SMITH BRAIN TRUST — With Google gripped by a spiraling ad boycott as companies protest having their content posted alongside extremist YouTube videos, the search giant's competitors might be spotting an opportunity. Already a fresh focus has turned to the "upfronts," the annual New York City ritual in which TV networks make pitches for long-term contracts with major brands and advertising agencies based on expected audiences. And experts at the University of Maryland's Robert H.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Has Starbucks figured out a way to entice its devoted morning-coffee crowd to come back later in the day? The Seattle-based retail chain is rolling out a line of ice cream coffee treats — called affogatos — at 100 stores across the country, betting that a more decadent coffee treat will inspire an afternoon or evening splurge.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Social media users post millions of “likes” and comments every year on brand pages for everything from AAA to Zyrtec. That’s a potentially rich source of information for marketers trying to gauge customer sentiment, but built-in biases create challenges. New research from professor Wendy W. Moe and a colleague at the University of Maryland’s Robert H.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST – Can Victoria's Secret get her groove back? Faced with shifts in customer preferences, rising online shopping and fading mall traffic, the queen of lingerie has reported a slowdown in sales and is cautioning that this year's revenue won't be among its perkiest. Now experts are wondering whether the brand can bounce back.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST – The car you rented as part of your auto-share club reeked of cigarette smoke and a cross-country roadtrip worth of crumbs littered the seats and floor. There was a slight and mysterious stickiness on the gear shift. It made you wonder: Why are some of the vehicles in the car-sharing club kept meticulously tidy while others arrive icky?

SMITH BRAIN TRUST – When Jonathan Aberman thinks about Snap Inc.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Fox was unexpectedly scrambling this week to sell the last remaining in-game commercial spots for the Feb.

The Marketing Department at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business ranks No. 6 in the world for faculty research productivity, according to the latest tally from the American Marketing Association. The rankings take into account the number of research publications for the 10-year period from 2007 to 2016 in four top marketing journals: Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research and Marketing Science. Smith School faculty contributed 83 papers to the four journals in 10 years.

Roland T. Rust, Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, was recently interviewed by the American Marketing Association (AMA) in the “Marketing Legends” video series.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST – A U.S.-Mexican border wall: President Donald Trump says he is ready to build one. And 84 Lumber wants to attach one to its brand, starting Super Bowl Sunday. Both have their critics.