News Releases

CATONSVILLE, MD, May 1, 2017 – Online user reviews have become an essential tool for consumers who increasingly rely on them to evaluate products and services before purchase. The business models of online review platforms such as Yelp and TripAdvisor, and e-commerce sites such as Amazon and Expedia critically depend on them. Should such sites pay users to encourage them to write reviews? According to a forthcoming study in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science, a leading academic marketing journal, that is a bad idea.

CATONSVILLE, MD, April 10, 2017 – Firms sharing social responsibility for the social good with customers is generally seen as a win-win – more patronage from socially responsible customers and larger benefits to society. A forthcoming study in the INFORMS journal of Marketing Science, a leading academic marketing journal, however, questions the premise. 

LAS VEGAS, NV, April 4, 2017 – With the backdrop of a fast-growing growing global population and looming challenges to produce enough food to feed the world, a group of students from the University of Warwick, Nottingham University, and Cardiff University in the United Kingdom have developed a new method to develop better-performing soybean strains that could lead to a world-wide increase in food production.

CATONSVILLE, MD, March 3, 2017 – Providing consumers the opportunity to feel altruistic by donating a portion of the purchase price to a charity is an effective way for businesses to drive sales, as is providing items and services at discounted prices. However, businesses should proceed with caution when combining these two marketing techniques, as it can have the opposite effect.  

CATONSVILLE, MD, February 2, 2017 – According to a forthcoming study in the INFORMS journal of Marketing Science online display ads can increase both online and offline retail sales, providing valuable insight for future marketing decisions.

CATONSVILLE, MD, January 9, 2017 – Struggling to get your creative juices flowing for a new idea or project? A study in an upcoming edition of the INFORMS journal Marketing Science sheds light on the secret sauce to developing creative ideas, and it all comes down to word choice.

CATONSVILLE, MD, December 19, 2016 – Research conducted by the President of INFORMS, Yale Professor Ed Kaplan, regarding the probability of infectious blood entering Israel’s blood supply, played a pivotal role in recent revisions to Israeli policy regarding blood donation. 

CATONSVILLE, MD, December 16, 2016 – With travelers spending more than $278 billion on accommodations in the U.S. last year, hotel chains that explore creative new ways to engage customers have the potential to significantly increase their profits. 

CATONSVILLE, MD, November 30, 2016 – E-commerce platforms, such as Uber and eBay, which link sellers and buyers, face the perennial dilemma of what is more lucrative, supporting the needs of the buyers or the sellers. The traditional belief has been that it is more important to focus on buyers, who create demand, than on sellers. 

CATONSVILLE, MD, November 2, 2016 - A forthcoming study in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science, based on the psychology of sympathy, shows that small changes in the wording of a fundraising letter can increase donations by over 300 percent.