Er (Eric) Fang

Professor Fang is a professor of marketing and Iacocca chair of marketing. Before joining Lehigh University in August 2020, he spent 12 years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as an assistant professor (2008-2012), associate professor (2012-2016), and professor of marketing and James Tower Fellow (2016-2020). Professor Fang’s research focuses on digital marketing strategy in a data-rich environment and international business. He has more than 30 articles in leading marketing and management journals such as the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, MIS Quarterly, Organization Science, and the Journal of International Business Studies. His research includes online community user-generated content, online advertising, digital customization, and online platform strategy. His research has been focused on and sponsored by digital companies such as Alibaba, Tencent, JD, and Netease, among others. From 2007-2017, Eric Fang was ranked ninth worldwide in publications in leading marketing journals such as the Journal of Marketing and Journal of Marketing Research.

His research has won the Journal of Marketing and the Journal and Retailing Best Paper Award, AMA Service Paper Award and he has been featured several times in the Economist, Advertising Age, and other publications. He was awarded the Marketing Science Institute (MSI) Young Scholar in year 2011, and the AMA Varadarajan Award for Early Career Contributions to Marketing Strategy Research in year 2015. 

Education

• Fudan University, M.S., Economics
• University of Missouri-Columbia, Ph.D., Business Administration (Marketing)

Research Interests

• Digital marketing strategy
• Marketing analytics
• Marketing and innovation

Major Publications

1. Li, Y.; Zhuang M; and Fang, E. (Equal Authorship) "Multichannel Effects of Mobile Infeed Advertising" forthcoming at Journal of Marketing 2025
2. Song, P., Zuo, L., Peng, X, and Fang, E "Product personalization and brand retailer performance: The critical role of brand retailer-upstream supplier control" forthcoming in Journal of Operations Management
3. Sun, H. Fang, E., Dong, B., and Li, X. (2024) “Swimming with the Shark: The Effects of Platform Price Promotion and In-Platform Advertising on Third-Party Retailer Performance in Hybrid Online Retailing” forthcoming at Production and Operations Management
4. Dong, B., Zhuang, M. Fang, E., and Huang, M. “Tales of Two Channels: Digital Advertising Performance Between AI Recommendation and User Subscription Channels,” (equal authorship for the first three authors): Journal of Marketing (2023)
5. Fang, E., Dong, B., Zhuang, M. and Cai, F (2022), “We earned the coupon together: The effects of Shared Coupon on Consumer Redemption,” (equal authorship) Journal of Marketing
6. Zhuang, M. Fang, E., Lee, J., Li, X(2021), “The effects of price rank on clicks and conversions in product list advertising on online retail platforms,” Information System Research
7. Tang, T, Fang, E., and Qualls W. (2020), “More Is Not Necessarily Better: An Absorptive Capacity Perspective on Network Effects in Open Source Software Development Communities.,” MIS Quarterly
8. Kozlenkova, I, Palmatier, R. Fang, E., and Huang, M..X. (2018), “Online Digital Community Formation” Journal of Marketing
9. Harmeling, C., Fang, E., Palmatier, R. and Wang, D. (2018), “Group Marketing: The Dynamic Effects of Online Group Conformity on Performance” (leading article) Sep at Journal of Marketing (Maynard Award Winner)
10. Wang, Y, Lee, J. Fang, E., Ma, S. (2017), “Project Customization and Dilemma between Product Cost and Benefit,” Journal of Marketing
11. Fang, E., Lee, J., and Palmatier, R. (2016), “The Effects of Plural Structure Alliance on Firm Performance” Journal of Marketing Research
12. Fang, E., Lee, J., Han, S., and Palmatier, R. (2016) “If It Takes a Village to Foster Innovation, Success Depends on the Neighbors: The Effects of Global and Ego Networks on New Product Launches”, Journal of Marketing Research
13. Fang, E., Li, X., Huang, M., Palmatier, R. (2015), “Direct and Indirect Effects of Buyers and Sellers on Search Advertising Revenues in Business-to-Business Electronic Platforms,” Journal of Marketing Research, 52(3), 407-422. (Featured in Marketing Science Institute Report as one of the most impactful articles)
14. Fang, E., Lee, J., Yang, Z. (2015), “The Timing of Codevelopment Alliances in New Product Development Processes: Returns for Upstream and Downstream Partners,” Journal of Marketing, 79(1), 64-82.
15. Tang, T., Fang, E. and Wang F. (equal authorship) (2014), “Is Neutral Really Neutral? The Effects of Neural User Generated Content (UGC) on Product Sales,” Journal of Marketing, 78 (4), 41-58. (Media coverage by AMA and Marketing News)
16. Steenkamp, JB., Fang, E. (equal authorship) (2011), "The Impact of Economic Contractions on the Effectiveness of R&D and Advertising: Evidence from U.S. Companies Spanning Three Decades” Marketing Science, 30 (4), 628-645. (Media coverage by Economist)
17. Fang, E., Palmatier, R., Grewal R. (2011), "Effects of Customer and Innovation Asset Configuration Strategies on Firm Performance Outcomes", Journal of Marketing Research, 48 (3), 587-602.
18. Fang, E. (2011), "The Effect of Strategic Alliance Knowledge Complementarity on New Product Innovativeness in China", Organization Science, 22 (1), 158-172.
19. Fang, E., Zou, S. (2010), "The Effects of Absorptive and Joint Learning on the Instability of International Joint Ventures in Emerging Economics,” Journal of International Business Studies, 41 (5), 906-924.
20. Fang, E., Zou, S. (2009), "The Effect of Marketing Dynamic Capabilities in International Joint Ventures", Journal of International Business Studies, 40 (4), 742-762.
21. Fang, E. (2008), "Customer Participation and the Trade-Off Between New Product Innovativeness and Speed to Market", Journal of Marketing, 72 (3), 90-104.
22. Fang, E., Palmatier, R., Scheer, L., Ni, L., (2008) "Trust at Different Organizational Levels", Journal of Marketing, 72 (2), 80-98.
23. Fang, E., Palmatier, R., Steenkamp, JB. (2008), "Effect of Service Transition 
    Strategies on Firm Value", Journal of Marketing, 72 (5), 1-14. (leading article) (2009 AMA SERVSIG Best Services Article Award) 

Other Publications

1. Sridhar, S. and Fang, E. (2019), “New vistas for marketing strategy: digital, data-rich, and developing market (D3) environments” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
2. Tanya (Ya), Gregory J. Fisher, and Eric (Er) Fang, (2019). "The Effects of Community-Based New Product Development Strategies on Project Performance," Future-Focused Strategic Marketing, Babu John Mariadoss and Raj Echambadi (Eds.), Nova Science Publishers, 281-317
3. Lee, JY, Fang, E., Kim, J., Li, X. and Palmatier, R. (2018) “The Effect of Online Shopping Platform Strategies on Search, Display, and Membership Revenues,” Journal of Retailing (2019 Davidson Award for the best paper published in Journal of Retailing)
4. Fisher, G., Fang, E. 2017. Customer-Driven Innovation: A Conceptual Typology, Review of Theoretical Perspectives, and Future Research Directions. In Peter Golder, Mitra, Debanjan (Ed.), Handbook of New Product Development Research
5. Wang, F., Liu, X., Fang, E. (2015), “User Reviews Variance, Critic Reviews Variance, and Product Sales: An Exploration of Customer Breadth and Depth Effects,” Journal of Retailing, 91(3), 372-389. (leading article)
6. Yao, Z., Yang, Z., Fisher, G., Ma, C., Fang, E. (2013), “Knowledge Complementarity, Knowledge Absorption Effectiveness, and New Product Performance: The Exploration of International Joint Ventures in China,” International Business Review, 22 (1), 216-234
7. Ma, C., Yang, Z., Yao, Z., Fisher, G., Fang, E. (2012), “The Effect of Strategic 
   Alliance Resource Accumulation and Process Characteristics on New Product Success: Exploration of International High-Tech Strategic Alliances in China,” Industrial Marketing Management, 41 (3), 469-480.
8. Todd, A., Fang, E., Palmatier, R. (2011), "The Effects of Customer Acquisition and Retention Orientations on a Firm's Radical and Incremental Innovation Performance” (equal authorship), Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 39 (2), 234-251.
9. Fang, E., Palmatier, R., Evans, K. (2008), "Influence of Customer Participation on Creating and Sharing of New Product Value", Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 36 (3), 322-336
10. Palmatier, R., Miao, F., Fang, E. (2007), “Sales Channel Integration After Mergers and Acquisition: A Methodological Approach for Avoiding Common Pitfalls,” Industrial Marketing Management, 36 (5), 589-603
11. Fang, E., Evans, K., Laundry, T. (2005), "Control System’ Effect on Attributional Processes and Sales Outcomes: A Cybernetic Information-Processing Perspective", Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 33 (4), 553-574
12. Fang, E., Evans, K., Zou, S. (2005), "The Moderating Effects of Goal-Setting Characteristics on Relationship between Sales Control and Performance", Journal of Business Research, 58 (9), 1214-1222
13. Fang, E., Palmatier, R., Evans, K. (2004), "Goal-setting Paradoxes? Trade-offs Between Working Hard and Working Smart: The United States versus China", Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 32 (2), 188-202
14. Zou, S., Fang, E., Zhao, S. (2003), “The Effect of Export Marketing Capabilities on Export Performance: An Investigation of Chinese Exporters,” Journal of International Marketing, 11 (4), 32-55