The UNSW Marketing Leadership Forum

UNSW is among the Top 50 Universities globally according to the QS ranking and a member of the exclusive Group of Eight, comprising the Universities that lead excellence and debate in Australia. Our researchers are among the very best. Their work is published in the globally leading outlets for marketing research and they are regularly awarded for their research.

The research undertaken at the School of Marketing has impact both at the academic level and in industry. Our researchers have enabled firms around the globe to thrive, amongst others, in the fields of branding, services marketing, digital channels of distribution, and managing the link from big data to marking action.

Partners gain insights and access to an elite cross-industry network with leading figures from other industries and academics. Partners can also benefit directly from proactively shaping our research program to address critical marketing questions at their firms.

We leverage knowledge exchange through a series of exclusive events.

Being a partner of the UNSW Marketing Leadership Forum demonstrates thought leadership among customers, suppliers, or colleagues.

• Stand out as a thought leader in marketing through industry partner affiliation with the UNSW Marketing Leadership Forum. Partners may also officially refer to their partnership with us.
• Partners may demonstrate thought leadership among their customers, suppliers, or colleagues by inviting one guest for free to each of our events.

• Unfunded research collaboration
• Funded research collaborations
• Workshops and seminars
• Event attendance
• Event sponsorships
• Talks and panel discussions (academic audience)
• Talks and panel discussions (industry audience)
• Guest lectures
• Student projects

The Management Problem:

A major US department store wanted to engage customers through an app.

The Marketing Solution:

This research explores the value of a retail app, what customers benefit the most, and the critical app features that will improve consumer engagement – regardless of the brand or budget.

Van Heerde, Harald J., Isaac M. Dinner, and Scott A. Neslin (2019), “Engaging the Unengaged Customer: The Value of a Retailer Mobile App,” International Journal of Research in Marketing, 36 (3), 420-438.

The Management Problem:

CVS Pharmacy was trying to identify outlets where more product assortment was low.

The Marketing Solution:

This research considers the demand of product assortment and the high cost of delivery and stocking to provide an optimal solution on outlets where stocks should be increased while minimizing the associated costs.

Rahul Govind, Rabikar Chatterjeeb, and Vikas Mittal (2018), "Segmentation of Spatially Dependent Geographical Units: Model and Application," Management Science, 64 (4), 1941-1956.

The Management Problem:

A major US bank was struggling with scandals tarnishing their brand reputation in the era of social media.

The Marketing Solution:

Using one of the most comprehensive data sets in the related literature with corporate communications, news stories, social media, and business outcomes, the authors document the echoverse (i.e., feedback loops between all of these sources) and show how modern communication modes such as social media reverberate in the larger universe of brand communication.

Hewett, Kelly, William Rand, Roland T. Rust, and Harald J. van Heerde (2016), “Brand Buzz in the Echoverse,” Journal of Marketing, 80 (3), 1-24.

The Management Problem:

A discount department store was being beaten on price and store attributes and had to reposition.

The Marketing Solution:

While emotions were not the key purchase driver, it was easier to differentiate on that basis to win.

Roberts, Ken, John Roberts, Peter Danaher, and Rohan Raghavan (2015), "Incorporating emotions into Evaluation and Choice Models: Application to Kmart Australia," Marketing Science, 34 (6), 815-824.

The Management Problem:

A large international B2B firm wanted to increase the profitability of its customer accounts.

The Marketing Solution:

The research identifies customer account management tactics that increase account profitability and identifies situations when each tactic works best.

Wetzel, Hauke A., Maik Hammerschmidt, and Alex R. Zablah (2014), "Gratitude versus Entitlement: A Dual Process Model of the Profitability Implications of Customer Prioritization," Journal of Marketing, 78 (2), 1-19.

The Management Problem:

Los Angeles County wanted to evaluate the capacity of the public hospital system and identify locations for new ones.

The Marketing Solution:

This research determines the optimal allocation of currently available hospital capacity.

Govind, Rahul, Rabikar Chatterjeeb, and Vikas Mittal (2008) "Timely Access to Health Care: Customer-focused Resource Allocation in a Hospital Network," International Journal of Research in Marketing, 25 (4), 294-300.

The Management Problem:

A major telecoms incumbent was facing competition from a new entrant.

The Marketing Solution:

Prelaunch market research identified asymmetric sources of advantage and weakness and ways to fight on a winning battleground.

John Roberts (2005) "Defensive Marketing: How a Strong Incumbent Can Protect its Position," Harvard Business Review, 83 (11), 150-151.