Customer engagement in service/product innovation: the stakeholders’ interplay

Taltech School of Business and Governance, Department of Business Administration offers a 4-year PhD position in marketing.

Completely transformed marketing environment has created the need for engagement marketing that drives and increases long-term customer engagement. The research on customer engagement is thriving in a brand community setting with other stakeholders in the broader network. Digital platforms enable to develop and enhance customers’ brand engagement (including experiential engagement that contributes to experience marketing) and value co-creation.

Furthermore, research on customer engagement in service/product innovation is integrative and growing area. The development of enhanced understanding in this field has a pivotal role in securing current and future service/product innovation progress.

The aim of the research project is to contribute to the existing body of marketing literature, both theoretical and practical terms by investigating product/service innovation’s role in driving customer engagement and value. Theoretical nature of these concepts renders a need for further empirical investigation.

Applications are invited from candidates with an interest in, but not limited to, consumer online (and offline) engagement, online (and offline) word-in-mouth, the forming of consumer experience, experiential and experience marketing, digital content marketing, product/service innovation.

The selected candidate is expected to conduct teaching related activities under supervision.

Qualifications
The applicants should fulfill the following requirements:

• Candidates are required to hold a Master’s degree, or its equivalent, from a university in the relevant business area or in other related social science subjects. 
• Applicants should be fluent in English in speaking and writing, engaged and ready to work independently, and be interested in contributing to research group in the field of marketing. 
• Applicants should have very good knowledge of research methods, including quantitative (survey, basic and advanced statistics, social networks analysis) and qualitative methods (interviewing, textual analysis, visual analysis methods). Knowledge of digital or computational research methods are advantageous.
• Candidate should be able to communicate with local businesses, government departments, and academic community; and interested in developing the research group’s international academic networks. 

References
Hollebeek, L. D. & Macky, K. (2019) Digital Content Marketing's Role in Fostering Consumer Engagement, Trust, and Value: Framework, Fundamental Propositions, and Implications, Journal of Interactive Marketing 45: 27–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2018.07.003

Hollebeek, L. D & Andreassen, T.W. (2018) The S-D logic-informed “hamburger” model of service innovation and its implications for engagement and value.  Journal of Services Marketing, 32 (1):1-7. https://doi.org/10.1108/ JSM-11-2017-0389