Google data centre

We get so accustomed to the technology that we use everyday that we stop questioning how it works. We forget how amazing it is, as I discuss in this post. One of those amazing technical developments are search engines. They revolutionised how we obtain information about people, places, products, organisations, events... So, I thought I … Continue reading Google data centre

Sandy and Social Media

If anyone doubted that Social Media is now a key means of communication, s/he only had to look at the advice by the US's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with regards to Hurricane Sandy. Several hours before the Hurricane was due to arrive on the US's East Coast, FEMA posted the following tweet: #Sandy tip: Phone lines … Continue reading Sandy and Social Media

Question the source

I have been humbly reminded of the need to question the source of the information that I act upon. A few days ago I came across an article citing some heart warming statistics about Internet radio and what a key source of income it has become for musical artists. The article reported how Pandora had … Continue reading Question the source

Product testing the Valium way

An opinion piece on the New York Times earlier this month described how marketers helped popularise the use of psychoactive drugs in 1960s’ America. Robin M Henig wrote: "How did Roche convince physicians that it was O.K. to offer their patients a bottled form of serenity? How did the physicians persuade their patients? And how … Continue reading Product testing the Valium way

Book review: Marketing Accountability by McDonald and Mouncey

In my job, I often need to review books. As the focus of this blog is on the practical application of marketing theory, I thought that it would be a useful addition to the blog if I distilled the messages of some of those books here, too. Hence, I am starting a new rubric: short … Continue reading Book review: Marketing Accountability by McDonald and Mouncey

Invitation to participate in MSc research: social engagement and loyalty in fashion retail

Mia Bruce is one of my bright students, soon to graduate from the MSc eMarketing at Oxford Brookes University. She is, now, working on her dissertation, looking at the relationship between social engagement and loyalty in the fashion retail industry. Can you help her? If you ‘liked’ the Facebook pages for H&M or Zara, … Continue reading Invitation to participate in MSc research: social engagement and loyalty in fashion retail

Research project “Taking Liberties” – practitioner reports available

For the past couple of years I have been working with colleagues from the Open University on a research project looking at the uses of commercial data for national security purposes. The project was sponsored by the Leverhulme Trust and was motivated by the observation that, increasingly, commercial organisations are asked to act on behalf … Continue reading Research project “Taking Liberties” – practitioner reports available

Data, not knowledge

I just saw this quote on Twitter: "A child today has more knowledge in the palm of his hands than Einstein or Darwin." I agree that tablets, smartphones and other technological devices open worlds of wonder for children, but I have to disagree that it puts knowledge in their hands. I think that the person … Continue reading Data, not knowledge