Virtual Quant Marketing Seminar - Ryan Dew
Adaptive Preference Measurement with Unstructured Data: Discriminative and Generative Approaches
Dear All,
Our next Virtual Quant Marketing Seminar for the semester is on Monday, February 24 at Noon ET. The speaker will be Ryan Dew (Wharton).
The zoom link for all the talks is below, note that this is a new link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/93394346729?pwd=SoVXVesbltpYbQxo9tbbPF6YgopDl3.1
Title: Adaptive Preference Measurement with Unstructured Data: Discriminative and Generative Approaches
Abstract: Many products are best described through unstructured data such as text or images, which are also common in e-commerce. While there is substantial research on measuring consumer preferences when products can be described by structured attributes, far less is known about how to do so effectively for unstructured data. Across two related papers, we develop new methods for quickly estimating individual-level preferences for unstructured data, including images. In the first paper, we introduce a real-time, adaptive survey design based on Bayesian optimization. By selectively displaying items from an existing set based on uncertainty around a nonparametric utility model, this approach maximizes information gain per question, enabling rapid, efficient measurement of preferences. The method uses embeddings of the unstructured data, avoiding any need for manual attribute coding. In the second paper, we extend this framework to generative AI, using a combination of Stable Diffusion and ControlNet to create hypothetical images within the survey. Designers can provide an initial concept, while the model generates details and stylings. By adaptively refining queries to learn about consumer tastes, the framework ultimately produces high-resolution product designs that closely match an individual’s preferences, offering a practical tool for product design and concept refinement.
The schedule for the rest of the semester is:
Monday, March 10, Noon ET - Malika Korganbekova (Chicago Booth)
Monday, March 24, Noon ET - Soheil Ghili (Yale)
Monday, April 7, Noon ET - Jacob Conway (Chicago Booth)
Monday, April 28, Noon ET - Srinivas Tunuguntla (Duke)
Monday, May 5, Noon ET - Ananya Sen (CMU)
Monday, May 12, Noon ET - Minkyung Kim (CMU)
We encourage you to use our google calendar to keep track of the talks.