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Science
Institute
Research
Priorities
Contents
Introduction 1
Acknowledgments 11
Academic Trustees 12
Executive Directors 12
T
his booklet is addressed to the research 2. Need for more research-based knowledge
community in marketing and related 3. Potential for achieving a more powerful
fields. It describes the marketing topics conceptualization of a topic or issue, with
considered by the Marketing Science generalizable implications that extend beyond
Institute (MSI) to be in greatest need of study. We a single brand, product, firm, or industry
invite academic researchers to submit proposals for
research projects on these priority topics. We also 4. Extent to which the topic can benefit from
invite the submission of completed papers on these MSI’s capabilities in fostering collaboration
topics for publication in the MSI working paper between practitioners and academics
series. Beyond directing the generation and These selection criteria led to eight priority topics,
dissemination of knowledge, these research which can be grouped into two broad areas of
priorities guide MSI when we undertake special inquiry: (1) marketing strategy that anticipates
research initiatives and competitions, sponsor and responds to changing conditions and (2)
workshops and conferences, and develop marketing management and practice in a
publications. transformed landscape.
The 2010-2012 MSI Research Priorities
were developed against a backdrop of significant Marketing Strategy That Anticipates
changes in the global marketplace. These changes and Responds to Changing Conditions
in markets, customers, and technologies are Successful firms must anticipate changing
enabling new business models, capabilities, and marketing conditions, be responsive to customer
products, such as the infusion of services (i.e., needs, and compete by offering superior value.
“solutions”), into goods-dominant firms, products To achieve these goals, marketers are required
co-created with customers or network partners, to provide decision-relevant information about
and offerings customized to customer behavior which strategies will be effective under different
observed over time. Consequently, this booklet future conditions. Consistent with this notion,
uses the word “innovation” to refer (broadly) to research is required on four priority topics to
innovation in business models, processes, and help firms:
products. Moreover, “products” refers (broadly)
to goods, services, solutions and applications. • Use Market Information to Identify
The research priorities are based on input Opportunities for Profitable Growth
from our member company trustees and academic • Understand Customer Experience and
thought leaders. The criteria used to select the Behavior
2010-12 priorities included:
• Develop Marketing Capabilities for a
1. Importance to marketers, including the Customer-focused Organization
potential for new research to affect
business decisions
• Identify and Realize Innovation Opportunities
R e s e a r c h P r i o r i t i e s 2 010 – 2 012 1
Marketing Management and Practice (B2B), manufacturing, services, online and
in an Evolving Landscape offline, and emerging and mature, as well as
Successful firms must develop a coherent market- global. The research questions listed under each
ing plan that delivers value to customers and priority topic are not listed in order of importance.
captures value for shareholders. To achieve these In addition, they are not intended to be exhaus-
goals, marketers must manage an expanded and tive. Our aim was to offer diverse examples of the
complex marketing mix—using increasingly compelling questions raised by our trustees in the
sophisticated marketing tools and practices. priority-setting process, and to suggest possible
Hence, research is required on four priority research directions.
topics to help marketers:
• Deliver Value through Enhanced Media
and Channels
For information on obtaining research
• Manage Brands in a Transformed Marketplace support and submitting a working paper
• Allocate Resources to Marketing Activities to MSI, go to the Research section of
• Leverage Research Tools and New Sources www.msi.org.
of Data
Contact Research Director Ross Rizley,
The priority topics are substantive; the researcher Rizley@msi.org, with questions about
is free to select appropriate methods, and multiple research priorities and programs.
methods are encouraged. Each topic includes
research questions that are relevant to many
markets: consumer (B2C), business-to-business
R e s e a r c h P r i o r i t i e s 2 010 – 2 012 3
Priority
Priority
Topic
Topic
Understanding Customer
Experience and Behavior
Firms create value by being responsive to customer requirements. Research is needed to develop concep-
tual frameworks and methods for understanding customer experience and behavior in an increasingly
complex landscape. Real-time, granular information about customers’ search, social, consumption, and
purchase behavior provides opportunities for firms to customize or co-create products, communications,
and prices for individual customers at specific points in time. These opportunities are evident both in
B2C markets and B2B markets.1 The research questions fall into three areas.
Market Segmentation and Target Marketing business performance. There are many research
Firms require new ways to leverage information questions here, including but not limited to:
about customer preferences and behavior (includ- How should firms measure and assess customer
ing from “addressable” social and mobile media) preferences for engagement? Under what conditions
to enhance or supplant conventional strategic can firms use customer engagement programs to
planning, market segmentation, and targeting build loyalty? How can firms assess the economic
approaches. They also require conceptual frame- value of customer engagement programs? How do
works and methods that integrate the many factors product, channel, relational, and market character-
that influence customer preference and purchase istics moderate the effects of customer-to-customer
over time. In B2C markets, these factors might interactions on customer purchase behavior?
include need states, motivations, cognitive and Marketing Actions That Influence
emotional responses, conscious and non-conscious Shopper Behavior
processes, self-regulatory behavior, and social
Firms in many industry sectors — including
identities. In B2B markets, firms are especially
consumer packaged goods, durable goods,
interested in the buying process of large and
services, and retailing — are seeking ways to
complex decision-making units characterized
allocate their resources more effectively to
by multiple, dispersed influencers. Firms also
influence a shopper along the entire “path to
need predictive models that leverage “real time”
purchase,” from when the motivation to shop
behavioral and contextual data to successfully
first emerges through purchase, consumption,
develop and execute marketing strategies.
and repurchase. Research is required to develop
Customer Engagement new conceptual frameworks and methods for
We consider customer engagement to be custom- understanding how marketing actions at various
ers’ behavioral manifestation toward a brand or points along the entire path to purchase (outside
firm beyond purchase, which results from motiva- as well as inside the store) interact and jointly
tional drivers including: word-of-mouth activity, influence shoppers along this path. For example,
recommendations, customer-to-customer interac- how are mobile devices, the internet, and
tions, blogging, writing reviews, and so forth. peer-to-peer interactions (online and off) affecting
Many firms see customer engagement as a route shopper behavior? What resources should firms
for creating, building, and enhancing customer- contribute to customer communities or networks
firm relationships and (ultimately) improving to facilitate co-creation?
1 We use the word “customer” generically to apply to both B2B and B2C firms. When necessary, we distinguish research priori-
ties relevant to B2C and B2B by noting them. Sometimes, we distinguish between the shopper (or buyer) and consumer (or
end-user). Note that these terms can refer to groups (e.g., households or buying units) as well as individuals.
R e s e a r c h P r i o r i t i e s 2 010 – 2 012 5
Priority
Priority
Topic
Topic
R e s e a r c h P r i o r i t i e s 2 010 – 2 012 7
Priority
Priority
Topic
Topic
Managing Brands in a
Transformed Marketplace
Brand managers are facing many new challenges: Established brands manufactured in developed
economies are facing a competitive threat from (1) quality improvements in brands manufactured in
BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), (2) consumer perception that private label brands
are comparable in quality to national brands, and (3) firms’ reliance on short-run brand promotions
rather than brand building during the global recession.
The role of the brand is also changing due to marketing communications) takes place very
the emergence of social media. Brands do more rapidly? Research is also needed on organizational
than promise functional and emotional benefits; issues: What are effective ways of executing a
they are now facilitators of conversations about consistent brand strategy that is coordinated across
personal and social issues (e.g., identity, sustain- different functions or strategic business units?
ability). Multiple touch-points between brands How should firms manage brands when effective
and customers create customer-firm relationships marketing requires non-traditional capabilities?
that are potentially more complex and diverse. For Are there differences for B2B versus B2C firms?
example, how should firms approach co-branding, What activities should be outsourced versus
social media, and product placements that place addressed in-house? How does this change the
brands in specific contexts? role of the brand manager?
Since customers co-create brands and firms
do not completely control brand equity, research
is needed to identify effective brand strategies:
How should firms create, sustain, and grow
brands in this environment? How should all
aspects of the brand — i.e., the brand system —
be managed over time? How should firms
approach strategic planning for a brand when
execution (e.g., monitoring and managing
Allocating Resources
to Marketing Activities
Research is needed to help firms evaluate and compare the long-run value of alternative marketing
strategies so that managers can communicate this information to others within the firm. What are
powerful ways of communicating the value of making substantial changes in current marketing strategies?
What are effective pricing strategies, tactics, and practices for complex products in a multi-media,
multi-channel environment that allow for increasingly customized pricing decisions? How should
firms determine the absolute level of marketing spending and how should spending be allocated at the
strategic level—that is, across products, customer groups, and geographies?
Given a complex, multi-media, multi-channel help these firms allocate marketing resources?
environment, marketers must expand their models For B2B firms, research is needed to understand
to account for new media and channels. How how much to spend on trade (e.g., distributor or
should they account for “under-studied” media retailer) versus consumer. Last, both B2C and B2B
(e.g., public relations, trade shows, referral firms must consider these questions from both a
networks)? How should resource allocations be short-run and long-run perspective.
made across the media mix (including traditional
and new media) — and how should they be
adjusted over time? At the same time, many firms
cannot use integrated marketing mix or media
mix models because they do not have standardized
data sources. What frameworks or methods can
R e s e a r c h P r i o r i t i e s 2 010 – 2 012 9
Priority
Priority
Topic
Topic
We offer special thanks to Research Associate John Farley, Dartmouth College, and to the academics
who served as guest reviewers at MSI Research Review Meetings.
Kusum Ailawadi, Dartmouth College
Paul Berger, Boston University
C.B. Bhattacharya , Boston University
Barbara Bickart, Boston University
Michael Braun, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Suchi Chandran, Boston University
Rohit Deshpandé, Harvard Business School
David Godes, Harvard Business School
John Gourville, Harvard Business School
Dhruv Grewal, Babson College
Sunil Gupta, Harvard Business School
John Hauser, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Patrick Kaufmann, Boston University
Praveen Kopalle, Dartmouth College
Donald R. Lehmann, Columbia University
Katherine Lemon, Boston College
Das Narayandas, Harvard Business School
Michael Norton, Harvard Business School
Eli Ofek, Harvard Business School
Drazan Pralec, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kathleen Seiders, Boston College
Duncan Simester, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Shuba Srinivasan, Boston University
Thomas Steenburgh, Harvard Business School
K. Sudhir, Yale University
Russell Winer, New York University
R e s e a r c h P r i o r i t i e s 2 010 – 2 012 11
Academic Trustees Executive Directors
March 2008 to March 2010 Affiliation as of time of service
R e s e a r c h P r i o r i t i e s 2 010 – 2 012 13
1000 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
617-491-2060
www.msi.org
Marketing
Science
Institute