Coca-Cola: When it comes to customer feedback, negative is more valuable than positive

As I am putting together some notes on the role of Twitter to study sentiment, I come across an interview with Coca-Cola's head of creative content for Asia-Pacific, Pratik Thakar, here. At one point, Thakar says the following about social media as a source of consumer insight: I believe that social media is a big … Continue reading Coca-Cola: When it comes to customer feedback, negative is more valuable than positive

Unpacking perceived risk in the purchase of services

I am preparing some notes for a Services Marketing module, and thought that I would share this extract with you. Services are mostly composed of intangible elements, which makes it very difficult for a customer to assess the quality of the service before purchasing it (and, sometimes, even afterwards as in the case of credence … Continue reading Unpacking perceived risk in the purchase of services

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

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

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

RyanAir CMO says: It’s not cheap. It’s smart.

What do RyanAir, Aldi, Ikea, H&M and Amazon have in common? According to Kenny Jacobs, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at RyanAir, these are all brands that appeal to customers because they allow them to spend money smartly. It is less about “The brand is cheap. The customers are skint”. More about “The brand is … Continue reading RyanAir CMO says: It’s not cheap. It’s smart.