RWTH Marketing Group

Curiosity from the art world! For the first time, an AI-created painting has been auctioned at Sotheby's, fetching an impressive 1.2 million euros! The painting is a portrait of the renowned mathematician Alan Turing, who laid the theoretical foundations of AI in the 1950s. Ironically, he is the inventor of the well-known Turing test, a test designed to separate man from machine. But how is this painting different from the thousands and thousands of free AI-generated images on the internet? For one thing, the painting is physically painted. More important for consumer researchers: The robot that created the painting is an ultra-realistic 𝐡u𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭. So she looks very much like a human, which could impact the way her art is perceived. 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐲 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞-𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞? As this is the first image generated by an AI robot, we cannot be certain of this yet. Regardless of the answer, we look forward to the upcoming auctions in this field that will constantly raise new theoretical questions and discussions in the research office. Dominik Mahr Kars Mennens Mark Steins Marc Becker Roman Briker Philipp Rixen Daniel Wentzel Anton Spitkovsky #GenAI #Robot #HumanoidArtist #HumanMachine #Technology

What to do with your Halloween pumpkins? 🎃 If you not only ate pumpkins during the fall season this year, but also carved them or used them as decorations, the question arises after the holiday: What actually happens to all those pumpkins? According to a survey by Hubbub from 2020, 95% of pumpkins grown in the UK are produced and used for Halloween alone, with more than half of the 24 million pumpkins sold simply ending up in the trash after the 31s October. Aside from the economic loss, a large proportion of the pumpkins thrown away are actually edible, and this waste contributes to both food waste and global warming. This is because when pumpkins end up in landfills or are burned as regular waste, they release far more methane than when they are composted correctly. So what do you do with your leftover pumpkins? #1 If it's an edible pumpkin, you can simply turn it (including the seeds) into soup, cake or bread and share it with friends and family. #2 If you want to use the pumpkin as compost, you should first remove the seeds and cut it into pieces so that it can decompose better. #3 Alternatively, you can bury it directly in the ground. As a bonus, you will get a free workout as smashing the pumpkin will help it to decompose and release nutrients into the soil. #4 Birds, some wild animals, pets or chickens will also enjoy a tasty pumpkin, as long as it is not rotten. With these practical applications, we are sure you will find a unique use for your pumpkins. #Haloween #LeftOvers #Sustainability #Pumpkin #CircularEconomy

Food waste is a big, big problem. What’s really difficult to grasp? A lot of food is thrown away for no good reason. A striking example are “single” bananas. These are bananas that are separated from the rest of the bunch and are likely to be thrown away because nobody wants them. This problem is so big that it’s even mentioned in a recent food waste report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG).   What can you do to get people to buy single bananas? We just published a paper in Psychology & Marketing that comes up with a surprisingly simple solution: Put up a sign next to the banana shelves showing a single banana that is "sad" because nobody wants it. We tested this very simple intervention in two REWE supermarkets in Aachen over several weeks. The sad bananas led to an increase in sales of single bananas of 72% compared to a control condition and of 42% compared to signs with happy bananas. Way to go, bananas!   Fun fact: We also sent these results to REWE headquarters but, sadly, nobody seemed interested. Well, I guess that’s another way of looking at the academia-practice divide… Anybody listening at REWE? 😂 🤓 👨🎓   The study is published open-access if you interested (link to the study in the first comment).   Congratulations to Dr. Svenja Gerecht for her excellent dissertation work and getting it published! Dr. Janina Garbas Alice Minet Verena Riegler Almut Balleer Sammy Floyd Wals Anton Spitkovsky Philipp Rixen Dr. Julia Sophia Wittich Stefanie Paluch Dr. Marcel Grein Dr. Aras Erkin-von der Warth Dr. Stefan Raff-Heinen Stefan Rose Lars Christian Breyer

Yesterday we kicked off the second run of our course “Consumer-Oriented Innovations in the Automotive Industry” in collaboration with Toyota Deutschland (the very successful first run just screamed for a sequel 😀 ) Students with very different backgrounds will work on some of the most important challenges related to data-driven marketing and innovations in customer experience. Really looking forward to seeing how the projects will evolve over the coming months 💪 🤘 👊 A big shout-out to Anton Spitkovsky for all his energy in making this happen. Thanks also to Lars Christian Breyer, André Makowski, Lana Kern, Claus Keller, Anja Klügel and Andreas Landerl #Project #Innovation #Marketing #DigitalTransformation

It's that time again: the 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 is starting in Germany! Once more, students are filled with 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 to dive into the material, determined to focus on their studies and exercises this time around. On the other hand, lecturers are eager to 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 their students to push their limits this semester. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡? Dai, Milkman and Riis (2014) looked into this and came to the 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Semesters divide our academic lives into individual small periods. With each new period, the 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝 are written off in our heads, so we start with a blank sheet again. At the same time, the change of a period promotes a 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, which in turn motivates us to use the next small stage profitably. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰? Keeping this motivation going strong – because the next semester start is still a whole semester away! #NewSemester #Motivation #Inspiration #students #teaching

What happens when brands use their popular nicknames, like "Beemer" for BMW or "Bloomie’s" for Bloomingdale’s, in marketing? It turns out, it can backfire! 🚨 New research by Zhang, Ye, and Thomson shows that brands lose power when they adopt their consumer-given nicknames. When brands like BMW call themselves "Beemer," it essentially signals submission, making them seem less powerful and less exclusive in the eyes of consumers (link in the comments). 🔍 Fun Facts: Competence vs. Warmth: Competent brands (like luxury car makers) lose more credibility than warm brands (think cozy, friendly companies like Starbucks). Communal Messaging: When a brand's message is about social good and togetherness, like inclusivity campaigns, the nickname effect isn’t as damaging. Consumers forgive the nickname if the message feels warm and people-focused! Want your brand to stay strong? Maybe think about sticking to the original and skipping the nickname! #MarketingResearch #BrandPower #ConsumerBehavior #MarketingInsights #Branding

Will fossil fuels be the new tobacco? Following United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres' 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐥 𝐟𝐮𝐞𝐥 advertising, The Hague has become the first city to pass a law banning the advertising of fossil fuel products and climate-damaging services throughout the city. Starting next year, 𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 petrol, diesel, aviation and cruise ships will no longer be allowed on city streets, billboards or bus shelters. In his speech, Guterres pointed to the EU's 2003 ban on advertising for other harmful substances, such as tobacco, and called fossil-fuel companies “𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬” (links in the comments). This move is an important step in 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, as fossil fuel advertising undermines climate policy by promoting unsustainable behaviors and products. For consumers, this public juxtaposition of 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 can be confusing and provides 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. Other cities are already planning to follow The Hague's lead, and it is likely that this trend will continue, with more regions and countries following suit. From a marketing perspective, the ban is the first indicator of a major 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠. Established companies and sectors will need to 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 and find ways to align their campaigns with these evolving regulations and growing 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 for more sustainable industries. #greening #advertising #sustainability #EU #ban

𝐎𝐤𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭: 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 🍺 With Munich's legendary 𝐎𝐤𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭 kicking off last weekend, 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 are a perfect example of 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. Beyond the lederhosen and giant pretzels, some serious marketing brewing in the market. A recent study in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science shows that offering 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 like special 𝐎𝐤𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭 beers increases demand by creating a sense of exclusivity. Consumers respond to the limited availability by prioritizing immediate purchases, even if it temporarily reduces sales of regular products. Over time, however, the excitement diminishes, highlighting the importance of carefully timed releases to maximize brand impact (link in the comments). 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲: Limited-time products not only boost sales but also reinforce brand loyalty when executed with precise timing. Prost! #Oktoberfest #Marketing #Insight #ConsumerBehaviour #Prost

Scientific Tip for Your Summer Vacation ☀ It is summertime, you are on vacation at stunning locations, you have had amazing experiences, and you've taken thousands of photos. Now, you are ready to share your best snapshots on social media. But which ones should you choose? A recent study by Zoe L., Jung Suyeon, and Joann Peck explored the impact of photos from travel destinations and whether it is better to capture the places as they are or include people in the shot. The result? If you want your friends to feel inspired to visit these places, it is better to stay out of the frame and showcase the location itself (Plus, this can help increase the reach of your post). So next time, let the beauty of the place speak for itself!  Quelle: https://lnkd.in/eMAjgHwj (Link in the comments) Lu, Z. Y., Jung, S., & Peck, J. (2023). It Looks Like “Theirs”: When and Why Human Presence in the Photo Lowers Viewers’ Liking and Preference for an Experience Venue. Journal of Consumer Research.

Ready to start the new week with a compelling read on Generative AI and customer experience? Then we have the perfect mix of marketing and social must-reads to pique your customer-driven curiosity. In the ever-evolving world of Generative AI, staying ahead of the curve is essential. Whether you are a marketer, innovator, strategist or academic, these academic journals and practical papers will help you navigate the Generative AI marketing landscape effectively: 1.     “Consumers and Artificial Intelligence: An Experiential Perspective" by Stefano Puntoni, Rebecca Walker Reczek, Markus Giesler, and Simona Botti explores how AI technologies are impacting consumer experiences by identifying both the benefits and the social and individual challenges that arise from AI interactions, focusing on four key experiential areas: data capture, classification, delegation, and social interaction. 2.     “Customer experiences in the age of artificial intelligence" by Nisreen Ameen, Ali Tarhini, Alex Reppel, and Amitabh Anand examines how the integration of AI into shopping experiences affects customer trust, perceived sacrifice and relationship commitment, and enhances AI-enabled customer experiences. 3.     “Three Ways GenAI Will Transform Customer Experience” by Karen Lellouche Tordjman, Stephen Edison Eric Jesse, Kim Keating, and Kirti Choudhary discusses how generative AI (GenAI) will significantly transform the customer experience by enabling hyper-personalisation, enhancing customer interactions through AI-driven chatbots, and improving problem resolution. These articles show that GenAI can revolutionise the customer experience, but it is up to us to integrate it effectively. 👇 Links in the comment section. #AI #GenerativeAI #RWTHmarketing #Marketing #CustomerExperience #AcademicResearch #Innovation #DigitalTransformation #GenAIinMarketing