HEC Paris Marketing Research Camp 2026

Organizers: Craig ANDERSON and Arnd VOMBERG (Marketing Department)

Building Z-014

9:30  Welcome coffee 

10:00 Talk 1: Oded Netzer, Columbia Business School

Title: Estimating the Causal Effect of Words
Abstract: Language plays a crucial role in marketing, influencing outcomes such as consumer engagement and decision-making. Although prior research has extensively analyzed the relationship between linguistic features and business outcomes, much of the research has been descriptive or predictive, limiting its value for crafting more effective content. Understanding the effect of specific linguistic features is essential but challenging because, in real-world settings, focal textual features often vary alongside surrounding text. This paper builds on recent advances in causal text analysis and introduces an embedding-based framework for estimating the causal impact of linguistic features while controlling for both textual and nontextual confounders. The approach leverages foundational language models to construct representations optimized for causal inference, enhancing the accuracy of causal estimates. We rigorously validate our methodology using semi-synthetic experiments and experimental A/B test data, offering a first-of-its-kind validation of causal text methods in marketing. Applying the approach to crowdfunding, we find that features such as pre-thanking and second-person pronouns have positive impacts, while demonstrating that failing to account for textual confounding can reverse these relationships. 

11:00 Coffee break

11:30 Talk 2: Brent McFerran, Simon Fraser University

Title

Abstract

12:30 End of morning sessions

12:45 Lunch at Le Petit Gustave

14:30 Talk 3: Frank Germann,  University of Notre Dame

Title: Marketing Interventions for Entrepreneurs: Evidence from Three Randomized Field Experiments in East Africa.
Abstract: Here is the abstract: Entrepreneurs in emerging markets often face substantial constraints in accessing marketing expertise, managerial training, and high-quality mentorship. This research examines whether marketing-focused interventions can improve entrepreneurial decision-making and firm performance using evidence from three randomized field experiments conducted in East Africa. The first study evaluates the causal impact of the lean startup methodology in a randomized field experiment involving 1,024 entrepreneurs across Uganda and Kenya. Entrepreneurs who participated in a lean startup accelerator subsequently conducted substantially more business experiments than entrepreneurs in the control group. Two years after the intervention, this increase in experimentation translated into higher sales and profits, with early-stage ventures benefiting particularly strongly. The second study provides complementary evidence on the value of marketing expertise. In a multiyear field experiment in Uganda, entrepreneurs randomly matched with volunteer marketing professionals experienced greater firm growth than those matched with professionals from other functional backgrounds. Process evidence suggests that marketers helped entrepreneurs differentiate. The third study examines whether recent advances in artificial intelligence can provide a scalable alternative to traditional forms of entrepreneurial mentorship. In an ongoing randomized field experiment in Uganda, we test whether access to a customized large language model improves financial and individual-level outcomes among entrepreneurs. Together, the three studies provide causal evidence on how structured marketing training, human marketing expertise, and AI-enabled mentorship can shape entrepreneurial behavior and performance in resource-constrained environments.

15:30 Coffee break

16:00 Talk 4: Wendy De La Rosa, Wharton School at U Pennsylvania 
Title

Abstract

17:00 End of afternoon sessions
17:30 Cocktail and dinner at Best Western