Er (Eric) Fang

Professor Fang is a Professor of Marketing and the Iacocca Chair of Marketing at Lehigh University. Prior to joining Lehigh in August 2020, he spent twelve years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he served as Assistant Professor (2008–2012), Associate Professor (2012–2016), and Professor of Marketing and James Tower Fellow (2016–2020). His research focuses on marketing strategy in the digital and AI era, with substantive contributions to understanding online communities, user-generated content, digital advertising, personalization, and platform strategy. He has published more than 30 articles in leading marketing, management, and information systems journals, including Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, Information Systems Research, MIS Quarterly, Organization Science, and Journal of International Business Studies, and is ranked top 30 worldwide in publications in top marketing journals such as Journal of Marketing and Journal of Marketing Research from 2021-2025. From 2020 to 2025, Professor Fang has been recognized in Stanford University and Elsevier’s Top 2% Scientist Rankings, which identify the most highly cited scholars worldwide based on Scopus data. His work has been supported by and conducted in collaboration with leading digital firms including Alibaba, Tencent, JD.com, and NetEase. His research has received multiple honors, including the Journal of Marketing Best Paper Award, Journal of Retailing Best Paper Award, and the AMA Service Research Award, and has been featured in outlets such as The Economist and Advertising Age. He was named a Marketing Science Institute (MSI) Young Scholar in 2011 and received the AMA Varadarajan Award for Early Career Contributions to Marketing Strategy Research in 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. Zhuang, Fang, Dong, and Dong (2026), "Tailoring Personalization Across Customer Stages: Mitigating Name Personalization Backfire with Sender and Content Personalization Strategies" conditional acceptance, Journal of Marketing Research 
2. Li, Y.; Zhuang M; and Fang, E. (Equal Authorship) "Multichannel Effects of Mobile Infeed Advertising" forthcoming at Journal of Marketing 2025
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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)
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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
9. Kozlenkova, I, Palmatier, R. Fang, E., and Huang, M..X. (2018), “Online Digital Community Formation” Journal of Marketing
10. 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)
11. Wang, Y, Lee, J. Fang, E., Ma, S. (2017), “Project Customization and Dilemma between Product Cost and Benefit,” Journal of Marketing
12. Fang, E., Lee, J., and Palmatier, R. (2016), “The Effects of Plural Structure Alliance on Firm Performance” Journal of Marketing Research
13. 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
14. 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)
15. 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.
16. 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)
17. 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)
18. 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.
19. Fang, E. (2011), "The Effect of Strategic Alliance Knowledge Complementarity on New Product Innovativeness in China", Organization Science, 22 (1), 158-172.
20. 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.
21. Fang, E., Zou, S. (2009), "The Effect of Marketing Dynamic Capabilities in International Joint Ventures", Journal of International Business Studies, 40 (4), 742-762.
22. Fang, E. (2008), "Customer Participation and the Trade-Off Between New Product Innovativeness and Speed to Market", Journal of Marketing, 72 (3), 90-104.
23. Fang, E., Palmatier, R., Scheer, L., Ni, L., (2008) "Trust at Different Organizational Levels", Journal of Marketing, 72 (2), 80-98.
24. 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. Zhuang, Fang, and Song (2026), "Effects of Switching from Channel-Specific Pricing to Uniform Pricing in Omnichannel Retail: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment" forthcoming Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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)
5. 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
6. 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)
7. 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
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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
11. 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
12. 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
13. 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
14. 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
15. 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