News Releases

A new study finds that social media marketing does little to help high-quality firms stand apart from competitors. Instead, it often pushes companies of all quality levels toward similar spending and pricing strategies, blurring the very signals firms hope will differentiate them in digital marketplaces.

Question-and-answer messaging can significantly increase curiosity, drive topic-specific information seeking and in some cases promote healthier behaviors. Framing information as a question, rather than a direct statement, can meaningfully increase engagement across diverse populations and communication channels.

A new study finds that telling consumers their returned items will be “kept out of landfills” significantly increases participation in take-back programs; telling them they may be resold? Not so much.

A new AI model predicts which short-form videos triggering suicidal thoughts in vulnerable viewers pose higher risk before they reach large audiences, which can improve user safety.

Travelers systematically give restaurants higher online ratings than locals do, revealing a “tourist bias” that could distort how diners and platforms interpret online reviews.

While generative AI (GenAI) can help define viable objectives for organizational and policy decision-making, the overall quality of those objectives falls short unless humans intervene.

Prepopulating e-commerce search bars with trending or personalized keywords can meaningfully increase both purchasing and consumer spending. 

AI-powered social media bots can increase user engagement on posts, but they fall short of encouraging users to post more overall.

A new peer-reviewed study found that direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising for prescription smoking-cessation drugs meaningfully reduces cigarette use, while advertising for over the counter (OTC) nicotine products does not. 

Airbnb reviews mentioning a property’s neighborhood safety issues reduce bookings, lower nightly prices and influence whether travelers return to Airbnb at all, though the reviews' transparency can be a mitigating factor.