Spring and Fall Conferences

As Brands Embrace Artificial Intelligence, It’s The Human Touch That Will Drive Value

Justin Reilly discusses artificial intelligence at Verizon Fios

Justin Reilly (W’10), head of customer experience innovation for Verizon Fios, projects that 80% of value creation in artificial intelligence (AI) will be in business-to-business [B2B] applications, and the rest in consumer services.…Read More

Building a Connected Strategy: From Customer Experience to Technology Platforms

Connected Strategy Conference

At the Mack Institute’s Fall Conference 2016, leaders from across industries discussed their companies’ pursuit of “connected strategy” defined by continuous customer engagement.…Read More

The Future of Telecom in the Internet of Things Era

Headshot of a person with gray hair, beard, and glasses, wearing a suit jacket over a collared shirt, against a neutral background.

Digital technologies like Skype and WhatsApp are eroding traditional telecom revenue streams, and the Internet of Things promises even more uncertainty ahead. Martin Creaner, corporate strategy advisor for telecom giant Huawei, spoke at a recent Mack Institute conference about how his company is working to develop a new, more flexible business model.…Read More

Strategies for Success in the New Era of Connected Ecosystems

A person in a suit gives a presentation, holding a device. Another person, seated, listens attentively with a cup of coffee.

Our Fall Conference 2015 stressed the need to trade places with consumers in order to identify opportunities in a landscape where digital technologies have changed all the rules.…Read More

“All Effective Innovations are Derived from a Profound Understanding of the User”

Headshot of a person with long hair, smiling, wearing a patterned shirt, against a neutral indoor background.

The “experience engineering” approach to innovation encourages designers to think about the series of emotions a user needs to feel in order to buy a product. Elisa Jagerson, CEO of Speck Design, argues that managers need to adopt a similar approach when trying to establish a culture of innovation.…Read More

How to Cultivate Innovation for the Long Run

A small potted plant alongside a container holding folders labeled "Innovation," symbolizing growth and creativity.

Here’s a generalization we feel pretty safe making: Every successful company achieves its success by figuring out how to deliver a particular product or a service better than anyone else previously has. Here’s another one: Unless that company can keep figuring out how to do that, its success is going to be short-lived. It’s only as strong as its ability to stay ahead of the next new thing.…Read More

For Best Customer Insights, Ask Them How They Feel. But Don’t Actually Ask Them.

Richard Thorogood

How Technology is Transforming Market Research   Take a typical adult to an ice cream parlor, says Richard Thorogood, and before making a choice they’ll weigh as many factors as there are flavors. “Well, I kind of want strawberry,” they’ll think, “but I always get strawberry, so maybe I should…Read More