NIM Marketing Intelligence Review

Platform Strategies •  Platforms and Brands • Business Innovation • Big Tech Platforms •  Digital Regulation • Platform Decentralization • Responsible Platforms

Platform businesses have dramatically reshaped the global economy. Their interconnected ecosystems facilitate interactions between consumers, developers and service providers and create new value. Companies like Amazon, Apple, Alibaba and Uber have led this transformation, expanding their platforms beyond their original offerings. In this issue, leading scholars discuss opportunities as well as challenges around platform business. They cover prevention of commoditization and identification of the right level of decentralization on a platform. They also delve into how dominant platforms should be regulated and how to limit their surveillance and influence. Furthermore, key differences between Chinese and US digital platforms are highlighted, and social value creation is advocated as the core objective for responsible platforms. This is complemented by industry insights: Our interview with Julie Roth Novack, the CEO and co-founder of PartySlate, shows how to create value by connecting various parties in the event business with consumers.

Guest editors:
Andrei Hagiu, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Boston University's Questrom School of Business, Boston
Bobby Zhou, Associate Professor of Marketing, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland