Tay, the Turing test, and us

Yesterday (March 24th, 2016), Microsoft launched Tay, an artificial intelligent chat bot developed by Microsoft's Technology and Research and Bing teams to experiment with and conduct research on conversational understanding. Tay is designed to engage and entertain people where they connect with each other online through casual and playful conversation. The more you chat with … Continue reading Tay, the Turing test, and us

10 amazing tweeps I met in 10 years of Twitter

Twitter turned 10 years old, and I, like many others, have been reflecting on what it means to me.   Twitter tells me that I joined it in July 2008. I remember the day, vividly. I was following a thread on an online forum, where academics were sharing experiences of using Second Life, Facebook, Twitter, … Continue reading 10 amazing tweeps I met in 10 years of Twitter

Instagram switching to relevance algorithm – what it means for you

Instagram announced that it is changing the way it presents content in our feeds from reverse chronological order to ‘presumed relevance’. According to the company’s press release: The order of photos and videos in your feed will be based on the likelihood you’ll be interested in the content, your relationship with the person posting and … Continue reading Instagram switching to relevance algorithm – what it means for you

What makes a customer ‘good’?

Customers differ in the value that they generate for the firm. Some generate revenues well above the costs of serving them. Others, a net loss. Others, still, are outright disruptive, engaging in behaviour that is very costly to the firm. Accordingly, the marketing literature (particularly, in the field of relationship marketing) recommends that managers should … Continue reading What makes a customer ‘good’?

Book review: The Smart Sceptic’s Guide to Social Media in Organisations

In January, I received a copy of the book "The Smart Sceptic's Guide to Social Media in Organisations", authored by my former student* Yekemi Otaru. I was very  happy to see that she had published a book, building on her many years of experience and her MBA dissertation - and I wasn't disappointed. Here is my … Continue reading Book review: The Smart Sceptic’s Guide to Social Media in Organisations

Consumer trends report (free) by Mintel

Famed market research company, Mintel, published a very interesting report outlining what they see as the five key consumer trends most likely to impact the market (and marketing), in 2016. Here is a brief summary of the key trends discussed in the report.   Water shortages across the world will impact on the availability and … Continue reading Consumer trends report (free) by Mintel

What can we do about social media cul-de-sacs?

Following the closure of the print edition of the newspaper ‘Independent’, Andrew Marr wrote the following, in The Guardian:   The big story is well understood. Digital is much cheaper than analogue, or Gutenberg technology. The cumbersome is collapsing, outpaced by the nimble. That allows new voices into an old debate-cartel. But it’s not all … Continue reading What can we do about social media cul-de-sacs?

February 2016 round-up

I am writing this post from Malta, where I am visiting as part of my post as Chair in Digital Marketing. It is the perfect ending to what was a very convoluted month, in the sense that it is bringing my mind back to research and, in particular, the impact of digitalisation on marketing. I … Continue reading February 2016 round-up

Should marketers create gender targeted products?

I saw the question in the title of this blog post on a professional discussion forum. Here is my reply.   As a marketer, the obvious answer is to give your customers what they want. If they want differentiated products, differentiate. If they don’t, then offer gender neutral products. For instance, due to social conventions, … Continue reading Should marketers create gender targeted products?

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