Something for your weekend: Why Seth Godin blogs

Seth Godin was interviewed by Debbie Millman, for the Design Matters podcast. It is a wide ranging and really interesting interview, which you can listen to, here. At one point (around 30 minutes in), Debbie notes that Seth has been sharing material online, for free, for quite a long time, and asks why he … Continue reading Something for your weekend: Why Seth Godin blogs

Recent publications

I thought that it would be a good idea to give you a quick update on what I have been publishing, recently. Hopefully, this update will make it easier for you to find something of interest or value to your own work or studies. And, who knows, you and I can find opportunities for collaboration. … Continue reading Recent publications

Umberto Eco’s advice to young writers

Umberto Eco died last Friday (Feb 19th 2016). You may know him as the author of great fiction books, such as 'The Name of the Rose' or 'Foucault’s Pendulum'. However, Eco described himself as primarily a ‘university professor who has found a nice way to spend his weekends’. His academic work has been … Continue reading Umberto Eco’s advice to young writers

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

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

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

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

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

July 2015 round-up

July was a strange month, and yet very typical of this time of the year. I returned to my teaching and managerial responsibilities following the end of the sabbatical (including an office move), attended the Academy of Marketing Conference in Ireland, and had annual leave. My #5pm pictures tell a great story about this … Continue reading July 2015 round-up