-hour lecture + one-hour seminar).

There was also some marking, and some module reviewing.

 

 

Learning

Another rich month on the learning front.

 

It started with a very stimulating visit to the exhibition “Big Bang Data”, at Somerset House in London. It explores how much data we are producing in our lives (personal and professional), how much data reveal about us, and how data transform our lives. It was truly thought-provoking. For instance, the exhibition showed how cat pictures posted on social media, which seem fairly innocuous, actually reveal a lot of information about the whereabouts of the cat’s owner (or, rather, of the person that posted the picture). It also
showed how items such as discarded chewing gums or cigarette butts, contain extensive DNA information, as illustrated by the ‘reconstruction’ represented in this picture —->

 

Then, I peer-reviewed two papers (i.e., work submitted by other researchers for publication in peer reviewed journals), which offered a great opportunity to learn a bit more about the topics of those articles. And, in the process of examining a viva, I learned about customer service in the healthcare sector.

 

Now, I am reviewing the book “The Smart Sceptic’s Guide to Social Media in Organisations” by my former student Yekemi Otaru, which is teaching me a lot about tactics to engage employees for social media participation.

What were February’s highlights for you?

PS – I am using snapchat – mostly experimenting, so I know what I am talking about, when I talk about it in classes 😉 If you want to connect there, my username is acanhoto