Marketing conferences are full of AI predictions. Almost none of them are backed by evidence. Meanwhile, the questions that actually determine profit, how platforms should price, how algorithms shift consumer behaviour, whether AI-generated reviews and influencer content can be trusted, have been studied rigorously for years. The research exists; it just rarely reaches the people who need it.
This keynote delivers it. Dr. Ruhai Wu, tenured Associate Professor of Marketing at McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business, distills peer-reviewed research on digital platforms, pricing, e-commerce, and livestream commerce into decisions marketing leaders can defend in the boardroom.
What does this keynote cover?
- How AI is restructuring e-commerce: platform pricing, dynamic competition, and marketplace governance
- What the evidence says about review manipulation, word-of-mouth, and trust in algorithmic markets
- Livestream and social commerce: what the data shows about the fastest-growing retail channels
- Pricing in the age of AI: when dynamic pricing works, and when it backfires
- Data-driven decision making: separating durable findings from vendor claims
What outcomes can your audience expect?
Attendees leave with an evidence-based mental model of AI in marketing: which trends are structural, which are noise, and how platform economics actually reward or punish strategy choices. It is the rare AI marketing talk audiences cite months later.
Who is this keynote for?
Marketing organizations, e-commerce and retail leadership, platform and marketplace businesses, pricing teams, and executive education audiences. Academic rigour meets commercial application; no research background needed.
Who delivers it?
Dr. Ruhai Wu, whose research is published in leading Marketing, Information Systems, and Operations Management journals and funded by national granting agencies. For events that want research plus implementation, pair this talk with Scott Wilson's AI implementation keynote.
What are the formats and logistics?
In-person or virtual, 45 to 90 minutes, customized to your industry and audience. Multi-speaker agendas are available through corporate packages.
How do you book this keynote?
Start on the booking page, or browse the full topics index.
Frequently asked questions
Is this talk too academic for a corporate audience?
No. The research stays under the hood; what reaches the stage is the commercial takeaway: pricing moves, platform strategies, and marketing investments the evidence supports.
Does the keynote cover generative AI in marketing?
Yes, within its evidence-based frame: AI content, influencer and livestream commerce, and consumer response to algorithmic marketing are all addressed.
Can it be tailored to retail or B2B?
Both. Case material adjusts to retail/e-commerce audiences or B2B platform and channel contexts.