Consumers are talking about you, but what do they really mean?

Dr. Robin Croft, a fellow academic and much valued commentator here on the blog, drew my attention to an ethnographic study that he carried out with two other colleagues [1], on how different genders talk about products, services and brands. Croft and his colleagues observed informal conversations between various groups of people. Each group had … Continue reading Consumers are talking about you, but what do they really mean?

Popularity of social media posts important for sales and loyalty

We know that content that gets a lot of reaction is more likely to make it to our customers Facebook newsfeed than other content, because of the way Facebook’s algorithm prioritises what to show. Image source But the question is, is this type of content also likely to get customers through the door? A … Continue reading Popularity of social media posts important for sales and loyalty

Using Snapchat as an academic

This thing of being a researcher interested in how technology impacts on interactions between an organisation and its customers has its advantages: I get to experiment with the latest technology crazes, without feeling a weirdo. No, I am not playing with Pokemon Go. I am just doing research 😉 After all, I need to understand … Continue reading Using Snapchat as an academic

Digital technology reduced diversity in music charts

If you had to venture a guess, would you say that digital technology has increased diversity in the music industry, or decreased it? The dawn of the Internet promised to increase diversity in markets. Diversity would come about because digital technology reduces the costs of production, distribution and promotion, making it economically viable to … Continue reading Digital technology reduced diversity in music charts

Designing hands-on learning activities for marketers

A little known fact about me is that, back in 2007, I was in involved in the design and development of the Google Online Marketing Challenge (GOMC). The GOMC is a group-based, hands-on learning activity, where students develop and implement an online marketing plan for a small to medium sized company. It is now in … Continue reading Designing hands-on learning activities for marketers

Facebook changes newsfeed algorithm, again. Now what?

Facebook did it again. Change its news feed algorithm, that is. Facebook’s Engineering Director, Lars Backstrom, announced that: "we are updating News Feed over the coming weeks so that the things posted by the friends you care about are higher up in your News Feed”. This move goes in the opposite direction of that … Continue reading Facebook changes newsfeed algorithm, again. Now what?

June 2016 round up

Brexit. That’s what dominated my June 2016 – first, the worry about it; then, the feeling of despair at the outcome. Which is a shame, because there were many good things happening this month, too, such as the graduation ceremonies. Moving on… Here are my highlights from June. Tell me yours, in the comments … Continue reading June 2016 round up

When the customer does not want to hear from you

While preparing a workshop on the use of social media in students’ recruitment, I came across this study on university selection, which had the following piece of insight: Students are more likely to respond to information they found on their own, than material that was sent to them. Hardly ideal, right? These students - … Continue reading When the customer does not want to hear from you

A great marketing lesson an unlikely place: drug dealing

Sometimes, good (marketing) lessons come from bad places. For instance, the dark web gives us great lessons about branding, reputation and social proof. And here is another one. It is an interview with an ex-drug dealer, Coss Marte, for the Gimlet Media's podcast Start-up. The interview gives us an amazing insight into: Segmentation – There … Continue reading A great marketing lesson an unlikely place: drug dealing