Artificial intelligence and new marketing opportunities

In episode 73 of podcast ‘Review The Future’, the hosts interview Calum Chace, author of the book ‘The Economic Singularity: Artificial Intelligence and the Death of Capitalism’. The three discuss the long-term implications of the improvement of artificial intelligence (AI) so that it can now effectively replace humans in more and more tasks; a discussion … Continue reading Artificial intelligence and new marketing opportunities

Should gyms be fun or hardwork?

I am quite annoyed with myself. You see, I usually pride myself of seeing through tempting packaging or sales deals, and base my purchase decisions on the product and its value for me, more than anything else. Yet, here I am, very foolishly mourning the fact that the gym that I usually … Continue reading Should gyms be fun or hardwork?

July 2016 round-up

Hello from sunny California, where I travelled to in order to attend (and present at) the Academy of Management annual conference. I am presenting my research on the hidden biases of algorithms used in decision making – specifically, those present in algorithms that sort through our financial transactions. If you are interested in this topic, … Continue reading July 2016 round-up

Consumers are talking about you, but what do they really mean?

Dr. Robin Croft, a fellow academic and much valued commentator here on the blog, drew my attention to an ethnographic study that he carried out with two other colleagues [1], on how different genders talk about products, services and brands. Croft and his colleagues observed informal conversations between various groups of people. Each group had … Continue reading Consumers are talking about you, but what do they really mean?

Popularity of social media posts important for sales and loyalty

We know that content that gets a lot of reaction is more likely to make it to our customers Facebook newsfeed than other content, because of the way Facebook’s algorithm prioritises what to show. Image source But the question is, is this type of content also likely to get customers through the door? A … Continue reading Popularity of social media posts important for sales and loyalty

Using Snapchat as an academic

This thing of being a researcher interested in how technology impacts on interactions between an organisation and its customers has its advantages: I get to experiment with the latest technology crazes, without feeling a weirdo. No, I am not playing with Pokemon Go. I am just doing research 😉 After all, I need to understand … Continue reading Using Snapchat as an academic

Digital technology reduced diversity in music charts

If you had to venture a guess, would you say that digital technology has increased diversity in the music industry, or decreased it? The dawn of the Internet promised to increase diversity in markets. Diversity would come about because digital technology reduces the costs of production, distribution and promotion, making it economically viable to … Continue reading Digital technology reduced diversity in music charts

Designing hands-on learning activities for marketers

A little known fact about me is that, back in 2007, I was in involved in the design and development of the Google Online Marketing Challenge (GOMC). The GOMC is a group-based, hands-on learning activity, where students develop and implement an online marketing plan for a small to medium sized company. It is now in … Continue reading Designing hands-on learning activities for marketers

Facebook changes newsfeed algorithm, again. Now what?

Facebook did it again. Change its news feed algorithm, that is. Facebook’s Engineering Director, Lars Backstrom, announced that: "we are updating News Feed over the coming weeks so that the things posted by the friends you care about are higher up in your News Feed”. This move goes in the opposite direction of that … Continue reading Facebook changes newsfeed algorithm, again. Now what?