Know-How Exchange : Other

The most important thing is to pick a topic that truly interests you. What do you want to be doing 5-7 years from now (i.e., after you have the PhD)? Use the research for your PhD to give you an inside track to -- and an in-depth knowledge of -- that future career path.

Also, you would do well to narrow the topic as much as possible. Deal with a specific company, a specific industry, a specific geographic area, a specific element/aspect of marketing. As soon as you get too broad, you'll find that the research challenge multiplies exponentially. (Many of us learned this the hard way.)

As for what key challenges lie ahead for marketers, learning how to harness and analyze Big Data would certainly seem to be high on the list. The technical aspects are ahead of the applications for use, so marketers will have to leapfrog their own thinking to fully capture the potential of big data and smart analytics to drive brilliant decision-making.

What I think you ought to write about is of no importance. What excites, thrills, delights, and inspires YOU about marketing? Think long and hard about this question. Do so with a note pad and a pencil. Spend the next seven days on this process. If, one week from today, you really, truly, honestly cannot think of ANYTHING to write about, then do the following: DO NOT—REPEAT—DO NOT PURSUE A Ph.D.

Why are you getting a PhD in the first place? Probably to help you get a job. So how can your choice of topic help you get a job?

If I were you, I would ask the same question, but of different people. I would make a list of 25 or so companies which I would like to interview with. I would contact leadership in those companies, and ask them their opinion of what the study. (Hopefully you'll get some duplicates). After receiving my PhD, I would contact those companies, saying that you took their advice and studied what they suggested and you would like 15 minutes to show them what you came up with.

It's hard to get a job without getting interviews first. Think of your thesis as a tool to help you get interviews. You can show yourself responsive by following their advice. Also, you can show yourself to be helpful and up-to-date and capable by choosing a topic which is of interest to people who hire.