Congratulations to the organizers (Jeff Nesler and colleagues) and co-chairs for organizing a perfect event. Then, it was time to head towards the big DMA conference.

Next, I chose to attend the “Media & Data Evaluation” concurrent session. Dr. Gillian Naylor (University of Nevada-Las Vegas, see picture below) presented the first talk titled “EWOM in the Digital Age: A Rise of Terrorism and Talent” (co-author: Michael Kraussman). EWOM stands for electronic Word-of-Mouth.

Next, the paper titled “Cultural Consensus Theory for Online Reviews: Knowledge and Preference” was presented. (Authors: Stephen France, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; William H. Batchelder, University of California, Irvine)

Next up, Dr. John A. “Jack” Schibrowsky (University of Nevada - Las Vegas, @Schibrowsky, see picture below) presented the paper “Analyzing Big Data: The Scientific Method Versus Non-Theory Driven Approach” (co-author: Bradley Wimmer).

Subsequently, Dr. Anjala Krishen (University of Nevada - Las Vegas) presented the talk “Online Review and Users' Perception and Behavior: The Mediating Effects of Cognitive Load and Task Complexity” (co-author: Han Fen Hu).

Then, Christian Lindke (University of California-Riverside) presented the talk “Impact of Personal Involvement, Ad Avoidance, and Goal Systems on Viewer's Willingness to Watch Advertisements during Online Streaming Shows” (co-author: Jae Min Jung, California State Polytechnic University).

Finally, it was my turn to represent Ghent University and talk about our social media research titled “Investigating Facebook Post Effectiveness” (co-authors: Steven Hoornaert, Michel Ballings @MichelBallings).

Next, I attended a talk titled “Privacy Attitude-Behavior Congruency among Millennials: How Perceived Product Relevance and Value Moderate the Privacy Paradox” by authors: Dae-Hee Kim, Matt Hettche, Christopher Newport University; Michael Clayton, American University.

Next, I switched sessions to see the talk “From Likes to Admissions: The Role of Facebook in the College Decision Making Process” by Adam Peruta,  Syracuse University; Alison Shields, Ithaca College.

Next, I attended the talk “Generating Online Consumer Engagement for Specific Events: A Field Study” by Joris Demmers & Jesse Weltevreden (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences).

Next, Yakov Bart (INSEAD) gave his talk “Word-of-Mouth Spillovers in Viral Marketing Campaigns”.

Finally, I attended the talk “What Messages to Post? Evaluating the Effectiveness of Social Media Communications for Services and Products” by Kunal Swani, Wright State University; George Milne, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Brian Brown, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Next up was a panel on the topic of “Trends in Big Data”. Participants included: Dr. Goutam Chakraborty (Oklahoma State University), Don Hinman (DH Associates), Ravi Iyer (Ranker and Zenzi Communications).

Then it was time for a networking reception.

That evening, I was invited to the Marketing EDGE fundraising event at The US Grant hotel in Downtown San Diego, CA. A big thank you goes to Quad/Graphics for sponsoring my participation. They made very generous donations. Thanks!

On Sunday, Oct. 26, sessions started with a keynote talk by Dr. Rajkumar Venkatesan (Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia) on “The Value of Information”.

Next, I attended the talk “The Role of Country of Origin in Brand Following on Social Media among US Consumers” by James Pokrywczynski (Marquette University) & Kevin Keenan (American University in Cairo).

Next, Debra Zahay (Aurora University) and Don E. Schultz (Northwestern University) delivered a joint presentation of the paper titled “B2B Branding and Buying in the Digital Age” (co-author: Archan Kumar, Montclair State University).

Next, Jiyoon An (Texas Tech University) presented the talk titled “Managing Consumer-Brand Relationships with Brand Portfolio Strategy”.

Next, Don E. Schultz (Northwestern University, see picture below) presented the paper “What's Driving Online Commerce: A Comparison of a Fast and Slow Growth Market” (co-author: Martin Block).

Next, Dr. Anjala Krishen (University of Nevada - Las Vegas) delivered the best (pedagogical) paper talk “Thinking Outside the Rubric: Exploring Student Qualitative Insights about Creativity” (co-author: Abbie Kirkendall).

Next, Dr. Todd Bacile (@toddbacile, Loyola University New Orleans, see picture below) presented the best research paper titled “Enter the Badvocate: A Unique Consumer Role Emerging within Social Media Complaint and Recovery Episodes” (co-authors: Alexis Allen, University of Kentucky; Charles Hofacker, Florida State University).

Next, it was time for the awards luncheon speech titled “Rethinking Marketing in a Changing Landscape” by Heather Cassano (Chief Experience Officer, Scholastic Inc, see picture below - right). She was introduced by Dr. Carol Scovotti (see picture below - left).

Then, several awards were presented. Congrats!

Finally, I joined the panel discussion on “Trends in Mobile Marketing”. The panelists included: Michael Becker (mCordis), Tony Gao (University of Massachusetts-Lowell), Sean Gera (CallFire), Andrew Rohm (Loyola Marymount University) with moderator: Fareena Sultan (Northeastern University).