The Right Way to Market to Millennials

Jay I. Sinha and Thomas T. Fung

Hiring a celebrity to promote a brand is a standard marketing tactic. However, companies trying to reach social-media-savvy millennials are turning to an alternative option: connecting with “micro-influencers” whose Instagram or YouTube followers see them as more authentic advocates for specific products.

When Employees Don’t ‘Like’ Their Employers on Social Media

Marie-Cécile Cervellon and Pamela Lirio

When employees are not fans or supporters of the company’s products on social media, it sends an ambiguous message and could deprive the company of potential supporters. Employers can counter this by encouraging their “digital native” employees to become brand ambassadors for the company.

Pass the Word: Peer Influence Has Big Impact on Online Market Dynamics

Alex “Sandy” Pentland

A study of cryptocurrency markets provides some new insight into why people make the choices they do online. Crypto-currency traders used bots that executed over 100,000 small trades in 217 cryptocurrencies over the course of six months. Analysis reveals that traders are very susceptible to peer influences. The design of the online exchanges also appears to contribute to activity if functionality, graphical user interfaces, or application programming interfaces promote collective excitement.

The Power of Product Recommendation Networks

Frontiers |

Gal Oestreicher-Singer et al.

Much as relationships in social networks have been analyzed to understand and influence how ideas flow among people, researchers wondered whether it might be possible to use the structure of product recommendation networks online to understand or influence how demand flows among products. The short answer is yes, and the implications for marketers are important.