- 26 Aug 2019
- Research & Ideas
Lipstick Tips: How Influencers Are Making Over Beauty Marketing
Influencer marketing has quickly become the best way to reach beauty consumers, proving more effective than celebrity endorsements and company ads, according to research by Alessia Vettese. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 25 Jun 2019
- Research & Ideas
The Powerful Strategic Tool Companies Should Not Try to Control
3QUESTIONS More executives are tapping user communities for strategic guidance, but productive relationships with fan groups require a nuanced approach, Frank Nagle says. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 27 Mar 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
Will Startup Fishbowl Become the Social Media App for Your Industry?
Fishbowl's founders have built a social media platform allowing professionals to connect anonymously and with candor within their companies and industries. Can they grow? Leslie John discusses her case study on the boundaries of social media and personal privacy. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 04 Mar 2019
- What Do You Think?
What’s the Antidote to Surveillance Capitalism?
SUMMING UP: As companies increasingly build business models around our personal data, what can be done to fight back? James Heskett's readers suggest there are no easy answers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 19 Feb 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Relative Performance Transparency: Effects on Sustainable Choices
Encouraging consumers to purchase a more sustainable product or use resources more responsibly is a key challenge for society. This paper discusses experiments involving more than 7,000 participants to shed light on how information and its presentation regarding sustainable performance can be a tool for enhancing sustainable choices in practice.
- 10 Oct 2018
- Research & Ideas
The Legacy of Boaty McBoatface: Beware of Customers Who Vote
Companies that encourage consumers to vote online should be forewarned—they may expect more than you promise, according to research by Michael Norton, Leslie John, and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 27 Nov 2017
- Research & Ideas
Beware the Lasting Impression of a 'Temporary' Selfie
Some social media apps promise to delete your messages after they are read. The problem: The memory of your uninhibited behavior lingers. Research by Leslie K. John and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 18 Sep 2017
- Research & Ideas
'Likes' Lead to Nothing—and Other Hard-Learned Lessons of Social Media Marketing
A decade-and-a-half after the dawn of social media marketing, brands are still learning what works and what doesn't with consumers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 12 Sep 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
The Better is the Enemy of the Good
Previous research has shown that individuals’ self-serving responses to information may arise when payoff information is subjective or uncertain. This study, in the context of charitable giving, shows that individuals’ ability to respond to payoff information in a self-serving way even includes situations when information is complete and certain.
- 10 Jul 2017
- Op-Ed
Op-Ed: It’s a Bad Idea to Ban Customers From Recording Videos
With videos of bad business practices routinely going viral, it might be tempting to prohibit customers from recording their surroundings. But banning cameras is the wrong way to go, says Benjamin Edelman. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 25 Jan 2017
- HBS Case
How Should Advertisers Respond to Consumer Demand for Whiter Skin?
Skin-lightening creams are a fast-growing market in India. Rohit Deshpandé explores what firms should do when a product is decidedly popular—but may be promoting discrimination. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 19 Oct 2016
- Book
Three Critical Mistakes Digital Businesses Make With Content
Do companies really understand the nature of today's digital transformation? Bharat Anand's book The Content Trap offers a new view of digital strategy that shifts the focus from "produce the best content" to "create the best connections." Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 02 Sep 2016
- Op-Ed
The Twitter Election
Twitter is emerging as one of the most important players in the 2016 presidential election, write John Quelch and Thales Teixeira. But does it have the power to determine which candidate will win? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 07 Jun 2016
- Op-Ed
Can Brand Trump Win a Presidency?
Brand Trump has been used to market hotel rooms, ties, and an airline. Can it be extended to win the presidency? Marketing Professor John A. Quelch wonders if the message (and the messenger) is already growing thin. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 21 Apr 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
The Perils of Building Democracy in Africa
Results from a text messaging experiment conducted before the 2013 National Election in Kenya show that basic information provided via short message service (SMS) resulted in small turnout increases but had a large effect on attitudes towards electoral institutions.
- 21 Mar 2016
- HBS Case
Can Customer Reviews Be 'Managed?'
Consumers increasingly rely on peer reviews on TripAdvisor and other sites to make purchase decisions, so it makes sense that companies have a stake in wanting to shape those opinions. But can they? Thales Teixeira says a good product trumps all. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 30 Nov 2015
- Research & Ideas
Donors Are Turned Off by Overhead Costs. Here’s What Charities Can Do
Elizabeth A. Keenan and colleagues find that charitable donors are willing to stomach the idea of overhead costs—as long as they know someone else’s donation is covering them. A field study helped one organization nearly triple its solicited donations. Open for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 20 Aug 2014
- Research & Ideas
Why the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a Social Media Blockbuster
Most companies should envy the financial and brand awareness brought about by the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The campaign's key ingredient, says John Deighton, is that participants enhance their personal capital in performance of a good deed. Open for comment; 7 Comment(s) posted.
- 20 Mar 2013
- Research & Ideas
How CEOs Sustain Higher-Ambition Goals
At a recent conference, executives underscored the importance of employee engagement, contributing to the community, and creating sustainable environment strategies. Closed for comment; 6 Comment(s) posted.
Reinventing Retail: The Novel Resurgence of Independent Bookstores
Independent booksellers in the United States have proven resilient in the face of multiple technological and business model shifts in the bookselling industry. By tapping into a larger social movement that promotes the value of shopping local and a desire to cultivate community, successful booksellers are differentiating themselves from online and big box competitors.