We Mean Business
Episodes

Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
Corporate sustainability and greenwashing: Navigating the fine line
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Dr. Jacob Bethem, a professor at the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University. Focusing on the issue of greenwashing, the discussion explores how companies make sustainability claims, the challenges in distinguishing genuine efforts from marketing tactics, and the role of third-party certifications and regulations in promoting transparency.

Wednesday Jan 08, 2025
Content that matters: Balancing strategy and authenticity on social media
Wednesday Jan 08, 2025
Wednesday Jan 08, 2025
In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Crystal Alvarez, an instructor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU. Focusing on the role of authenticity in social media, the discussion explores the distinction between organic and paid content, the psychology of social proof and reciprocity in building brand loyalty, and the impact of social media on consumer decisions.

Thursday Dec 19, 2024
The rise of consumerism and the loss of authentic choice
Thursday Dec 19, 2024
Thursday Dec 19, 2024
In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Dean Batson, an instructor at Arizona State University who specializes in analyzing consumerism through the lens of communication. Diving into the intersection of capitalism, branding, and corporate messaging tactics, the discussion examines how powerful forces shape our purchasing decisions and the illusion of choice in the marketplace.

Friday Aug 16, 2024
Emerging trends in e-commerce
Friday Aug 16, 2024
Friday Aug 16, 2024
Online shopping has brought about the slow demise of traditional retail, with many consumers relying solely on sites to shop for everything from groceries to electronics. In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Zuzanna Blasco, a lead UX/UI engineer for Newfold Digital and a faculty associate who teaches e-commerce classes at Arizona State University. Blasco analyzes the impact of e-commerce on consumer behavior while also diving into emerging trends in online shopping, including AI integration, influencer marketing, social commerce, augmented and virtual reality experiences, and subscriptions.

Monday Aug 05, 2024
The legal and ethical concerns of data driven marketing in technology
Monday Aug 05, 2024
Monday Aug 05, 2024
As our reliance on technology and data systems grows, so do the avenues through which corporations can harvest our information. In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Joseph Ryoo, an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Arizona State University and expert in unstructured data analysis. Dr. Ryoo describes the techniques businesses use to collect and utilize data, the differences between what is legal and what is ethical regarding consumer privacy, and how business students can navigate data-driven marketing in the future.

Friday Aug 02, 2024
The ethics of AI and data usage in marketing
Friday Aug 02, 2024
Friday Aug 02, 2024
As we witness the rising significance of data and the increasing use of AI to optimize personalized advertising, concerns regarding data acquisition and ethical usage become increasingly pressing. In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Seth Rachlin, a social scientist, business leader, and entrepreneur currently active as a researcher and assistant teaching professor of Social Data Science at Arizona State University.
Dr. Rachlin discusses how social media data mining shapes targeted marketing, the moral considerations of gathering personal data, and the broader consequences of AI integration in business.