David A. Schweidel is Professor of Marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Schweidel received his B.A. in mathematics, M.A. in statistics, and Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Pennsylvania. He was previously on the faculty of the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
Schweidel is an expert in the areas of customer relationship management and social media analytics. His research focuses on the development and application of statistical models to understand customer behavior and inform managerial decisions. His research has appeared in leading business journals including Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science and Management Science. His research has garnered numerous awards, including the Gaumnitz Junior Faculty Research Award from the Wisconsin School of Business and the Marketing Science Institute’s Buzzell Award. He has been recognized as a leading scholar by the Marketing Science Institute’s Young Scholar and Scholar programs, and by Poets and Quant’s “Top 40 Under 40.” Based on his research, he has consulted for companies including EBay, HP Labs and General Motors.
Schweidel is the author of Social Media Intelligence (Cambridge University Press) in which he and his co-author discuss how organizations can leverage social media data to inform their marketing strategies. He is also the author of Profiting from the Data Economy (Pearson FT Press), in which he details the value of businesses tapping into consumer data for both individuals and companies.
Education
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D.
Marketing
2006
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
M.Sc.
Statistics
2004
University of Pennsylvania
B.A.
Mathematics, Economics and Actuarial Mathematics
2001
Areas of Expertise
Marketing Technology
AI
Social Media
Political Marketing
Customer Analytics
Publications
Frontiers: Supporting Content Marketing with Natural Language Generation
Marketing Science
2022
Advances in natural language generation (NLG) have facilitated technologies such as digital voice assistants and chatbots. In this research, we demonstrate how NLG can support content marketing by using it to draft content for the landing page of a website in search engine optimization (SEO). Traditional SEO projects rely on hand-crafted content that is both time consuming and costly to produce...
The role of slant and message consistency in political advertising effectiveness: evidence from the 2016 presidential election
Quantitative Marketing and Economics
2022
We explore the relationship between the content of political advertising on television and ad effectiveness. Specifically, we investigate how slant – the extremeness of the message –...
How consumer digital signals are reshaping the customer journey
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
David A. Schweidel, Yakov Bart, J. Jeffrey Inman, Andrew T. Stephen, Barak Libai, Michelle Andrews, Ana Babić Rosario, Inyoung Chae, Zoey Chen, Daniella Kupor, Chiara Longoni & Felipe Thomaz
2022-02-19
Marketers are adopting increasingly sophisticated ways to engage with customers throughout their journeys. We extend prior perspectives on the customer journey by introducing the role of digital signals that consumers emit throughout their activities. We argue that the ability to detect and act on consumer digital signals is a source of competitive advantage for firms. Technology enables firms to collect, interpret, and act on these signals to better manage the customer journey. While some consumers’ desire for privacy can restrict the opportunities technology provides marketers, other consumers’ desire for personalization can encourage the use of technology to inform marketing efforts. We posit that this difference in consumers’ willingness to emit observable signals may hinge on the strength of their relationship with the firm. We next discuss factors that may shift consumer preferences and consequently affect the technology-enabled opportunities available to firms. We conclude with a research agenda that focuses on consumers, firms, and regulators.
Incorporating direct marketing activity into latent attrition models
Marketing Science
2013
When defection is unobserved, latent attrition models provide useful insights about customer behavior and accurate forecasts of customer value. Yet extant models ignore direct marketing efforts. Response models incorporate the effects of direct marketing, but ...
Online product opinions: Incidence, evaluation, and evolution
Marketing Science
2012
Whereas recent research has demonstrated the impact of online product ratings and reviews on product sales, we still have a limited understanding of the individual's decision to contribute these opinions. In this research, we empirically model the individual's decision ...
Portfolio dynamics for customers of a multiservice provider
Management Science
2011
Multiservice providers, such as telecommunication and financial service companies, can benefit from understanding how customers' service portfolios evolve over the course of their relationships. This can provide guidance for managerial issues such as customer ...
Understanding service retention within and across cohorts using limited information
Journal of Marketing
2008
Service churn and retention rates remain central as constructs in marketing activities, such as valuation of service subscribers and resource allocation. Although extant approaches have been proposed to relate service churn to external factors, such as ...
A bivariate timing model of customer acquisition and retention
Marketing Science
2008
Two widely recognized components, central to the calculation of customer value, are acquisition and retention propensities. However, while extant research has incorporated such components into different types of models, limited work has investigated the kinds of ...
US House Passes Tiktok Ban Bill, Goizueta Expert on TikTok Algorithm Safety and Proposed Ban for Media
The U.S. House today passed a federal bill to ban TikTok and it now moves to the Senate. President Biden said he would sign a potential bill that bans the social media platform. Goizueta Business School Professor David Schweidel has done extensive research on the impact of social media. He says:The security and privacy issues around TikTok are only one part of the equation. User safety is another concern that all social media companies are now facing. He notes that the algorithms prioritize engagement, which could be showing people content that is harmful to them (mentally and/or physically). Background:TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a private Chinese company that claims all information gathered through the app is secure. Lawmakers do not agree and have plans to remove TikTok from the U.S. by September 30th unless ByteDance sells TikTok. The proposed bill would also put into place allowance for the executive branch to prohibit access to an app owned by a foreign adversary that could impact national security. Expert Source: David A. Schweidel, Professor of Marketing, Goizueta Business School at Emory UniversityBio https://goizueta.emory.edu/faculty/profiles/david-schweidelTo connect with David to arrange an interview simply click his icon now.
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1 min
Super Tuesday and Biden’s State of the Union Address - Emory University’s Goizueta Business School Experts Available for Interview
It's going to be a busy week in America when it comes to politics.And if you're covering we have experts who can help with any of your questions or stories.Tom Smith Professor in the Practice of Finance Professor Smith is an expert in labor economics, entertainment and healthcare economics, as well as real estate and urban economies. David Schweidel Professor of Marketing Professor Schweidel has been closely researching the impact of AI in society, especially elections. He can speak on the impact AI is expected to have in this year’s elections. Professor Schweidel also has extensive work in election marketing. He researched negative campaign advertising and if a negative tone has a positive impact on election results. Ramnath Chellappa Professor of Information Systems & Operations Management Professor Chellappa is available to discuss the economics of information security and privacy. He can also discuss the economics and impact of AI.Raymond Hill Professor Emeritus Hill is available to discuss any issues on the economy related to energy.If you are looking to arrange an interview simply click any of the listed expert's icons to set up a time today or email Kim Speece for assistance.
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1 min
AI and Shopping
The internet has completely changed how we shop and now artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how we decide what to purchase. AI platforms have created tools to help people find the perfect gift for someone special. The technology helps brands to better learn about their customer and suggests products that fit to that customer. Goizueta Professor David Schweidel can walk you through the different platforms and how they can help shoppers find the perfect gift. Entering some key details about the gift recipient can uncover a whole new world of ideas for that hard to shop for person on the gift list.David A. Schweidel is Professor of Marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and an acclaimed author. He is available to speak with media regarding the latest advances in AI and how it is changing what we purchase. Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
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In the News
Politicians and Fashion Designers Increasingly Team Up to Benefit Both Sides
Women's Wear Daily print
2022-10-05
Such alliances inevitably have some overlap with their respective audiences, but more often than not there is the opportunity to attract new people for both sides. David Schweidel, a marketing professor at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, said, “It goes both ways. The politician who is partnering with the designer already has their core following. But this is another way to reach a broader audience that they might not have that direct access to.”
Negative rhetoric ramps up ahead of midterm elections
News Nation online
2022-10-21
Emory University Marketing Professor David Schweidel has researched the effectiveness of negative political advertising and says the trend of negative ads and language goes back at least a decade.
The negativity, he said, just works, and it reflects a divided country.
“If I scare you, if I come out and say, ‘if you don’t do this, this is where we’re heading, it’s going to be a really bad place’ — If I can trigger that fear in you, that’s more likely to get you to act,” Schweidel said.
The Big Question: Could Peloton Sue Over Its ‘And Just Like That’ Appearance?
The New York Times online
2021-12-11
"Think of product placement as an alternative form of advertising," David Schweidel, a professor of marketing at Emory University Goizueta Business School, in Atlanta, says. In recent years, companies have been seeking out product-placement agreements more than ever, he says. The increased use of streaming platforms means viewers are seeing fewer commercials, driving companies to make greater use of product-placement deals to promote themselves.
Brands Are Invading Your Favorite Streaming Shows And Movies, Whether You Realize It Or Not
Forbes online
2021-07-25
“If I’m starting to cobble together my viewing experience as a series of streaming services, I potentially don’t get exposed to traditional television advertising anymore,” Emory University marketing professor David Schweidel told Bloomberg recently. “So product placement becomes the way of cutting down the cost associated with production when you don’t have advertising to support you.”
LeBron James’s ‘Space Jam’ Spurs Stampede of 200 Product Tie-Ins
Bloomberg online
2021-07-16
Whether all these deals pay off for Warner Bros. or its partners remains to be seen. Movie tie-ins can provide big benefits to sponsors, if not the studios, according to David A. Schweidel, a marketing professor at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. The studio doesn’t reveal the terms of its arrangements. "I wouldn’t say that you can expect to draw new viewers to the movies with these partnerships,” Schweidel said in an email. “But, for the brands, these partnerships can be successful tools at attracting the attention of moviegoers.”
Oprah and CNN: AT&T is merging media business with Discovery
ABC News online
2021-05-17
David Schweidel, a business professor at Emory University, questioned whether consumers will be better off with the deal. “If I do decide to cut the cord and I need three to five services to get what I had before, that bill could easily approach what I was paying for cable before,” Schweidel said. “This may end up hurting consumers.”
How Privacy Regulations Will Push Brands to Target Smaller, More Dedicated Groups of Consumers
AdWeek online
2019-08-20
The landscape is shifting quickly with regards to consumer data privacy. GDPR led to fines being levied against British Airways and Marriott for data breaches. Google has also been hit with penalties under the new regulations. With a maximum penalty of 4% of a company’s global revenue, this could result in multi-billion-dollar penalties for large tech companies like Google and Facebook.
Marketers have feared that social media distracts viewers from commercials and minimizes their impact. But this research found the opposite. “Social shows” are more beneficial to advertisers because commercials that air in those programs generate more online shopping on the advertisers’ websites.
Factual, or Warm and Fuzzy? Why Choosing the Right Words Matters
Knowledge@Wharton online
2019-01-29
People use words to communicate what they think, feel and believe. But for social psychologists, words can do far more than convey one’s thoughts and emotions.
Republican attacks take aim at non-white congressional candidates
The Guardian online
2018-10-11
Negative campaign advertisements are as familiar in US elections as door-knocking and yard signs. But as the 2018 midterm election campaign pulls into its homestretch, Republican attacks in two congressional races happening 3,000 miles apart have triggered alarm bells for targeting non-white candidates in an apparent effort to highlight their “otherness”.
How Social Media Platforms Foster Hatred, Violence
GPB radio
2018-11-02
We spoke with David Schweidel, professor of marketing at Emory University, about the problem with social media echo chambers.
In response to demands to shut down Gab after the Pittsburgh shooting, the site tweeted, "Words are not bullets and Gab isn't going anywhere." Schweidel discussed where the responsibility should lie when preventing violent hate speech online.
Does negative political advertising actually work?
phys.org online
2018-06-04
The study "A Border Strategy Analysis of Ad Source and Message Tone in Senatorial Campaigns," which will be published in the June edition of INFORMS journal Marketing Science, is co-authored by Yanwen Wang of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver; Michael Lewis of Emory University in Atlanta; and David A. Schweidel of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Encouraging TV Binge Watching May Backfire On Advertisers
NPR online
2015-12-16
VEDANTAM: Well, Wendy Moe at the University of Maryland and David Schweidel at Emory University, Steve, they analyzed television binge watchers. It's actually difficult to measure whether when you're watching television you're paying attention to the ads or not. So what Moe and Schweidel did was they analyzed television binge watching on the Hulu platform. People are watching television on a computer. There are ads that show up. And they attract about 10,000 viewers - 100,000 viewing sessions. And the researchers analyzed how willing people were to engage with the ads. Here's Moe...
Statistical model uses transaction attributes to better target marketing resources
PhysOrg online
2015-08-10
Braun collaborated on development of the customer valuation model with David A. Schweidel, associate professor of marketing in the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and Eli Stein, a statistics undergraduate at Harvard University when the study was conducted and the paper written. Braun said the research is the first to identify and quantify how differences in the interactions of customers with a firm affect the long-term value of the customer relationships...
Spring semester brings new programs, events across the university
Emory News Center online
2015-02-02
New books: David Schweidel, an associate professor of marketing at Goizueta Business School, looks at the present in identifying trends of the future. For example, presently, marketers have troves of data on customers. The goal for the future? Identify more ways to utilize the data in decision making (“Profiting from the Data Economy”)...
Synergy Or Interference? How Product Placement In TV Shows Affects The Commercial-Break Audience
Forbes online
2014-09-08
In research just published in Marketing Science, my colleagues David Schweidel of Emory University and Natasha Foutz of the University of Virginia and I began to explore whether such synergies exist. Specifically we examined how product placement might affect the audience for subsequent ads in a number of cases. These included a perfect match, which is when the same product features in both the placement and the ad, e.g. the judges on American Idol drink Coke and then a Coke advertisement is shown in a subsequent commercial break...
Chatbot GPT launched in December and has surpassed 100 million monthly users as of January -- surpassing the growth rates of Instagram and TikTok. The AI space is also growing as competition from leading tech firms like Google and Meta enter the space. The AI space is more than a computer writing term papers. Image generation is also a threat to businesses. Goizueta marketing professor David Schweidel can discuss what image generators mean to consumers and how the technology could impact pending lawsuits and compensation.
