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

Varian: Say what to do, not what it is

This weekend I decided to clean my paper files. Tucked in between my notes on refining your research questions, or writing a PhD thesis, I came across this 2001 article by Hal Varian with writing advice. The article has various useful tips, both general advice about writing, and specific advice about writing three different types of … Continue reading Varian: Say what to do, not what it is

Protecting the rights of children as consumers of digital technology

There is a new initiative in the UK, the iRights, proposing guiding principles for the design and operation of digital spaces used by children, so that these young users of digital technology can fully benefit from the opportunities presented by digital technologies. I think that these principles are really helpful in moving the debate away … Continue reading Protecting the rights of children as consumers of digital technology

Our surveillance book has been featured on TV programme ‘Going Underground’

The Russia Today TV programme, Going Underground, has covered the book “The Private Security State - Surveillance, Consumer Data and the War on Terror”, in some depth. As you may remember, this book is the product of a large research project sponsored by The Leverhulme Trust, and led by Professor Kirstie Ball at the Open … Continue reading Our surveillance book has been featured on TV programme ‘Going Underground’

Young children’s use of tablets and mobile apps

The University of Sheffield has released the early findings from an ongoing study looking at the use of tablets and apps by children aged up to 5 years old. You can learn more about the project, and download the report, here. Some aspects of the study are debatable (e.g., the classification of the apps mixes … Continue reading Young children’s use of tablets and mobile apps