ESRC Funded PhD Studentship: Marketing Optimisation in the Digital Economy

Swansea University is a UK top 30 institution for research excellence (Research Excellence Framework 2014), and has been named Welsh University of the Year 2017 by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide.

Swansea University School of Management, supported by the ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership for Wales (Wales DTP), invites applications for funded PhD study. This particular studentship, known as a ‘collaborative studentship’, involves liaison with non-academic organisations, and will commence in October 2017.

The following collaborative studentship (in the Business & Management Pathway) is available within the Swansea University School of Management:

Title: Marketing Optimisation in the Digital Economy

In Collaboration with: GoCompare

Based in the Swansea i-Lab (innovation Lab) Digital Innovation Group:

This project will investigate marketing optimization in the large and growing price comparison website (PCW) sector, specifically at Gocompare, a leading UK insurance comparison organization.

PCWs have altered consumer search costs and intensified inter-firm competitive pressure. They enable customers to compare and buy financial, travel, utility services etc. from their partners. This study would thus develop knowledge exchange and new learnings in a significant digital financial sector of the economy.

Marketing optimization is the process of improving the marketing efforts of an organization in an effort to maximize its desired business outcomes. Marketing optimization is performed on each individual marketing tactic employed, as well as optimizing the fit of those tactics into the overall marketing strategy. Effective marketing optimization in the digital economy is dependent on technology to gather the data, which in turn is dependent on further technology to systematize and optimize every phase of the digital marketing lifecycle. With the arrival of one-to-one marketing media (via the Internet), opportunities to develop targeted marketing campaigns are enhanced in such a way that it is now organizationally and economically achievable to profitably support a number of marketing segments. Challenges such as which segments to target, and what actions to take within these segments increase substantially in this environment.

This study will benefit from unique access to ‘live’ GoCompare data and marketing, facilitating an experimental ‘test and learn’ approach in considering questions such as:

What is the most effective combination of marketing channels in the sector?
Which are the critical ‘fatigue’ and ‘saturation’ points in the online consumer journey?
Which are the most effective PCW brand tracker models?

Supervision

This studentship is a ‘collaborative’ award. Applicants should take careful consideration of the working title and description of the project, and may wish to contact the named member of staff for a discussion prior to applying.

For further information on the GoCompare Project, please contact Professor Mike Williams ([Email Address Removed]).

Eligibility:

ESRC studentships are highly competitive; candidates should have an excellent academic background in the social sciences, holding a 1st or strong upper 2nd class degree; applications from those also holding a relevant research training Masters degree (or an equivalent background in research training) will be considered for a +3 award.

Due to funding restrictions, full awards (fees plus maintenance stipend) are open to UK Nationals and EU students who can satisfy UK residency requirements.