Over the past two decades, social media have drastically changed the power relations in the marketplace. From brand-controlled advertising and sales talk, brands are now co-constructed as consumers easily share their best and worst experiences with millions of others. Marketers have regained some control by paying influencers who are briefed to spread the word about product features and benefits. Social media have become increasingly commercial-oriented at the expense of the social aspect that first revolutionized the marketplace.

In this virtual session, Dr. Kristine De Valck, Professor of Marketing and Dean of Degree Programs at HEC Paris, posits that most brands get social media wrong. She explains the psychology behind word of mouth that drives conversations and sharing on social media. Additionally, her “social media marketing grid” offers concrete insights in how brands can leverage the power of social.

Forté’s B-School Short Course virtual event series brings together industry experts and faculty from our partner schools. Immerse yourself in the latest insights, and develop the knowledge necessary to navigate the dynamic business landscape with confidence and precision.

Dr. Kristine de Valck is Professor of Marketing and Dean of Degree Programs at HEC Paris, one of the world’s leading management schools and currently ranked as the #1 business school in Europe by the Financial Times (2023). Dr. De Valck’s research and teaching focus on how the Internet and social media have changed consumer behavior, organizations, and marketing practice.

Her work has been published in Administrative Science Quarterly, British Journal of Management, Decision Support Systems, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing and Psychology & Marketing, as well as in various edited books. She has won multiple awards for her research including the prestigious ‘Citations of Excellence Award 2013’ for her dissertation-based article that is among the 50 most-cited publications among 13,000 articles published in the top international academic journals. Her Journal of Marketing Research article “The Effect of Electronic Word of Mouth on Sales; a Meta-Analytic Review of Platform, Product, and Metric Factors” was finalist of the 2021 Weitz-Winer-O’Dell Award of the American Marketing Association.

Dr. De Valck has developed numerous courses about marketing through social media, including a freely available course on iTunesU (2010) and a course as part of a degree-awarding HEC Master’s program on Coursera (2017). Kristine regularly collaborates with companies, including Air France-KLM, Balenciaga, BNP-Paribas, Canson, Carrefour, Disneyland Paris, Etam Group, Gucci, Orange Business Service, Renault, Saint Laurent, SEB, and SFR. She serves as board member of the International Schools in Business Management consortium and Vlerick Business School.

Dr. De Valck has a PhD in Marketing Management from RSM Erasmus University (2005). She has been a faculty member at HEC Paris since 2004 where she has held various positions including Marketing PhD Director (2010-2013), Marketing Department Chair (2015-2017), Associate Dean & Director of the PhD Program (2018-2021) and Academic Director of the Kering Influential Luxury Chair (since 2016).

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