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User-Generated Content

Introduction

The Emergence and Impact of User-Generated Content, Call for research proposals, Sponsored by the Marketing Science Institute and the Wharton Interactive Media Initiative; Deadline 15 Jan 2009

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Call for Research Proposals

The Emergence and Impact of User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is one of the fastest-growing media forms. Whether arising as a homemade video, blog postings, or customer-supplied reviews and ratings, users are participating in the content-production process to a far greater extent than almost anyone could have imagined a few years ago.

The Marketing Science Institute (MSI) and the Wharton Interactive Media Initiative (WIMI) are jointly sponsoring a call for research proposals intended to stimulate, facilitate, and promote research in this emerging area. Papers resulting from the research competition will be eligible to be presented at a joint conference at the Wharton School in fall 2009, and will be considered for a special section (or issue) of Marketing Science. Successful proposals will be financially supported via joint funds available from MSI and WIMI.

Possible topic areas include (but are not limited to):

  • The impact of user-generated reviews and opinions on brand equity
  • New approaches to categorizing UGC
  • Incorporating UGC-related measures into market response models
  • The interplay between the timing of UGC submissions on future submissions, product sales, and other market outcomes
  • Determining the extent to which the social “distance” between participants affects the likelihood of accessing each other’s UGC
  • The impact of UGC creation/usage on traditional media forms

Proposals: We invite research proposals on these and other topics related to UGC. More information is available on the MSI website as well as the WIMI site at . Research proposals are due by January 15, 2009, and funding decisions will be announced by March 15. In cases where the appropriate data are unavailable to the researcher, MSI and WIMI will make every attempt to find suitable corporate donors. We encourage researchers to make such requests, but we offer no guarantees that we can fulfill them.

Submissions: E-mail submissions to Ross Rizley, Research Director, Marketing Science Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA 02138 USA Telephone: 617.491.2060; e-mail: Ross@msi.org. Please indicate that your submission is in response to this call.

Advisory Committee Members: Eric Bradlow, The Wharton School; Pete Fader, The Wharton School; Russ Winer, New York University.