Christophe Van den Bulte - Faculty Research in Knowledge@Wharton

The Buzz Starts Here: Finding the First Mouth for Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:25:43 EST

Getting customers to spread the word about a new product through their social or professional networks is a hot strategy in the marketing world. But how do companies find the right individuals to deliver the message? New research by Wharton marketing professors Raghuram Iyengar and Christophe Van den Bulte finds that traditional targets may not be so influential.

Social Marketing: How Companies Are Generating Value from Customer Input

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:42:27 EST

Fansumers, viral videos and social computing -- these are just some of the many buzzwords pinging around the marketing world today. While making sense of them isn't easy, the concept behind them is clear: Online technologies allow customers to communicate in new ways with one another, and companies must decide whether to ignore, co-opt or dive into these new waters of interactivity. "Consumers want to feel they are being heard, and they love having an impact on the future development of products," says one Wharton professor. "To the extent that they can air grievances, or understand the company's position, that can be beneficial for the company itself."

New Products (Like the iPhone): Announce Early or Go for the Surprise Rollout?

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:33:58 EST

When it comes to rolling out new goods and services, companies tend to choose one of two strategies as a way of generating interest in their products, whether it's Apple's iPhone or Microsoft's Surface Computing effort. One is pre-announcing the product to give customers, partners and even competitors advance notice of what's to come. The second approach is the surprise unveiling, where a company hopes to make a big splash by giving few advance hints about an upcoming release. Which approach is best? It depends -- on the product, the company and its position in the market, say experts at Wharton.

Product Placement in the Pews? Microtargeting Meets Megachurches

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 16:21:19 EST

Church pastors last year had a chance to win a free trip to London and $1,000 cash -- if they mentioned Disney's film "The Chronicles of Narnia" in their sermons. Chrysler, hoping to target affluent African Americans with its new luxury SUV, is sponsoring a Patti LaBelle gospel music tour through African-American megachurches nationwide. Advertising has begun to seep into churches, according to religious, marketing and academic experts, pushing the boundaries by selling products with no intrinsic religious value.

'Influentials' and 'Imitators': How to Better Forecast the Sale of New Products

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 14:30:41 EST

Two Wharton researchers have developed a mathematical model that they say will allow companies, for the first time, to predict at what pace new products will gain acceptance in markets where purchasing decisions by knowledgeable, influential customers sway the buying habits of others. Wharton marketing professor Christophe Van den Bulte and doctoral student Yogesh V. Joshi say their model can be put to use in industries as diverse as movies, music, pharmaceuticals and high-technology. Their findings are presented in a paper titled, "New Product Diffusion with Influentials and Imitators."