Marketing Seminar Series – Dr Xiaoning Liang, Trinity College Dublin

Dr Xiaoning Liang (Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin)

Mediating the Gap: How Bridging Media and Generative AI Extend the Reach of Academic Research
Tuesday, 28 October 2025. 13:30-15:30
Room 281, Adam Smith Business School

Abstract

This research investigates how (GenAI-generated) managerial summaries can enhance the societal impact of academic work. Across several studies, the authors examine: (1) whether publishing managerial summaries increases the impact of academic research; (2) who benefits the most from them; and (3) the underlying mechanisms through which managerial summaries drive societal impact of academic research. Study 1 analyses secondary data with 15,900 academic articles and reveals that publishing a practitioner-oriented version of an academic article has a positive effect on attention metrics, including Altmetric attention scores, media citations, and policy mentions. Study 2 is a large-scale experiment with over 1,400 business professionals and finds that professionals who are older, read academic or managerial journals infrequently, and those who do not believe in science benefit more from managerial versions. Finally, Study 3 employs an experimental design with 177 respondents and identifies underlying mechanisms of why managerial versions outperform the academic counterpart – greater ease of understanding and stronger perceived relevance to practice. Overall, the findings underscore the potential of GenAI-assisted communication formats to bridge the gap between academic marketing research and managerial practice.

Bio

Dr. Xiaoning Liang is an Associate Professor of Digital Marketing at Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin. Her research spans marketing strategy, consumer behaviour, and emerging technologies, with a current focus on the societal and managerial implications of technologies such as artificial intelligence. She has published more than 20 articles in leading journals, including Journal of Product Innovation Management, Tourism Management, Journal of Business Research, and European Journal of Marketing. Beyond academia, she actively collaborates with industry and consults with Irish firms on marketing performance, digital strategy, and analytics.