Looking back to move forward

Sometimes, I write inspirational notes to myself, or reminders, and add them to my calendar, or leave them in places that I know I will not access for some time. Weird, maybe. But it is, usually, really nice to come across those notes. Like this one. I have no idea when I wrote … Continue reading Looking back to move forward

No digital marketing, please; just marketing, says @markritson

I still remember my marketing classes with Professor Mark Ritson, during my MBA programme at London Business School. They were very entertaining, but also very challenging. Mark Ritson was not afraid to question well accepted beliefs, or dispel marketing myths, in very direct (and, often, colourful) terms. So, when I found Mark Ritson on Twitter … Continue reading No digital marketing, please; just marketing, says @markritson

Why Vana’s dating app might actually work

In the final episode of The Apprentice*, we learned that Vana Koutsomitis wanted to launch a dating app where users have to play a series of games before getting to meet their match. Vana explained that the games are based on scientific principles aimed at making better matches. I have no idea what those principles are, … Continue reading Why Vana’s dating app might actually work

Day in the Life of an Academic #4: No, I am not on holiday

Classes ended last week and, already, I have lost count of the number of times someone asked if / said that I am now on holidays. So, I thought I should do a “day in the life” post, to give you a glimpse of what an academic gets up to outside of term time. … Continue reading Day in the Life of an Academic #4: No, I am not on holiday

Knowing when you can trust your gut

Working in digital marketing, you probably have situations where you have to make a decision, even though you really wish that you could collect additional data. Maybe you want to find a few examples of successful content ignition from your own market, rather than from another market that is only somehow related. Or you … Continue reading Knowing when you can trust your gut

Twitter conversations have the credibility of friends’ recommendations and the impact of online reviews

While we tend to discuss word of mouth in terms of traditional (i.e., face to face) vs. electronic, this paper by Thorsten Hennig-Thurau, Caroline Wiertz and Fabian Feldhaus indicates that this separation is two simplistic. The paper looks at the impact of Twitter conversations on the performance of new movies. It finds that customers … Continue reading Twitter conversations have the credibility of friends’ recommendations and the impact of online reviews

Book review: Creative Research Methods in the Social Sciences – A Practical Guide

The book ‘Creative Research Methods in the Social Sciences: A Practical Guide’, authored by Helen Kara, introduces creative research methods to social science researchers. This is because, as the author puts it, ‘Doing research is an inherently creative activity at all stages of the process. The more methodological tools a researcher is able to use, … Continue reading Book review: Creative Research Methods in the Social Sciences – A Practical Guide

Handling social media crises

When problems happen and customers take to social media to vent their frustration, it may lead to a social media crisis like the one faced by United or Comcast. So, it is important to detect problems quickly, and act effectively. I recently published a paper, co-authored with Finola Kerrigan, Dirk vom Lehn, Cagri Yalkin, Marc Braun … Continue reading Handling social media crises

October 2015 round up

October was busy. Very busy. This included a lot of firefighting, which I tend to find very draining. My #5pm pictures show that I spent a lot of time at my desk. But, unfortunately, only a minority of that time was spent on writing or, for that matter, on anything remotely related to research. Instead, my month … Continue reading October 2015 round up