Marketing & sales

In athletics, the smallest edge in reputation can mean a coveted NIL deal or a shot to play professionally. When college pitcher Brian Gursky set a goal to play in the major league, marketing expert Kim Whitler offered guidance on how to build his brand strategically, considering what his social media projected to scouts, coaches and sponsors.

Word-of-mouth is a powerful, organic form of marketing. But what about word-of-machine? Research from Professor Luca Cian shows that customers trust artificial-intelligence recommendations when a product or service is practical but resist when they’re pursuing a product or service for pleasure. What can companies do with this information?

What if a product is marketed to you based on one part of your identity? What if you consider that identity marginalized or the marketing is based on a stereotype, whether good or bad? In new research, a Darden expert examines when identity-based appeals are effective — and the importance of really knowing your customer.

In The Stakeholder Podcast, Professor Ed Freeman interviews Kip Tindell, founder of The Container Store, about starting a business where everyone thrives thanks to the simplest form of the stakeholder model. They discuss optimism about the post-pandemic era, employees as true partners, and how to fix the capital markets to protect stakeholders.

Weight loss aids, teeth whiteners, hair-growth serums: When marketing personal improvement products, advertisements often highlight dramatically different “before” and “after” photos —it seems intuitive consumers would be motivated by results, not the time and effort it takes to get them. But research shows the reality may not be so intuitive.

Professor Kimberly Whitler shares expertise on brand purpose offers five ways in which successful brands effectively design and activate their purposes.

Customer ratings systems can provide valuable data to firms, identifying customers they don’t want to keep, motivating others to behave well and even safeguarding the well-being of employees. But just as poor customer behavior affects the poor ratings they get, do those ratings in turn affect their behavior — or misbehavior?

The economic base of the postindustrial world is defined by technology and service industries and the rapid way machine learning is changing them. Artificial intelligence’s influence on consumer expectation and business strategy has changed the way the workforce delivers goods and services — and is existentially changing the workforce itself.

Professor Raj Venkatesan discusses his book, The AI Marketing Canvas: A Five Stage Roadmap to Implementing Artificial Intelligence in Marketing, with the Batten Institute’s Sean Carr to examine where the industry is headed and how marketers can responsibly manage AI-powered marketing in the rapidly evolving media landscape.

To develop and manage a brand effectively, marketers start by defining it with a brand essence statement. In an excerpt from her book Positioning for Advantage, Professor Kim Whitler discusses the blueprint for building a brand from the bottom up, including the foundation, the support, the impact on a consumer and, ultimately, the brand essence.