General Information
Instructor(s)
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- Brand Management (r)
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship (c)
Instructor Bio
Avi Goldfarb is the Rotman Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare, and Professor of Marketing. Avi is also Chief Data Scientist at the Creative Destruction Lab, Senior Editor at Marketing Science, a Faculty Affiliate at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Avi’s research focuses on the opportunities and challenges of the digital economy. Based on this work, he has testified to the US Senate Judiciary committee about online advertising. Along with Ajay Agrawal and Joshua Gans, Avi is the author of the Globe and Mail bestselling book Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence.
Target Audience
Students interested in the impact of technology on business, including digital marketing and technology entrepreneurship.
Format
12 weekly sessions.
This course is delivered in a combination of in person and online synchronous classes following the schedule posted to Quercus. Course enrolment will result in multiple sections as section capacities are set by the COVID room capacity following Public Health regulations. Sections have been split according to the physical capacity of classrooms. The dates and times of the courses remain the same for all sections.
Course Mission
For each technological innovation, we will emphasize what is different, and what is not, for consumers, and for the production, distribution, and communication of goods and services. Students will:
- be able to understand how digital channels affect the nature of competition, the products offered and the prices charged
- be able to leverage digital advertising and social media to better communicate with customers
- know how to respond to new digital marketing tools as they arise
- develop tools for understanding website design principles
- be able to leverage Google, Facebook, and other online advertising platforms
- understand how trends like social and mobile media affect company strategies
Course Scope
Social media, search engines, mobile commerce, digital advertising, and online marketplaces are impacting competition for all firms, large and small. Drawing on some common themes across digital marketing platforms, we examine (i) how companies find and serve customers using digital tools, (ii) the kinds of digital products that companies offer, (iii) the role of distance in the customer-company relationship when information is digital, (iv) the locus of control of brand-related messages, (v) the concept of privacy, and (vi) the digital targeting of marketing tactics.
Evaluation and Grade Distribution
| Component | Due Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Class Participation | Ongoing | 10% |
| Group Homework | 8 very short assignments | 16% |
| Polished Group Homework | Every other week, starting Week 4 | 14% |
| Individual Project Proposal | Week 4 | 10% |
| Individual Project Presentation | Week 11 | 5% |
| Individual Project | Due last week of class | 45% |
Required Resources
A reading list will be provided, focused on recent advances in technology.
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