University of Cologne – Marketing Area Prof. Dr. Maik Eisenbeiß ...

University of Cologne – Marketing Area 

Prof. Dr. Maik Eisenbeiß, Prof. Dr. Marc Fischer 

Prof. Dr. Werner Reinartz, Prof. Dr. Franziska Völckner 

Contact: Lara Lobschat, lobschat@wiso.uni-koeln.de, +49-221-470-2368 

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Topic 

Are exclusively branded products a success story? 

An analysis of factors influencing the success of 

marketing brands exclusively through one retailer 

Branding political parties: The influence of brand 

personality on the perception of brand behavior 

“Reactance” – Studying the Psychological Impacts 

of Targeted Online Advertising 

Markenwert und Kundenwert: 

Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten 

Are Deal-of-the-Day Promotions Really Good for 

Local Businesses? 

Marketing Channel 2.0: The Impact of Social Media 

on Channel Structure 

In-Store Purchase Behavior in Retailing – A State 

of the Art 

Skandal in Hollywood! – Eine Analyse der 

ökonomischen Auswirkungen von Skandalen 

Type of 

project 

Empirical 

Supervisor 

Benedikt 

Berlemann 

Empirical Magdalena Bekk 

Empirical Alexander Bleier 

Optional Alexander Edeling 

Empirical 

Prof. Maik 

Eisenbeiß 

Empirical Dr. Mark Elsner 

Non-empirical 

Vanessa 

Gartmeier 

Empirical Julian Hofmann 

9 Strukturmodelle im Marketing: Preiswettbewerb Optional Tobias Hornig 

10 

11 

12 

Drivers and Consequences of the Customers’ 

Channel Activities 

“The world's most attractive employers” - a 

validation of Universum's student surveys (tbc) 

What’s in a Story – 

Content-Related Factors Driving Consumers to 

Share News and Stories in a Social Media Setting 

Non-empirical Monika Käuferle 

Empirical Kristina Klein 

Empirical Lara Lobschat 

13 Retailer Pricing Strategies Non-empirical Alexander Rühle 

14 

What are Reviewers Evaluating? The Evolution of 

Online Product Ratings and the Influence of Brand 

Perceptions 

15 Methoden der Finanzmarktforschung im Marketing Optional 

16 

Selbstwertverbesserung durch Konsum? Die Rolle 

von Prestige und Exklusivität beim 

Konsumverhalten 

Non-empirical Peter Saffert 

Thomas 

Schollmeyer 

Non-empirical Feriha Zingal 

* In case a project is labeled “optional”, the thesis supervisor will decide together with the 

respective master student how to proceed.





1) Are exclusively branded products a success story? An analysis of factors 

influencing the success of marketing brands exclusively through one retailer 

Today, a growing number of consumer goods manufacturers develop special products or 

even brands for certain retailers (e.g., Esprit cosmetics for DM). Among those reasons for 

selling products exclusively are enhanced differentiation of the retailer in the marketplace 

and improved retail marketing activities for the manufacturer. As a new phenomenon, several 

open questions demand for answers. Does it make sense to manufacturer a special product 

just for one retailer? What are the associated benefits? Why should a retailer go for an 

exclusive national brand and not for an additional private label? Under which circumstances 

is which option beneficial? While the importance of exclusive cooperations rose in the last 

years, little academic research about the customer’s reaction to such products has been 

undertaken so far. However, this is a topic of great interest to managers of retailers and 

manufacturer companies, as they have to decide whether such exclusive partnerships are 

worth pursuing and what are the factors moderating the success. The objective of this master 

thesis is to empirically identify the drivers and detractors of exclusively branded products. To 

achieve this goal, a survey has already been conducted on which this master thesis will build 

on to find meaningful implications for companies and science. An additional collection of data 

is possible. This master thesis will be in conducted in close cooperation with the supervisor. 

The objectives of this project are to: 

� Explore drivers and detractors of exclusively branded products 

� Develop a conceptual framework that explains the drives and detractors of selling 

brands exclusively 

� Empirically analyze an already conducted survey to find new and interesting insights 

for retailers and manufacturers 

Requirements: 

� High motivation and excellent analytical skills. Knowledge (or willingness to learn) of 

an appropriate statistic software (e.g., STATA) 

This diploma thesis can be written in English or German. English is strongly preferred. 

Initial Readings 

� Batra, Rajeev, Indrajit Sinha (2000), “Consumer-Level Factors Moderating The 

Success Of Private Label Brands,” Journal of Retailing, 76 (2), 175-91. 

� Bergen, M., S. Dutta, and S. Shugan (1996), “Branded Variants: A Retail 

Perspective,” Journal of Marketing Research, 33 (1), 9-19. 

� Hoos, Elisabeth (2009), “Gefährliche Listung,” Lebensmittel Zeitung, 24, 25-26. 

Supervisor: Dipl.-Kfm. Benedikt Berlemann





2) Branding political parties: The influence of brand personality on the perception of 

brand behavior 

Previous research on the voting and loyalty behavior of citizens towards a particular political 

party has mostly concentrated on the candidates of the parties and their characteristics (e.g., 

Caprara & Zimbardo, 2004) but neglected the party as an independent entity with 

characteristics of its own. However, a recent approach comes to the conclusion that political 

parties can be regarded as brands and the voters as their consumers (Needham, 2006; 

Smith, 2010; Smith & French, 2009). As with any other brand, political parties should thus 

possess a brand image which helps the consumer to differentiate between the different 

political parties and influences consumers’ perception, attitudes and behavior towards a 

political party. It is the aim of this project to empirically test (in very close supervision by the 

Seminar for Marketing and Brand Management) the personality (as part of the brand image) 

of different political parties and to examine whether the personality, as it is perceived by the 

voters, influences voters perception of brand behavior, e.g., values the political party stands 

for as well as the actions of the political party. Potential moderators (e.g., the values and 

personality of the voter) need to be extracted from previous literature. 


� Review the literature with regard to political parties as brands and brand image 

associations of political parties. 

� Set up and conduct an empirical study. 

� Derive implications as to whether political parties should develop and communicate a 

brand image as voters might use these images to form an opinion about the values 

and actions of particular political parties. 

Requirements: 

� Excellent grades, high motivation and genuine interest in branding 

� Experience with statistical software (e.g., SPSS) and questionnaire programming 

(e.g., Unipark) is desirable 

This master thesis can be written in English or German. 

Initial Readings: 

� Caprara, G. V., & Zimbardo, P. G. (2004), “Personalizing Politics: A Congruency 

Model of Political Preference,” American Psychologist, 59 (7), 581-94. 

� Needham, C. (2006), “Brand and political loyalty,” The Journal of Brand Management, 

13 (3), 178-87. 

� Smith, G. (2010). Conceptualising and testing brand personality in British politics'. 

Journal of Political Marketing, 8 (3), 209-32.





� Smith, G., & French, A. (2009), “The political brand: A consumer perspective,” 

Marketing Theory, 9 (2), 209-26. 

Supervisor: Dipl.-Psych. Magdalena Bekk





3) “Reactance” – Studying the Psychological Impacts of Targeted Online Advertising 

Rapidly increasing technological opportunities enable internet retailers to target their 

customers with online advertising in an ever more sophisticated manner. In this field, the 

tracking of customers’ shopping behavior and subsequent following them through the web 

with personalized banner advertisements is a practice that has come to be known as 

“retargeting”. However, despite a banner displaying the content that is most suitable for a 

specific customer, it may not increase his probability of a click-through or purchase, 

compared to a banner with random content. One possible explanation for this phenomenon 

is a construct called “reactance”, under which customers respond abnormally to a banner, 

due to feeling spied out and pursued by the advertising retailer. Studying this phenomenon 

lies at the heart of the thesis. In the course of this project, a comprehensive online 

experiment is to be developed and executed, in order to investigate the underlying 

psychological processes of measurable reactions. 


� Review, structure and assess existing research findings on the impacts of targeted 

advertising 

� Develop and conduct a comprehensive online experiment to investigate the 

psychological processes related to targeted advertising 

� Discuss corresponding opportunities and limitations from a marketing perspective 

Requirements: 

� Good grades and interest in marketing and psychology 



� Lambrecht, Anja and Catherine Tucker (2011), “When does Retargeting Work? 

Timing Information Specificity,” SSRN working paper, 

http://ssrn.com/abstract=1795105. 

� Goldfarb, Avi and Catherine Tucker (2011), “Online Display Advertising: Targeting 

and Obtrusiveness,” Marketing Science, 30 (3), 389-404. 

� Yaveroglu, Idil and Naveen Donthu (2008), Advertising Repetition and Placement 

Issues in On-Line Environments,” Journal of Advertising, 37 (2), 31-43. 

Supervisor: Dipl.-Kfm. Alexander Bleier





4) Markenwert und Kundenwert: Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten 

In den vergangenen zwei Jahrzehnten hat sich in der Marketingforschung die Ansicht 

durchgesetzt, dass Marken und Kundenbeziehungen für Unternehmen wichtige immaterielle 

Vermögenswerte darstellen. Dies hat zu einer Konzeptualisierung von Markenwert auf der 

einen Seite und Kundenwert auf der anderen Seite geführt. Die beiden Konzepte wurden 

weitgehend unabhängig voneinander entwickelt und weiterentwickelt. Dabei wurden 

mögliche Gemeinsamkeiten und Beziehungen in der Regel ausgeklammert. Ziel der Arbeit 

ist es, den Stand der Forschung zu den beiden Konzepten aufzubereiten und zentrale 

Unterschiede hinsichtlich Konzeptualisierung, Operationalisierung und Auswirkungen, aber 

auch Gemeinsamkeiten herauszuarbeiten. 

Mögliche Fragestellungen dieser Arbeit sind: 

� Welche neuen Ansätze zur Messung der Effizienz von Marketinginvestitionen 

ergeben sich durch Methoden der Finanzmarktforschung? 

� Welche Performancezahlen werden dabei verwendet und wie sind diese zu 

beurteilen? 

� Was für Vor- und Nachteile bringen die neuen Methoden mit sich? 

� Welche neuen Erklärungsziele und –zusammenhänge ergeben sich durch die neuen 

Methoden? 

Die Arbeit kann auf Deutsch oder Englisch verfasst werden. 

Einstiegsliteratur: 

� Gupta, Sunil and Valarie Zeithaml (2006), “Customer Metrics and Their Impact on 

Financial Performance,” Marketing Science, 25 (6), 718-39. 

� Rust, Roland, Katherine Lemon, and Valarie Zeithaml (2004), “Return on marketing: 

Using customer equity to focus marketing strategy,” Journal of Marketing, 68 (1), 109- 

26. 

� Keller, Kevin L. (1993), “Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Managing Customer-Based 

Brand Equity,“ Journal of Marketing, 57 (January), 35-50. 

� Leone, Robert P., Vithalo R. Rao, Kevin L. Keller, Anita M. Luo, Leigh McAllister, and 

Rajendra Srivastava (2006), “Linking Brand Equity to Customer Equity,” Journal of 

Service Research, 9 (2), 125-38. 

Betreuer: Dipl-Kfm. Alexander Edeling





5) Are Deal-of-the-Day Promotions Really Good for Local Businesses? 

Deal-of-the-day promotions have become extremely popular throughout the last years. Even 

local businesses are increasingly using this type of promotion, since it allows them to quickly 

acquire a large number of customers. Those businesses usually partner with daily deal 

providers such as Groupon or DailyDeal to present a deal at a highly discounted price—it is 

not uncommon that deal discounts amount to 50% or more. While consumers very often 

cannot refuse such offers, it is unclear whether local businesses really benefit from this 

promotion instrument: At first glance, it seems that foot traffic can be increased heavily and 

many new “customers” can be acquired. However, do these new customers really spend as 

much as “regular” customers? Are they willing to pay regular prices in the future or will they 

come back at all? Given the fact that daily deal providers usually take a significant cut of the 

deal when consumers purchase it, these questions are highly critical for evaluating the 

success of deal-of-the-day promotions. Hence, the aim of the project is to analyze the 

effectiveness of deal-of-the-day promotions from the perspective of local businesses. 


� Review, structure and assess the practical examples of deal-of-the-day promotions 

� Develop a conceptual framework structuring the design elements of deal-of-the-day 

promotions and their impact on customer profitability/value. 

� Collect data from local businesses (e.g. in Cologne) that ran deal-of-the-day 

promotions 

� Empirically analyze the effectiveness of deal-of-the-day offers 

� Derive implications for an effective management of deal-of-the-day promotions 

Requirements: 

� Good grades and interest in marketing 

This master thesis can be written in English or German. English is preferred. 


� Inman, Jeffrey J., Anil C. Peter, and Priya Raghubir (1997), “Framing the Deal: The 

Role of Restrictions in Accentuating Deal Value,” Journal of Consumer Research, 24 

(1), 68-79. 

� Sinha, Indrajit and Michael F. Smith (2000), “Consumers' Perceptions of Promotional 

Framing of Price,” Psychology & Marketing, 17 (3), 257-75. 

� Dholakia, Uptal M. (2010), “How Effective are Groupon Promotions for Businesses?,” 

SSRN working paper. 

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Maik Eisenbeiß





6) Marketing Channel 2.0: The Impact of Social Media on Channel Structure 

In the matter of only a few years Social Media have considerably changed the basic 

structures of information exchange. User-generated and promoted content nowadays heavily 

affects public perception of companies and products. However, these phenomena also affect 

the way business is done and how products are marketed. In particular, manufactures are 

provided with entirely new ways to exchange information and interact with consumers and 

thus involve them with the company’s activities. Subsequently, new marketing channel 

structures through which companies market their products evolve. More specifically, this 

implies that the manifestation of Social Media could offer the possibility to establish direct ecommerce 

channels between manufacturers and consumers in markets where previously 

such structures would not have been advisable, e.g. because the demand for specific 

information is high and consumers generally seek intensive pre-purchase guidance. 


� Review and structure the current literature on this topic 

� Develop a framework that explores the opportunities and limitations of the integration 

of Social Media into channel management 

� Conduct an empirical study to test the developed framework 

� Find best practice examples of successful implementations and derive managerial 

implications 

Requirements: 

� Good grades and interest in Social Media 

This diploma thesis can be written in English or German. English is strongly preferred. 


� Weinberg, Tamar (2009), Social Media Marketing. Köln: O’Reilly. 

� Schmitt, Philipp, Bernd Skiera & Christophe van den Bulte (2011), “Why Customer 

Referrals Can Drive Stunning Profits,” Harvard Business Review, 87 (11), p. 30 

� Coughlan, Anne, Erin Anderson, Louis Stern & Adel El-Ansary. (2006), Marketing 

Channels. New Jersey: Pearson. 

Supervisor: Dr. Mark Elsner





7) In-Store Purchase Behavior in Retailing – A State of the Art 

Studying customers’ in-store behavior is an important topic for academic researchers as well 

as for practitioners. Marketing researchers have shown an increasing interest in studying the 

in-store shopping patterns of customers. For different retail environments, several in-store 

factors (e.g., store layout, number of product facings, vertical or horizontal shelf positions) 

and out-of-store factors (e.g., customers’ shopping goals, shopper traits, and demographics) 

have been investigated so far. But for a firm it is important to know which factors and 

especially which characteristics of these factors drive customers’ satisfaction and 

(un)planned purchases in its special retail environment. Thus, the main objective of this 

project is to give a detailed overview of the state of the art of in-store purchase behavior with 

reference to customers’ satisfaction and unplanned purchases for different retail 

environments. 


� Review and structure the literature on in-store purchase behavior with reference to 

customers’ satisfaction and unplanned purchases for different retail environments. 

� Develop a conceptual framework that includes relevant variables of in-store purchase 

behavior that have been investigated so far and gives an overall perspective on the 

topic. 

� Summarize the empirical results on in-store purchase behavior with reference to 

customers’ satisfaction and unplanned purchases for different retail environments. 

� Identify interesting research gaps and draw implications for managers. 

Requirements: 

� Good grades 



� Hui, Sam K., Eric T. Bradlow, and Peter S. Fader (2009), “Testing Behavioral 

Hypotheses - Using an Integrated Model of Grocery Store Shopping Path and 

Purchase Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Research, 36 (3), 478-93. 

� Hui, Sam K., Peter S. Fader, and Eric T. Bradlow (2009), “The Traveling Salesman 

Goes Shopping: The Systematic Deviations of Grocery Paths from TSP-Optimality”, 

Marketing Science, 28 (2), 566-72. 

� Inman, J. Jeffrey, Russell S. Winer, and Rosellina Ferraro (2009), “The Interplay 

Among Category Characteristics, Customer Characteristics, and Customer Activities 

on In-Store Decision Making,” Journal of Marketing, 73 (5), 19-29. 

Supervisor: M. Sc. Vanessa Gartmeier





8) Skandal in Hollywood! – Eine Analyse der ökonomischen Auswirkungen von 

Skandalen 

Stark in der Öffentlichkeit stehende prominente Filmschauspieler („Stars“) sehen sich immer 

wieder (freiwillig und unfreiwillig) diversen Skandalen ausgesetzt (z. B. wiederholte 

Trunkenheit im Straßenverkehr (Mel Gibson), unzüchtig gekleidetes Auftreten bei Partys 

(Lindsay Lohan) usw.). Es ist bislang wenig Substanzielles über die ökonomische 

Auswirkungen von Skandalen für die betroffenen Stars bekannt. Im Rahmen der 

Masterarbeit soll daher zunächst eine gewisse Anzahl an datierbaren Skandalen durch 

Sekundärrecherchen in relevanten Datenbanken im Internet (Zugang wird gestellt) ermittelt 

werden. Für die vorgefallenen Ereignisse soll sodann ein Raster zur Operationalisierung 

entwickelt werden. Schließlich sollen die Skandale hinsichtlich der ökonomischen Wirkungen 

auf spätere Filmumsätze der Stars analysiert werden (nicht relevant ist dabei der gesamte 

Bereich der Testimonials – also die Funktion von Stars als Werbeträger). 

Die Ziele der Arbeit sind: 

� umfangreiche Sekundärdatenrecherche 

� Aufbereitung und Klassifikation der ermittelten Skandale 

� Ermittlung des Zusammenhangs zwischen Art und Intensität des Skandals sowie dem 

Filmerfolg 

Anforderungen: 

� Gute Noten, hohe Motivation und starkes Interesse an Marketing 



� Basuroy, S., Chatterjee, S., & Ravid, S. A. (2003), “How critical are critical reviews? 

The box office effects of film critics, star power, and budgets,” Journal of Marketing, 

67 (4), 103-17. 

� Franck, G. (1998). Ökonomie der Aufmerksamkeit. München/Wien. 

Betreuer: Dipl.-Kfm. Julian Hofmann





9) Strukturmodelle im Marketing: Preiswettbewerb 

Der volkswirtschaftliche begründete Ansatz der New Empirical Industrial Organization (NEIO) 

Forschung wurde zuletzt auch in der empirischen Marketingwissenschaft verstärkt 

aufgegriffen. Hintergrund der stärkeren Beachtung dieses Ansatzes ist die Erkenntnis, dass 

Analysen zu den Wirkungen von Marketingentscheidungen nicht losgelöst von 

wettbewerblichen Aspekten erfolgen sollten. Während Wettbewerbsinteraktionen bisher 

meist spieltheoretisch betrachtet wurden, bietet die NEIO die Möglichkeit, auch empirische 

Analysen zur Profitabilität von Marketingentscheidungen, zum Wettbewerbsverhalten und zu 

den durch Wettbewerbsreaktionen ausgelöste Gewinnwirkungen durchzuführen. Ziel dieser 

Arbeit ist daher zum einen die Darstellung der allgemeinen Vorgehensweise eines 

Strukturmodels zum anderen die kritischen Bestandsaufnahme der aktuellen empirischen 

Studien unter der besonderen Berücksichtigung des Preiswettbewerbs. 

Mögliche Fragestellungen dieser Arbeit sind: 

� Welche Besonderheiten kennzeichnen ein Strukturmodell? 

� Welche Schätzverfahren existieren? 

� Wie lassen sich bisherige Studien in der Modellierung des Preiswettbewerbs 

unterscheiden? 



� Besanko, David, Sachin Gupta und Dipak Jain (1998), „Logit Demand Estimation 

under Competitive Pricing Behavior: An Equilibrium Approach,“ Management 

Science, 44 (11), 1533-47. 

� Sudhir, K. (2001), „Competitive Pricing Behavior in the Auto Market: A Structural 

Analysis,“ Marketing Science, 20 (1), 42-60. 

� Klapper, Daniel (2003), „Analysen zum Wettbewerbsverhalten auf Konsumgütermärkten 

mit dem Ansatz der New Industrial Organization-Forschung,“ Zeitschrift für 

Betriebswirtschaft, 73 (5), 521-45. 

� Vilcassim, Naufel J., Vrinda Kadiyali und Pradeep K. Chintagunta (1999), 

„Investigating Dynamic Multifirm Marketing Interactions in Price and Advertising,“ 

Management Science, 45 (4), 499-518. 

Betreuer: Dipl-Kfm. Tobias Hornig





10) Drivers and Consequences of the Customers’ Channel Activities 

“One of the most dramatic trends in the shopping environment has been the proliferation of 

channels through which customers can interact with firms” (Neslin et al. 2006). Today, 

customers have multiple channel options for information search or transactions, such as the 

Internet, kiosks, call centers, catalogs, stores, etc. Intending to purchase specific products, a 

customer either chooses a preferred channel (channel choice), switches for each purchase 

to a different channel (multichannel shopping), or even combines complementary channels 

for search and purchase within a single purchase process (research shopping). Depending 

on the type of customer, the customer’s situation, the product type of interest, and many 

other aspects, a customer performs a channel activity that is conductive to an efficient and 

satisfying purchase/information experience. However, the customer’s choice of a specific 

channel activity does not merely affect the customer herself, but also the firm. E.g., although 

the use of multiple channels implies the management of a complex distribution system for the 

firm, multichannel shoppers have been found to be more profitable for the firm than singlechannel 

shoppers (Kumar and Venkatesan 2005), as they purchase more frequently and 

spend more money. 


� Review and structure the current literature on multichannel integration. 

� Develop a conceptual framework that explains the effect of multichannel integration 

on customer loyalty. 

� Conduct an empirical study to test your hypotheses. 

Requirements: 

� Good grades 



� Ratchford, Brian T., Myung-soo Lee, Debabrata Talukdar (2003), “The impact of the 

Internet on information search for automobiles,” Journal of Marketing Research, 20 

(2), 193-219. 

� Verhhoef, Peter C., Scott Neslin, Björn Vroomen (2007), “Multichannel customer 

management: Understanding the research-shopper phenomenon,” International 

Journal of Research in Marketing, 24 (2), 129-48. 

� Venkatesan, Rajkumar, V. Kumar, Nalini Ravishanker (2007), “Multichannel 

shopping: causes and consequences,” Journal of Marketing, 71 (2), 114–32. 

Supervisor: Dipl.-Kff. Monika Käuferle





11) “The world's most attractive employers” - A validation of Universum's student 

surveys (tbc) 

Companies are continuously competing against each other to win the best talents as their 

future employees. One way to attract these is to invest in the reputation as an employer, i.e. 

to build a positive, identifiable and unique employer brand. Universum is a employer 

branding consulting company which continuously conduct surveys amongst students to 

identify "the world's most attractive employers". This project aims to empirically validate 

Universum's measurement instrument. Data is provided by the Department of Marketing and 

Brand Management. 


� Review literature with regard to survey research and statistical validation procedures 

(marketing research and statistics literature) 

� Analyze empirical data 

� Derive implications for Universum and their student surveys 

Requirements: 

� Excellent grades, high motivation and genuine interest in branding 

� Experience with statistical software (e.g. SPSS) 



� Backhaus, K. and S. Tikoo (2004), “Conceptualizing and researching employer 

branding,” Career Development International, 9(5), 501-17. 

� Backhaus, K. et al. (2009), „Multivariate Analysemethoden - Eine 

anwendungsorientierte Einführung,“ 12th edition, Berlin et al.: Springer. 

� Churchill, G.A. and D. Iacobucci (2005), “Marketing Research - Methodological 

Foundations,” 9th edition, Fort Worth: South-Western College Publications. 

Supervisor: Dipl.-Kff. Kristina Klein





12) What’s in a Story – Content-Related Factors Driving Consumers to Share News and 

Stories in a Social Media Setting 

Social media are providing consumers with manifold opportunities to exchange various types 

of online content. This creates a huge pool of information available to everybody surfing the 

Internet. From a company’s perspective, company- or brand-related content transmitted 

through social media can change consumers’ perception of the respective company or 

brand. Nevertheless, companies can also make use of the fast and efficient diffusion of 

information by techniques such as viral marketing. Thus, it is crucial for companies to identify 

factors influencing the proliferation of online content to either intervene in the diffusion of 

content or construct (marketing) messages that will be heavily exchanged between 

consumers. Therefore, the objective of this project is to identify content-related factors of 

news and stories from a social media website which are expected to exhibit a strong impact 

on content transmission and thus prominence of the respective content from a consumer 

perspective. 


� Review and structure the current literature on news and story proliferation 

� Develop and conduct a research study (experiment or survey) to identify and explore 

content-related factors that drive content-sharing in a social media setting 

� Analyze your data and draw implications for practitioners and further research 

Requirements: 

� Good grades and interest to work empirically 



� Berger, Jonah and Katherine L. Milkman (2010), “Social Transmission, Emotion, and 

Virality of Online Content,” Journal of Marketing Research, forthcoming. 

� Brown, Jo, Amanda J. Broderick, and Nick Lee (2007), “Word of Mouth 

Communication within Online Communities: Conceptualizing the Online Social 

Network,” Journal of Interactive Marketing, 21 (3), 2-19. 

� Elsner, Mark, Oliver P. Heil, and Atanu R. Sinha (2010), “How Social Networks 

Influence the Popularity of User-generated Content,” Marketing Science Institute 

Special Report, working paper. 

� Susarla, Anjana, Jeong-ha Oh, and Yong Tan (2011), “Social Networks and the 

Diffusion of User-Generated Content: Evidence from YouTube,” Information Systems 

Research, forthcoming. 

Supervisor: Dipl.-Kffr. Lara Lobschat





13) Retailer Pricing Strategies 

Well-known retailers (e.g., REWE, Real) and their brands (e.g., such as REWE “Feine Welt”, 

real,- SELECTION) represent a serious challenge for the established national brand 

manufacturers. In the past, the latter typically focused on the mid-range and premium price 

segments in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG-) market, while private labels focused 

on the discount price segment. However, private labels are no longer concentrating on the 

discount-price segment; they also penetrate the mid-range or even premium price segments 

with products labeled by their exclusive retailer brands (e.g., REWE “Feine Welt”, real,- 

SELECTION). Thus, the competition between retailers and national brand manufacturers 

increases rapidly. This master thesis aims to identify and structure prior research on retailers’ 

pricing strategies (e.g., what are relevant determinants of retailers’ price image, how could 

price segments be identified and selected?) bearing in mind the retailer’s portfolio of national 

brands and private labels by reviewing the top-ranked national and international marketing 

journals (i.e., Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, 

Journal of Retailing etc.) and by also focusing on the current development of retailers’ pricing 

strategies in practice. 


� Review and structure literature on retailers’ pricing strategies 

� Summarize the empirical results on retailers’ pricing strategies 

� Derive implications for managers and identify relevant fields for future research. 

Requirements: 

� Good grades, high motivation and genuine interest in marketing and brand 

management 



� Dick, A., Jain, A. and P. S. Richardson (1997), “How consumers evaluate store 

brands,” Pricing Strategy & Practice, 5 (1), 18-24. 

� Sethuraman, R., and C. Cole (1999), “Factors influencing the price premiums that 

consumers pay for national over store brands,” Journal of Product & Brand 

Management, (8) 4, 340-51. 

� Sheinin, D. A., and J. Wagner (2003), “Pricing store brands across categories and 

retailers,” Journal of Product & Brand Management, 12 (4), 201-19. 

Supervisor: Dipl.-Kfm. Alexander Rühle





14) What are Reviewers Evaluating? The Evolution of Online Product Ratings and the 

Influence of Brand Perceptions 

Today, more and more online retailers offer their customers the possibility to rate, rank, or 

even review its products and make these reviews accessible to other customers. Retailers 

encourage users to write these reviews in the hope to stimulate sales and reputation as well 

as to attract more customers to the own website. The research so far focused on the direct 

effect of ratings on sales (e.g., Chevalier and Mayzlin 2006). However, it is known that these 

ratings are also subject to a number of social influences, i.e., posted online reviews not only 

reflect the customers’ experience with the product but also reflect the influence of, e.g., 

others’ ratings (Moe and Trusov 2011). For example, following reviews use the logic and 

argumentation of previous ones, thus relevance and importance should decrease. On the 

other hand, if new ideas are added, the relevance should increase. The question is whether 

the ratings converge or whether subsequent ratings will become more extreme. Is the first 

message important or subsequent ones? How do external sources influence the reviews? 

The goal of this work is to identify and structure sources of influence on online ratings and 

explain different patterns of how ratings evolve over time. 


� Identify and structure sources of influence and their effect on online reviews. 

� Explain different patterns of how ratings evolve over time and how they are affected 

by brand perceptions. 

This diploma thesis can be written in English or German. 

Initial readings: 

� Boatwright, Peter, Ajay Kalra, and Wei Zhang (2008), “Should Consumers Use the 

Halo to Form Product Evaluations?” Management Science, 54 (1), 217-223. 

� Chevalier, Judith A. and Dina Mayzlin (2006), “The Effect of Word of Mouth on Sales: 

Online Book Reviews,” Journal of Marketing Research, 43 (3), 345-354. 

� Moe, Wendy and Michael Trusov (2011), "Measuring the Value of Social Dynamics in 

Online Product Ratings Forums," Journal of Marketing Research, 48 (3), 444-456. 

Supervisor: Dipl.-Math.oec. Peter Saffert





15) Methoden der Finanzmarktforschung im Marketing 

In jüngerer Zeit werden zunehmend Finanzmarktdaten verwendet, um die Effizienz von 

Marketinginvestitionen einzuschätzen. Dafür werden verschiedene Methoden aus der 

Finanzmarktforschung verwendet und neue Maßzahlen entwickelt, die an die 

Finanzmarktforschung angelehnt sind. Ziel der Arbeit ist es, die verschiedenen Methoden 

sowie die verschiedenen Maßzahlen einander gegenüberzustellen und zu vergleichen. 

Darüber hinaus sollten Anwendungsfelder aufgezeigt werden. 

Mögliche Fragestellungen: 

� Welche neuen Ansätze zur Messung der Effizienz von Marketinginvestitionen 

ergeben sich durch Methoden der Finanzmarktforschung? 

� Welche Performancezahlen werden dabei verwendet und wie sind diese zu 

beurteilen? 

� Was für Vor- und Nachteile bringen die neuen Methoden mit sich? 

� Welche neuen Erklärungsziele und –zusammenhänge ergeben sich durch die neuen 

Methoden? 


� Fischer, Marc, Hyun Shin, und Dominique M. Hanssens (2007), Marketing Spending 

and the Volatility of Revenues and Cash Flows, Working Paper, UCLA Anderson 

School of Management. 

� Fornell, Claes, Sunil Mithas, Forrest Morgeson und M.S. Krishnan (2006), Customer 

Satisfaction and Stock Prices: High Returns, Low Risk, Journal of Marketing, 70 (1), 

3-14. 

� Mizik, Natalie und Robert Jacobson (2009): Financial Markets Research in Marketing, 

Journal of Marketing Research, 46 (3), 320-24. 

� Srinivasan, Shuba und Dominique M. Hanssens (2009), Marketing and Firm Value, 

Journal of Marketing Research, 46 (3), 293-312. 

� Srivastava, Rajendra K., Tusadduq A. Shervani und Liam Fahey (1998), Market- 

Based Assets and Shareholder Value: A Framework for Analysis, Journal of 

Marketing, 62 (1), 2-18. 

Supervisor: Dipl.-Kfm. Thomas Schollmeyer





16) Selbstwertverbesserung durch Konsum? Die Rolle von Prestige und Exklusivität 

beim Konsumverhalten 

Als Motive für den Konsum eines Produktes dienen häufig nicht nur der Nutzen aus der 

primären Funktion des Produktes, sondern auch soziale Bedürfnisse wie das Bedürfnis nach 

sozialer Anerkennung und das Bedürfnis nach Einzigartigkeit. Der demonstrative Konsum, 

beim dem Produkte als Statussymbole dienen können, zielt darauf ab zu zeigen, dass man 

sich bestimmte Produkte leisten kann (Conspicuous Consumption). Der Konsument möchte 

durch seinen Konsum anderen imponieren und dadurch Prestige und soziale Anerkennung 

erlangen. Hierfür dienen in erster Linie hochpreisige Produkte. Ein relativ hoher Preis 

signalisiert Knappheit und ist somit per se nutzenstiftend und führt zu positiver 

Wahrnehmung. Der Konsum von knappen Produkten kann aber nicht nur das Bedürfnis nach 

sozialer Anerkennung, sondern auch das Bedürfnis nach Einzigartigkeit (Need for 

Uniqueness) erfüllen. Durch den Konsum seltener oder exklusiver Produkte möchte der 

Konsument seine Individualität zum Ausdruck bringen. Ziel der Masterarbeit ist es, anhand 

einer systematischen Literaturrecherche der führenden internationalen und nationalen 

Zeitschriften (u.a. International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Marketing, etc.) 

theoretische Modelle und empirische Studien zu identifizieren, zu systematisieren und 

inhaltlich aufzubereiten, um die Rolle von Prestige und Exklusivität beim Konsumverhalten 

darzustellen. Die Erkenntnisse sind dabei in einen Gesamtframework zur Rolle von Prestige 

und Exklusivität beim Konsumverhalten zu überführen. 

Die Ziele der Arbeit sind: 

� Identifizierung, Aufbereitung und Zusammenfassung der für Conspicuous 

Consumption und Need for Uniqueness relevanten Theorien 

� Zusammenfassung und Strukturierung der relevanten empirischen Studien 

� Ableitung von Implikationen für Manager und Identifizierung von Forschungslücken 

Anforderungen: 

� Gute Noten, hohe Motivation und starkes Interesse an Marketing 



� Amaldoss, W. & Jain, S. (2005), “Pricing of conspicuous goods: A competitive 

analysis of social effects,” Journal of Marketing Research, 42 (1), 30-42. 

� Barone, M. J. & Roy, T. (2010), “Does exclusivity always pay off? Exclusive price 

promotions and consumer response,” Journal of Marketing, 74 (2), 121-32. 

� Ruvio, A. (2008), “Unique like everybody else? The dual role of consumers' need for 

uniqueness,” Psychology & Marketing, 25 (5), 444-64. 

Betreuerin: Dipl.-Ök. Feriha Zingal

University of Cologne – Marketing Area Prof. Dr. Maik Eisenbeiß ...

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