“Generative AI, Synthetic Panels, and Synthetic Data in Marketing Research” 

The Marketing Science Institute (MSI) invites submissions for an industry-academic conference focused on the role of Generative AI (GenAI), synthetic panels, and synthetic data in marketing research scheduled for September 29-30, 2025, at Columbia Business School  This call is part of a collaboration with The International Journal of Research in Marketing (IJRM) for a special issue focused on the role of Generative AI (GenAI), synthetic panels, and synthetic data in marketing research. The conference is an opportunity for early-stage work to receive feedback in preparation for full submission.   

As GenAI capabilities continue to evolve, organizations are increasingly turning to synthetic data and synthetic panels to generate insights, simulate consumer behavior, and address privacy and compliance concerns. These tools hold the potential to reshape empirical marketing research, offering scalable, privacy-compliant, and efficient alternatives to traditional data collection. However, these developments also raise important questions about validity, trust, ethics, and the theoretical foundations of data-driven decision-making in marketing. 

Submission Topic: 

We seek theoretical, empirical, and methodological contributions that explore the opportunities and limitations of synthetic data and panels in advancing marketing scholarship and practice. 

Example topics of interest include (but are not limited to): 

• Validation techniques and benchmarking of synthetic datasets against real-world data
• Applications of synthetic panels in studying consumer behavior and marketing strategy
• Consumer perceptions of synthetic data and implications for trust and engagement
• The role of GenAI in generating synthetic data and its implications for marketing insight
• Comparative effectiveness of synthetic and traditional data sources in marketing analytics
• New methods for generating synthetic data: probabilistic modeling, diffusion models, LLMs
• Implications for privacy, policy, and data governance in marketing research
• Synthetic data in marketing experiments: design, limitations, and interpretability
• Mixed datasets: combining synthetic and real data in predictive modeling or simulations
• How synthetic reconstructions of behavior influence marketing decisions and firm outcomes
• Generative AI and its role in democratizing marketing research tools and capabilities

We particularly encourage submissions that develop novel methodological frameworks, present rigorous empirical validation, or provide innovative applications of GenAI and synthetic data in real-world marketing contexts. 

Submission Timelines: 

Conference Submissions (Extended Abstracts May 5 – June 30, 2025): 

Scholars are invited to submit extended abstracts for below, including title, authors, short description, a single sentence summary, and an extended abstract. The conference will offer early feedback, encourage academic–practitioner collaboration, and support progress toward full journal submissions. 

https://my.msi.org/s/analytics-and-forecasting

Special Issue Submissions (Full Manuscripts Oct. 5, 2025 – May 4, 2026): 

Following the conference, authors may submit full manuscripts for consideration directly to this IJRM special issue. All submissions must demonstrate theoretical rigor and methodological sophistication while addressing substantive marketing concerns and should be submitted directly through the IJRM submission platform. 

https://www.editorialmanager.com/ijrm/default.aspx 

Multidisciplinary and Methodological Breadth: 

• We welcome interdisciplinary work that draws from marketing, computer science, behavioral science, statistics, economics, information systems, and related fields. The special issue is open to all methodological approaches, including but not limited to:
• Empirical modeling
• Machine learning and simulation
• Experimental and quasi-experimental designs
• Qualitative inquiry and interpretive approaches
• Field-based or industry-partnered research