Overview - Driven by a wide range of technologies, the wireless industry is in the midst of what some observers have called the "Virtuous Spiral." Incumbents, challengers, and new entrants are vying for markets enabled by extraordinary developments in handsets, networks, and applications. Recognizing both the opportunities and challenges afforded by disruptive technology, immr (the institute for mobile markets research) was founded to provide analysis and guidance to companies across the wireless value chain as they navigate through the transition.

Led by a distinguished group of thought leaders from academics and industry, immr conducts research on behalf of the industry, member, and non-member companies in North America, Asia, and Europe. We employ sophisticated research methods to calibrate demand and assess markets for emerging wireless applications, platforms, and devices.

Focus - immr helps companies in the wireless industry recognize, evaluate, and capitalize on opportunities created by new, disruptive technologies. In much of our work, we use innovative qualitative and quantitative research methods to better understand how customers are apt to respond to "really new" products and services. Drawing upon extensive academic research, immr utilizes frameworks, perspectives, and tools to verify and help accelerate the development of markets for new, discontinuous products and services. In addition to sophisticated quantitative tools, such as Choice Modeling and Causal Modeling, we have developed and gained considerable experience applying distinctive tools - such as InSite™ - developed specifically to explain and help move customers up the Learning and Adoption curve.

Organization/Leadership - immr was founded by Dr. Phil Hendrix to bring perspectives and rigorous methodologies to the challenges faced by the wireless industry. A distinguished group of thought leaders are affiliated with the institute. Specific research initiatives are led by Dr. Hendrix and supported by a network of leading research partners and research fellows. Senior Advisors and Fellows are world-class experts on such critical issues as the adoption and diffusion of innovations, marketing strategy, disruptive technologies, scenario planning, among others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leadership

Senior Advisors

Dr. Jag Sheth, Emory University – Jag Sheth is the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing, Goizueta Business School, Emory University. He is a distinguished educator, author, speaker, and senior management advisor, internationally known for his insights on market strategies, global competition, strategic thinking, and customer relationship management...>>

Dr. George Day, Wharton - George Day is the Geoffrey T. Boisi Professor and Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School, where he is also Director, Emerging Technologies Management Research Program and Co-Director, Mack Center for Technological Innovation. He has been a pioneer in exploring the strategic challenge of managing emerging technologies, new product development, and competitive strategies in global markets...>>

Dr. Bertil Thorngren, Stockholm School of Economics - Bertil Thorngren is Head of the Center for Information and Communications Research (CIC) at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) - the Center coordinates and conducts research on the use of communications and information technology. Before rejoining SSE, he held a number of senior positions at Telia AB....>>
 
 
 
 

Research Fellows

Dr. Paul Schoemaker, Wharton/DSI- Paul J. H. Schoemaker serves as Research Director of the Emerging Technology Program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he is also Adjunct Professor of Marketing. For over twelve years, he was a professor in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago specializing in strategy and decision sciences. He took an extended sabbatical with the scenario planning group of Royal/Dutch Shell in London, and has since worked with many major corporations around the world....>>

Dr. Dan Steinbock, Finnish Academy of Sciences/Helsinki School of Economics - Dan Steinbock is a leading expert on innovation in mobility, specializing in marketing, strategy, and globalization. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Mobile Revolution (June 2005) and The Nokia Revolution....>>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Phil Hendrix is head of the Institute for Mobile Markets Research (immr), a research organization based in Atlanta that helps companies better understand and capitalize on opportunities presented by disruptive technologies. He combines a unique blend of research skills (qualitative and quantitative), industry knowledge, and experience to help clients devise, validate, and implement innovative, market-driven strategies.

Dr. Hendrix works with a distinguished group of clients and research partners to calibrate demand and accelerate the adoption of really new products. Over the course of 20 years, as both an academic and consultant, he has developed perspectives and research-based tools to help organizations:

Dr. Hendrix has worked closely with leading clients in a number of industries, including telecommunications (Cingular, BellSouth, SBC, AT&T, Verizon), technology (Motorola), financial services (American Express), insurance (Allstate), parcel delivery (UPS), and others. Skilled in conducting marketing research, facilitating strategic dialogue, and working with organizations and their teams to design and execute initiatives, he has provided strategic guidance to clients on a wide range of issues, including market analysis, segmentation, and sizing, targeting, competitive positioning, and customer loyalty and retention.

Before founding immr, Dr. Hendrix was a partner with DiamondCluster (strategy consultancy with 1,000+ professionals), founder and head of IMS (Integrated Measurement Systems), and a principal in the marketing practice of Mercer Management Consulting. He has also served on the faculty of leading business schools, including the University of Michigan (where he also held a joint appointment in the Survey Research Center) and Emory University (Goizueta Business School), teaching courses in marketing research, buyer behavior, and marketing strategy. He received his PhD in Marketing from the University of Michigan and completed post-doctoral work in statistics and psychological measurement.

Dr. Hendrix has published numerous articles on measuring and understanding customer behavior, most recently a two-part article "From Hindsight to Foresight: How Companies Use Innovative Measurement Practices to Improve Visibility" in Marketing Management (Dec. 2002 and February 2003). He also published "Build It and They Will Come: Implications of the Internet for Marketing." Dr. Hendrix was also one of the principal investigators for Digital Strategies 2001, sponsored by DiamondCluster and the Wharton School, and published in Context Magazine. He is also a regular speaker at professional conferences, including the recent WWRF conferences in Paris, Jeju (Korea), Toronto, and Oslo.
 
Senior Advisors

Dr. Jag Sheth – Jag Sheth is the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing, Goizueta Business School, Emory University. He is a distinguished educator, author, speaker, and senior management advisor, internationally known for his insights on market strategies, global competition, strategic thinking, and customer relationship management. Before joining Emory, Dr. Sheth was the Robert E. Booker Professor of Marketing and Founder and Director, Center for Telecommunications Management, U. of Southern California. In 1992, the American Marketing Association awarded him the PD Converse Award for his lifelong contribution to the discipline of marketing theory. He has been named a distinguished fellow by the IEC, Academy of Marketing Science, and the APA. Dr. Sheth has published over 200 scholarly articles and more than a dozen books, including The Rule of Three: How Competition Shapes Markets (2001), Quest for Customer Value: Lessons from America's Most Admired Companies (2001), The Telecom Outlook Report (1999), and A Strategic Vision of the Wireless Industry: Communications Unbound (1997). His 1969 book The Theory of Buyer Behavior (with John Howard) is considered a classic in the field. Professor Sheth has worked with senior management in numerous industries and companies in the United States, Europe and Asia, both as Advisor and Seminar Leader. His clients include AT&T, BellSouth, Cox Communications, Delta, Ford, GE, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Nortel, Sprint, 3M, Whirlpool and many more. He has offered more than 5,000 presentations in over 40 countries. Dr. Sheth is a regular contributor at leading industry and executive forums, including SUPERCOMM, Goldman Sachs annual telecom conference, and others.

Dr. George Day, Wharton - George Day is the Geoffrey T. Boisi Professor and Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School, where he is also Director, Emerging Technologies Management Research Program and Co-Director, Mack Center for Technological Innovation. He has been a pioneer in exploring the strategic challenge of managing emerging technologies, new product development, and competitive strategies in global markets. An internationally recognized scholar, George has published over 200 articles and a number of significant books, including Wharton on Managing Emerging Technologies (with P. Schoemaker, 2000), The Market-Driven Organization (1999), Wharton on Dynamic Competitive Strategies (with D. Reibstein, 1997), and the seminal Market Driven Strategy (first published in 1990, now in its 21st printing). Dr. Day has received numerous awards in the field of marketing for his contributions to research and teaching, including Charles Coolidge Parlin Award for the Advancement of Science in Marketing (1994), Harold H. Maynard Award for the Most Significant Contribution to Theory (1994), Paul D. Converse Award for Marketing Science Contributions (1996), and Outstanding Marketing Educator Award, 1999. George served as Executive Director of the MSI (the Marketing Science Institute) from 1989 to 1991, and has been a visiting professor at Harvard Business School, MIT, and London Business School.

Dr. Bertil Thorngren, Stockholm School of Economics - Bertil Thorngren is Head of the Center for Information and Communications Research (CIC) at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) - the Center coordinates and conducts research on the use of communications and information technology. Before rejoining SSE, he held a number of senior positions at Telia AB. As Senior VP for Corporate Strategy, Dr. Thorngren was deeply involved in shaping perspectives around convergence between fixed vs. mobile and conveyance vs. content. With a particular interest in wireless e-commerce, he organized the Seamless Mobility Roundtable, a consortium of leading international scholars who meet annually to exchange perspectives on wireless and mobile issues. Dr. Thorngren was co-editor and contributed to the book Convergence in Communications and Beyond (2000), and is also a member of the Royal Swedish Academy for the Engineering Sciences (IVA).
 
 
 
 

Research Fellows

Dr. Paul Schoemaker, Wharton/DSI - Paul J. H. Schoemaker serves as Research Director of the Emerging Technology Program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where is also Adjunct Professor of Marketing. For over twelve years, he was a professor in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago specializing in strategy and decision sciences. He took an extended sabbatical with the scenario planning group of Royal/Dutch Shell in London, and has since worked with many major corporations around the world. He is the founder and chairman of Decision Strategies International, Inc., a consulting and training firm specializing in strategic planning, executive development and multi-media software. Dr. Schoemaker has written over 60 academic and applied papers, and is the (co)-author of several books including Decision Traps, Decision Science: An Integrative Perspective and Wharton On Managing Emerging Technologies (which he edited with George Day). His writings have been published in over ten languages and received multiple awards, including the prestigious academic Best Paper Award in 2000 from the Strategic Management Society. His new book "Profiting From Uncertainty: Strategies for Succeeding No matter What the Future Brings" (summer 2002) explores the challenges of approaching the future comprehensively rather than piece meal, the value of flexible strategies and options thinking, as well as the importance of dynamic monitoring and real-time adjustment.

Dr. Dan Steinbock, Finnish Academy of Sciences/Helsinki School of Economics - Dan Steinbock is a leading expert on innovation in mobility, specializing in marketing, strategy, and globalization. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Mobile Revolution (June 2005) and The Nokia Revolution. A Fulbright scholar, Dan is currently the director of the New York City office of Finland's prestigious Academy of Sciences, an affiliate researcher with the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (Columbia Graduate School of Business), and a visiting professor at the Helsinki School of Economics. Much of his current research focuses on developments in ICT in Asia-Pacific. He has consulted for international organizations (OECD, European Commission), global ICT companies (Intel, Telecom Italia), and Finnish industry leaders (Sonera, Talentum), public sector agencies (Finland's Technology Agency, Finland's R&D Fund) and ministries (Ministries of Trade and Industry, Transport and Communications, Interior, Education and Culture, Foreign Affairs).