articles 21 to 30 of 324
E-book Price-Fixing: Finding the Best Model for Publishers -- and Readers
In a case that has attracted worldwide attention, Apple and five book publishers were sued this spring by the U.S. Department of Justice on the grounds that they colluded to fix prices for e-books sold on Apple's iBookstore website. The legal controversy over Apple's efforts to use the so-called "agency model" when selling books directly to consumers offers a good opportunity to examine the benefits and costs of adopting that approach, both for online retailers and their customers, notes Wharton marketing professor Z. John Zhang, who has co-authored a recent paper on the topic.
From: April 25, 2012
Matching the Medium with the Message in Word-of-mouth Marketing
Word-of-mouth buzz is highly valued by marketers, but generating it can be a tricky proposition. In a new paper, Wharton marketing professors Jonah Berger and Raghuram Iyengar discuss how marketers can be more precise in crafting their campaigns to achieve better results. It's not as simple as blanketing the web with pop-up ads or blasting the airwaves with commercials, they note. It's about picking the right medium for the right message.
From: April 11, 2012
Big Brother: Have New Advertising Models Become Too Aggressive and Intrusive?
Does the Internet empower consumers? Or does it make them more vulnerable to manipulation by companies and potentially the government? While both statements might be correct, the balance tilts definitely toward the latter, according to Joseph Turow, a professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School. Turow, who wrote a book titled, The Daily You: How the Advertising Industry Is Defining Your Identity and Your Worth, talked with Knowledge@Wharton about "one of history's most massive stealth efforts in social profiling."(Video with transcript)
From: April 04, 2012
Customer Analytics: A New Lifeline for the Red Cross and Other Nonprofits?
When a major disaster occurs, the result is an outpouring of aid, often in the form of donations to nonprofits like the American Red Cross. But once the dramatic images and news headlines begin to fade, donors often disappear as well. The question for groups like the Red Cross is how to identify and reach out to those one-time givers who are most likely to become regular donors. The answer may lie in the world of customer analytics -- the collection and mining of data on individual consumer behavior that is already revolutionizing how for-profit businesses operate.
From: February 01, 2012
Are Colombian Flowers Experiencing a U.S. Drought?
Most Americans purchase roses only once or twice a year. But do they ever think about where these roses come from and what it takes to get them to their local market just in time for their purchase? Chances are that the roses bought for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day came from Colombia. Yet with the U.S. in a recession, the peso gaining value and an increasingly competitive environment, the floriculture industry in Colombia is looking for new ways to maintain and ideally increase its global market share.
From: January 03, 2012
Louis Vuitton and the Traveling Chinese Consumer
When it comes to the market for luxury goods, China is seen by some as "the rising star." Luxury sales in China currently represent 10% of the global market, and one Asian investment bank estimates that by 2020, China will be the largest domestic market for luxury goods in the world, accounting for 44% of global demand. Consumption by Chinese consumers abroad has helped fuel this growth in more mature markets in Europe. One of the most popular luxury brands -- both in China and abroad -- is Louis Vuitton.
From: January 03, 2012
'The Ultimate Question': Would Your Customers Recommend You?
Fred Reichheld and Rob Markey's The Ultimate Question 2.0 is a follow-up to the bestselling book that first helped businesses understand their Net Promoter Score. One question -- would you recommend us to a friend? -- offered businesses a vital metric that has since been adopted widely by organizations, including GE. Wharton marketing professor Peter Fader spoke with Markey about what NPS is, how companies can increase the number of people who promote them and why it is now a system and not just a score.
From: November 22, 2011
Peter Fader on Customer Centricity and Why It Matters
Starbucks and Apple stocks have been trading at record highs, but are these and other businesses doing everything they can to ensure growth over the long term? Peter Fader, Wharton marketing professor and co-director of The Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative, argues that too many companies are customer friendly, but not customer centric. In other words, they treat each customer the same, missing an opportunity to discover who their most valuable customers are. In his new book, Customer Centricity, part of the Wharton Executive Education Essentials Series, Fader describes what customer centricity is, what it isn't and why it matters.
From: November 18, 2011
Today's Marketing Challenge: Turning the Data Deluge into Competitive Advantage
In a new paper titled, "Closing the Marketing Capabilities Gap," Wharton professor George Day addresses the disconnect between the demands of markets and the ability of firms to meet those demands. Such a gap, he points out, is "costing firms profitability now and competitiveness in the future." Day and colleague David Reibstein talked with Knowledge@Wharton about the growing flood of data, new knowledge sharing technology, the socially networked and ever demanding consumer, and how some companies are successfully building their customer base, among other topics.
From: November 09, 2011
Research Roundup: Online Product Reviews, Happiness and Choice, CEO Stock Options and the Hunger for Distinctiveness
Online product reviews have become ubiquitous -- but does the text of these critiques tell a story that a star system can't? How does a consumer's definition of happiness affect buying habits? Are stock options always the best way to encourage risk-averse CEOs to invest in unpredictable but potentially value-creating projects? Can the desire for one reward be fulfilled with another? Professors Anindya Ghose, Cassie Mogilner, Christopher Armstrong and Jonah Berger, respectively, examined these issues -- and what they mean for business -- in recent research papers.
From: October 26, 2011
