Marketing & sales

The challenge for marketers is no longer whether to use AI, but how to choose among the flood of potential projects competing for budget. UVA Darden professor Rajkumar Venkatesan, who advises Fortune 500 companies on AI adoption in marketing, has developed a framework to help cut through the noise.

A new case from UVA Darden professor Anthony Palomba explores why art matters for business, examining how creative expression shapes culture, strategy and value in the media and entertainment industries.

Why do some brands succeed at omnichannel retailing while others falter? A new case from UVA Darden professors Raj Venkatesan and Samuel Levy and Katherine Nunner (’25) and Saru Guneja (’25) explores the Amazon dilemma through Caspari, a global publisher of design-driven paper products.

New research from UVA Darden’s Kimberly A. Whitler finds that underpaying your CMO relative to the CFO could stunt the firm’s revenue growth. When CMOs feel undervalued, their performance falters — and so does revenue. The fix? Pay your marketing chief on par with finance.

Using smartphone location data, UVA Darden Professor Young Hou discovered something unexpected about the famous Popeyes-Chick-fil-A rivalry: the viral sandwich launch lifted all boats, boosting competitors' foot traffic rather than stealing customers.

The chief marketing officer is often blamed for poor growth performance. But new research from UVA Darden’s Kimberly A. Whitler suggests that the fault could lie in the design of the CMO role.

A landmark study of 60,000+ people across 63 countries reveals how specific messages — from emotional appeals to future-focused thinking — impact climate beliefs, policy support and real action. The key? Tailored strategies, not one-size-fits-all campaigns.

Computer simulations have been used for decades to predict outcomes. Now digital twins create virtual environments that not only mirror their real-world counterparts but also respond to real-time data to yield more confident decision making.

Writing for The Conversation, Ray Charles “Chuck” Howard, associate professor of business administration at UVA Darden, joins colleague Marcel Lukas of University of St Andrews to explore why we avoid checking our bank accounts when we fear bad news and the financial implications of this behavior.

Ever wondered why your budget always seems to fall short? Or why that freelance consulting gig didn't pay off as much as you expected? Research from UVA Darden's associate professor Ray Charles “Chuck” Howard sheds light on the psychological pitfalls we face when it comes to money.