February 22, 2024

7:30 Registration Opens 

7:30 – 8:30 Networking Breakfast 

8:30 – 8:50 Opening Remarks 

8:50 – 9:20 Predictive Incrementality by Experimentation (PIE)

Florian Zettelmeyer, Nancy L. Ertle Professor of Marketing, Northwestern University

Florian Zettelmeyer will discuss Predictive Incrementality by Experimentation—a new approach to ad effectiveness measurement that uses experiments for a subset of ad campaigns to build a model that can predict the causal effect of ad campaigns that were run without experiments. Compared to those using experiments, PIE leads to different decisions for only a small number of campaigns at the upper (6%), mid- (7%) and lower-funnel (13%). PIE can thus allow advertising platforms to extrapolate from a limited number of experiments to scale causal ad measurement.

9:20 – 9:50 Audience Measurement Panel

Moderator Ryan Dew, Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Pennsylvania

Pete Doe, Chief Research Officer, Nielsen & Michael Vinson, Chief Research Officer, Comscore

The TV industry is transitioning from measurement currency based on random-probability sample panels to a diverse range of solutions incorporating data sets from pay-TV set top boxes, Smart TVs, ad server data and data from streaming services. These new solutions offer both advantages and limitations, with little consensus on how to make big-data measurement “currency grade.”

• Which use cases are uniquely supported by panels, and which might be substituted by other approaches?
• How will panel costs change relative to other input costs?
• What can the TV measurement field learn from developments in other fields?

This discussion will seek to define some form of methodological consensus which is crucial for the measurement industry’s future.

9:50 – 10:05 Networking Break

10:05 – 10:35 MSI’s Marketing Mix Modeling Initiative Progress

Dominique Hanssens, Distinguished Research Professor of Marketing, UCLA & Anjan Haalder, Director, Media Sciences, Comcast

Assessing marketing spend has become increasingly difficult with recent changes in privacy policies and data availability, multidimensional data that can vary in time, markets, granularity, and other characteristics, and an increased diversity in MMM vendor solutions. The Marketing Science Institute will report on Phase 2 of the MSI MMM Initiative, identifying characteristics of successful MMMs, outlining model characteristics on data challenges, experimental data, emerging technologies, and ROAS, and exploring gaps in current practice. An introduction and discussion about how member companies can participate in the Checklist and get more deeply involved in future phases of the MSI MMM Initiative focused on benchmark results and validation will follow.

10:35 – 12:30 Research Priorities Planning Session

The session will commence with a review of the existing MSI Research Priorities and a discussion about changes to the priority-setting process. Subsequently, participants will engage in breakout sessions facilitated by MSI Academic Fellows aimed at identifying and addressing the most pressing priorities and issues of our members.

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch & Networking 

1:30 – 2:00 Deep Data Interpretation with AI: A Qualitative Marketing Research Approach

Rob Kozinets, Jayne and Hans Hufschmid Chair of Strategic Public Relations and Business Communication, University of Southern California

Although data analytics have traditionally used large data sets and decontextualizing methods, AI presents the opportunity to delve deeper into much smaller sets of consumer information in order to unpack meaningful insights. This presentation by the academic who pioneered “netnography” examines recent efforts to develop AI-assisted versions, presents examples showing how it works, and considers their implications for future marketing and consumer research.

2:00 – 2:30 Putting a Consumer View in AI

David Schweidel, Professor of Marketing, Emory University

While there is much hand wringing over the threat that AI poses to humanity, such concerns often overlook the important perspective that consumers add to AI. Infusing a human perspective into AI is essential to achieving desired outcomes. Moreover, this human input may be explicitly valued by consumers. In this talk, David Schweidel will discuss both the importance of human input and the value that such input creates in AI generated content.

2:30 – 3:00 Beyond the Buzz: Creating Marketing Value with Generative AI — Insights from a NIM Study of 600 Marketers in the USA, the UK, and Germany

Fabian Buder, PhD, Head of Future & Trends Research & Nina Hesel, Senior Researcher Marketing Insights & Strategy, Nuremburg Institute for Market Decisions

Given the ongoing hype around generative artificial intelligence (AI) and the promises it holds for marketing, a study by the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM) aims to shed light on the reality behind the buzz. The study examines the adoption, use, and perception of generative AI tools among B2C marketers in three key markets: the USA, the UK, and Germany. 600 marketers were surveyed via computer-assisted telephone interviews, covering a wide range of company sizes, marketing roles, and age cohorts. The focus is on assessing the adoption and actual use of generative AI in general and for specific marketing activities as well as the effectiveness of generative AI from the user’s perspective. The study also identifies the challenges associated with implementing AI and the skills and training required, leading to practical implications for the effective use of generative AI.

3:00 – 3:30 Gamification for Stakeholder Engagement

Szu-chi Huang, Associate Professor of Marketing, Stanford University

Gamification can be leveraged to engage a variety of stakeholders, from customers, employees, to investors. In this session, Szu-chi Huang will examine the key elements of gamification from the lens of behavioral science to help you motivate your customers and other stakeholders in pursuing health, financial and career goals.

3:30 – 3:45 Networking Break

3:45 – 4:15 AI at Colgate: Deepening our Connection with Consumers

Helen Wolf, PhD, Senior Global Director, Consumer Experience Insights & Regina Hourigan, Senior Director, H2/H3 Innovation Discovery, Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive products are part of the backdrop of life for billions of consumers around the world; in fact, the Colgate brand is found in more households than any other. To continue to grow, it’s key for C-P to understand people holistically, and our team have been using AI and GenAI to deepen our connection with consumers and better innovate to meet their needs. In this talk we’ll outline C-P’s attitude towards AI, how we focus & prioritize our activity in this space and the types of AI approaches we use to spot and build out opportunities, in a safe & responsible way.

4:15 – 4:45 Does That Car Want to Give Me a Ride? Bio-Inspired Automotive Aesthetic Design

Lan Luo, Professor of Marketing, University of Southern California

Product aesthetic design is pivotal in shaping consumer evaluations, especially in automotive industry where captivating designs often secure a market advantage. We propose a deep-learning-based computational framework to morph bio-inspired features (e.g., sleek body curves of running cheetahs) into aesthetic design of automotives (e.g., sports sedans) in a mid-generational automotive facelift.

4:45 – 5:15 Coca-Cola’s Integration of AI in Marketing and Beyond

Greg Pharo, Global Senior Director, Communications & Marketing Effectiveness, The Coca-Cola Company

Greg Pharo will share examples of how Coca-Cola is pioneering the use of AI in marketing and other applications.

5:15 – 5:30 Presentation of Alden G Clayton Awards

5:30 Conclude

5:30 – 7:30 Evening Reception & Poster Session 

This welcome reception will be a chance to meet the other corporate and academic attendees. AGC recipients will present cutting-edge research through poster sessions.

Yunhao Huang, University of California, Berkeley, 2023 AGC Winner – Attribution and Compensation Design in Online Advertising

Rodrigo Dias, Duke University, 2023 Honorable Mention – Consumer Wealth and Price Expectations

Yanyan Li, University of Southern California, 2023 Honorable Mention – Privacy Invasion of Mobile Targeted Advertising and Consumer Learning

Reza Roshangarzadeh, The University of Texas at Dallas, 2023 Honorable Mention – Essays in the Empirical Investigation of Role of Information in Markets

Walter Zhang, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, 2023 Honorable Mention – Optimal Comprehensible Targeting

Friday, February 23, 2024

7:30 – 8:30 Breakfast

8:30 – 8:50 Welcome Back

8:50 – 9:35 Summary Session

Following the Day 1 Research Priority session, breakout groups will share their identified top priorities. Drawing from these insights, as well as considering the evolving market dynamics and member feedback, we will refine and enhance our priorities for 2024.

9:35 – 10:05 The Impact of Recommendation and Personalization Systems on the Customer Experience

Wendy Moe, Dean’s Professor of Marketing, University of Maryland

According to some estimates, 95 million photos and videos are shared on Instagram every day, and that’s just one platform. Brands, media and the entertainment industry further contribute to the large repository of content available to consumers online. In this context, consumers need recommendation algorithms to help them find content that is most relevant and of interest to them. In this session, Professor Moe will discuss how recommendation and personalization systems can recommend content that satisfies consumer preferences but, at the same time, can also shape the consumer’s experience in unintended ways.

10:05 – 10:20 Networking Break

10:20 – 10:50 Results-Driven and Responsible: Using AI in Marketing within Regulated Industries

Sathish Muthukrishnan, Chief Information, Data and Digital Officer & Dan Soto, Chief Compliance Officer, Ally Financial

Join the conversation with Sathish Muthukrishnan and Dan Soto of Ally Financial as they discuss a results-focused approach to generative AI, reviewing Ally’s strategic journey including marketing use cases. They’ll explore how Ally is cautiously but proactively using AI to assist employees in customer service, content development, data analysis and more. In addition, they will touch on key considerations of using generative AI in highly-regulated industries, including how control partners – compliance, risk management, legal and others – can and should guide teams in their pursuit of human-centric, responsible AI.

10:50 – 11:20 MSI Privacy Regulations Initiative Update

Jean-Pierre Dubé, James M. Kilts Distinguished Service Professor of Marketing, University of Chicago

As part of MSI’s Privacy Regulations Initiative, a December workshop took place in Washington D.C., where the world’s leading academic experts on the economics of privacy regulation convened to speak about the intended and unintended effects of privacy regulations on marketing. Participants discussed research demonstrating how privacy solutions involve tradeoffs, protecting consumers but also increasing business costs that disproportionately hurt smaller firms. This presentation will report on key learnings from the workshop as well as the overall progress of MSI’s Privacy Initiative on how privacy policies impact marketers and consumers.

11:20 – 11:50 Consumers’ Ambivalence Towards AI: A Promise and a Threat

Emmanuel Probst, Global Lead: Brand Growth & Thought-Leadership, Ipsos

Drawing on Ipsos’ extensive consumer research, in this session, attendees will learn:

• How knowledgeable and comfortable consumers are with AI
• What specific aspects of AI feel promising, threatening, or both
• How consumers utilize AI in their interactions with brands today, and how they envision leveraging AI in the near future

11:50 – 12:00 Wrap Up

MSI has secured a block of rooms at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center at a discounted rate of $279 per night for a Deluxe King room. To secure a room at the group rate please use this link to book OR call 855-522-8252, ask for reservations, and mention MSI and our code: LG2402ARFA.

Availability and the discount for rooms can only be guaranteed until January 22, 2024, so please make sure to book your accommodations early.

UCLA Luskin Conference Center
425 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles 90095