I started blogging on this day, 15 years ago, mostly as a means of capturing examples of marketing principles working in everyday life, and readings that were relevant for topics that I was working on. The style and frequency of blogging have changed over time, however, it remains an important part of how I share … Continue reading Exploring the pros and cons of Substack
Category: Marketing in everyday life
Peace of mind, not technical features, as key to adoption of smart washing-machines and servitisation business models, and the modernisation of UK manufacturing
In the summer of 2023, I posted about a research project that was starting at the time. The project explored the factors that could support consumers’ adoption of smart appliances and servitisation business models, and, consequently, the modernisation of UK manufacturing. Focusing on washing machines, we explored the use of a range of digital features, … Continue reading Peace of mind, not technical features, as key to adoption of smart washing-machines and servitisation business models, and the modernisation of UK manufacturing
Can GenAI help me find the right gift for a GenZ?
Earlier this month, Perplexity, the search engine that uses LLMs to answer search queries, launched a shopping assistant. You enter the type of product you are looking for (e.g., Gift ideas for a male in his early 20s, who likes X and Y. My budget is Z). Then, you get recommendations, with links to where … Continue reading Can GenAI help me find the right gift for a GenZ?
Navigating Bluesky: Opportunities and Challenges for Content Creators
In the last few days, Bluesky has attracted millions of new users. Those that made the move (including me) are delighted at how non-hostile the environment is and, frankly, enjoying how much Bluesky is reminiscent of Twitter in the “good old days”. However, Bluesky uses a different architecture from traditional social media platforms like Twitter or … Continue reading Navigating Bluesky: Opportunities and Challenges for Content Creators
Handwritten Notes: A Simple Way to Increase Sales
Back in the summer of 2021, I bought some sunglasses online. They arrived in a box with a handwritten note. I even mentioned it in the review that I wrote at the time: I don’t know whether the company did that out of instinct or following careful testing, but it looks like I wasn’t the … Continue reading Handwritten Notes: A Simple Way to Increase Sales
AI Labels Undermine Trust in Real News and Reinforce Confirmation Bias
Social media content is pushed at us by algorithms trying to keep us engaged with the platform. And, because sensationalist content tends to hold our attention more than non-sensationalist one, our feeds often get polluted by disinformation. Disinformation is a serious problem for society, leading many to look for ways of increasing our alertness to … Continue reading AI Labels Undermine Trust in Real News and Reinforce Confirmation Bias
The challenges of emotion and sentiment analysis
This post is an extract from the chapter "Approaches to emotion and sentiment analysis" that I contributed to The SAGE Handbook of Digital and Social Media Marketing, which was edited by Annmarie Hanlon and Tracy L. Tuten. The study of expressions of emotion and sentiment is a valuable, and increasingly popular activity, not just as … Continue reading The challenges of emotion and sentiment analysis
The world in 2032, according to Sam Altman
Last week, Sam Altman, the CEO of Open AI, wrote a blog post entitled “The Intelligence Age”. In this post, Altman foresees that “in a few thousand days[1]” we will have access to super (artificial) intelligence, which will enable each of us to “have a personal AI team, full of virtual experts in different areas, working … Continue reading The world in 2032, according to Sam Altman
From fighting food waste to creating plastic overload: Tupperware lost its way
Last week, Tupperware’s CEO and President, Laurie Ann Goldman, announced that the company was filing for bankruptcy as a result of several years of a “challenging macroeconomic environment”. Tupperware is a brand of food storage containers and kitchen equipment founded by Earl Tupper in 1942, with the purpose of helping “war-weary families save money on … Continue reading From fighting food waste to creating plastic overload: Tupperware lost its way
Analysing emotion and sentiment data
This post is an extract from the chapter "Approaches to emotion and sentiment analysis" that I contributed to The SAGE Handbook of Digital and Social Media Marketing, which was edited by Annmarie Hanlon and Tracy L. Tuten. Once data have been collected using the relevant data collection tool, researchers can analyse those inputs looking for … Continue reading Analysing emotion and sentiment data
Ana Canhoto 