Marketing
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Research Area and Mission
The mission of the research program in marketing is to be one of the top marketing programs in Europe. It conducts research in marketing with a quantitative modelling orientation and addresses a selective number of important substantive areas. Thus, research activities follow along three major themes: Marketing of Innovations, Decision-Making in Marketing, and Marketing Models and publications are targeted at top journals in the field.
Phase of development
Following a large restructuring of the Erasmus School of Economics in 2004, the marketing program has had the opportunity to significantly advance its growth. This has resulted in the current young and very active research team that is now making its mark in the research community.
Strategy and Policy
Focus
The research program conducts research in marketing with a quantitative, modelling orientation in marketing and addresses a selective number of important substantive areas. Thus, research activities follow along three major themes: Marketing of Innovations, Decision-Making in Marketing, and Marketing Models and is targeted at top journals in the field.
In the first theme the program addresses marketing problems that innovations in areas such as technology and the life sciences face. Underlying disciplines are technology, economics, health economics, statistics and econometrics. We co-operate with scholars worldwide at schools such as MIT, Duke University, Emory University, New York University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, IESE, and Tel-Aviv University. Scholars are working on the following three topics: 1. Diffusion of innovations, 2. The effectiveness of marketing instruments in these markets, 3. Organizational and consumer behavior of innovation choice. Three doctoral students have completed work in this area, two more are working in the area, and there is a close cooperation with industry partners.
In the second theme topics include research on Behavioral Decision Making, Sales Person Decision Making, and Online Marketing Decision Models. Research in this area draws on economics, econometrics, neurology and psychology to model individuals’ decision making. Cooperation with scholars worldwide involves schools such as Duke University, Stanford University, London Business School, University of Alberta, and St. Gallen University. Two doctoral students have completed theses in this area, and three more are working in this area.
In the third theme, the program works closely together with researchers at the Econometric Institute. The typical research questions in marketing and the typical properties of marketing data nowadays require the use of advanced econometric models. This research theme concerns the development of implementation of these advanced models, ranging from aggregate level models of sales or market shares to disaggregate level models of individual behavior. The latter models typically have a strong micro economic foundation. Contributions are also made in the domain of new estimation methods and simulation techniques for the statistical analysis of these models. Six topic areas can be used describe most modeling related research in the program: 1. Diffusion models, 2. Models for sales and market shares, 3. Choice models, 4. Modeling unobserved heterogeneity, 5. Scientometric studies of the marketing discipline, and 6. Survey response modeling. Most doctoral students develop strong skills in the modeling theme, and some doctoral students focus exclusively on topics in this theme. International cooperation in this theme involves joint work with scholars at the Columbia University, London Business School, Penn State University, University of Southern California, and University of Maryland. Three doctoral students have completed theses in this area, and two more are working on their thesis.
Research across all three themes is presented at regular conferences as well as prominent schools around the world, such as Duke University, MIT, Northwestern University, and Cambridge University. In the past six years many publications have appeared in top journals such as the International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, and Management Science.
Staff
The program has a very active and productive research staff consisting of both more established scholars like Stefan Stremersch, Philip-Hans Franses, Benedict Dellaert, Willem Verbeke, Bas Donkers and Dennis Fok, and junior scholars such as the current group of young promising faculty members. An excellent additional hire at the senior level was made recently by the appointment of Martijn de Jong (RSM). Several new faculty members also started recently at the assistant professor level Gui Liberali (UNISINOS and MIT), Feray Adiguzel (University of Groningen and Free University Amsterdam), Vijay Hariharan (SUNY Buffalo), Isabel Verniers (Ghent University), and Nuno Camacho (ESE). They are already contributing significantly to the research in the program and are likely contribute even more to the program’s research output in the oncoming years.
The marketing program also has a sizeable PhD program with students participating in the ERIM and Tinbergen Research Schools PhD tracks. At the masters level the program’s research feeds into teaching in the M.Sc. marketing program in Economics and Business Economics, as well as in a specialized M.Sc. program in Quantitative Marketing within the department of Econometrics.
Research process
There is a very active research culture in the marketing program. Seminars are organized with top speakers from around the world, both within the School of Economics and through the ERIM research school in cooperation with the RSM. In the past two years around 20 seminars per year were organized, with at least half of the presenters coming from top U.S. Business Schools, and another quarter coming from top European schools outside of the Netherlands.
In 2004 the marketing program hosted the Marketing Science conference. This conference is widely recognized as the most important academic marketing research conference worldwide. Faculty members are also regularly invited to participate in doctoral colloquia such as those organized by the AMA and EMAC. In 2013 the program will host another two prestigious international conferences: The triennial invitational choice symposium and the GGSSI (Global Sales Science Institute) conference.
Individual faculty members regularly cooperate and publish with international colleagues from top institutions both in the Netherlands and around the world. For example joint research has taken place with researchers from Tilburg University, Groningen University, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Emory University, Columbia University, New York University, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, London Business School, University of Alberta, University of Tel Aviv, and Hebrew University.
Academic reputation
In the course of the past six years the marketing research group has become highly visible in the international academic world. Initially, the group was relatively small, but under the guidance prof. Philip-Hans Franses and later prof. Stefan Stremersch and prof. Benedict Dellaert its reputation has strongly grown, and the program is now recognized as one of the leading programs in Europe.
Stefan Stremersch held a visiting professor appointments at Duke University 2007-2009 and an appointment at IESE Universidad de Navarra 2009-present.
Editorial boards
The editorship of the International Journal of Research in Marketing resided within the marketing section, with Stefan Stremersch as editor from 2006-2009.
Memberships of editorial boards:
- Philip-Hans Franses: Marketing Science, Quantitative Marketing and Economics
- Stefan Stremersch: Journal of Marketing, Marketing Science
- Benedict Dellaert: International Journal of Research in Marketing, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Journal of Choice Modelling, Journal of Information Technology & Tourism
- Bas Donkers: International Journal of Research in Marketing
External validation
The marketing program stays closely in touch with business through is affiliated institutes ECMI (Erasmus Centre for Marketing of Innovation) and ISAM (institute for sales and account management). Through these institutes joint research with industry partners is conducted and specialized courses are offered. Recently several agreements have been reached with large specialized firms in the domain of data sharing and analysis.
Research by program members is also regularly highlighted in the popular press, for example in the domains of technology adoption or diffusion, consumer decision making and sales.
Analysis, perspectives and expectations for the research programme
In general the past years have been good for the marketing program and have allowed us to expand and strengthen our activities. The program has firmly established itself as strong research program. This applies to several domains such as research output, links with industry, PhD education, and the ability to recruit and retain talented individuals both at the junior and senior levels.
In line with the ambitions of the Erasmus School of Economics, the marketing program now prepares itself to achieve its next goal in the oncoming five years, which is to firmly establish itself as one of the top-three marketing programs in Europe. The department aims to offer an exceptional environment for young international talent to nurture and develop their research skills in a strong academic community. Funding from the Dutch Science Foundation and from European Programs can support such appointments. We are also interacting with the business community to acquire funding for projects at this level, as well as for large scale data cooperation in the programs areas of expertise such as the Marketing of Innovations.
