Events

Dr. David H. Reiley, Senior Economist at Pandora and previously at Google and Yahoo, will visit campus. As part of his visit, Dr. Reiley will give a talk in 20 Alston Hall at 3:00 p.m. Friday, March 1.

Abstract

A randomized experiment with almost 35 million Pandora listeners enables us to measure the sensitivity of consumers to advertising, an important topic of study in the era of ad-supported digital content provision. The experiment randomized listeners into nine treatment groups, each of which received a different level of audio advertising interrupting their music listening, with the highest treatment group receiving more than twice as many ads as the lowest treatment group. By keeping consistent treatment assignment for 21 months, we are able to measure long-run demand effects, with three times as much ad-load sensitivity as we would have obtained if we had run a month-long experiment. We estimate a demand curve that is strikingly linear, with the number of hours listened decreasing linearly in the number of ads per hour (also known as the price of ad-supported listening). We also show the negative impact on the number of days listened and on the probability of listening at all in the final month. Using an experimental design that separately varies the number of commercial interruptions per hour and the number of ads per commercial interruption, we find that neither makes much difference to listeners beyond their impact on the total number of ads per hour. Lastly, we find that increased ad load causes a significant increase in the number of paid ad-free subscriptions to Pandora, particularly among older listeners.

Do you have a product or service idea but don’t know how to get started? The power behind a business idea is putting action into the idea, and Startup Weekend Tuscaloosa March 1-3 is where those ideas can become reality.

Hosted by the Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute, the sixth annual Startup Weekend Tuscaloosa is 54 hours of intensive business development for members of the community and students. The event will be held at the recently opened EDGE Incubator and Accelerator, 2627 10th Ave. Tuscaloosa, AL 35401.

Aspiring entrepreneurs will test the viability of their ideas, build teams, create prototypes and receive feedback from business experts. Beginning with open mic pitches March 1, attendees present their best ideas and inspire others to join their teams. On March 2 and 3, teams focus on customer development, market validation and building a minimum viable product.

On the evening of March 3, teams pitch to a panel of local judges who will decide which ideas are the most likely to succeed. Startup Weekend winners will receive prizes and feedback from local experts. Participants will also gain valuable insights that can aid if they choose to participate in the upcoming Edward K. Aldag, Jr. Business Plan Competition.

Everyone in the community who believes they have a great idea or is interested in being part of developing an exciting new business is invited to attend. More information about Startup Weekend Tuscaloosa can be found here. Registration is also available through Eventbrite, and a limited number of discounted early bird tickets are available. UA students get a 50 percent discount with code SWSTUDENT25 and tickets will remain available for purchase until March 1. Food and drinks are included with ticket purchase.

Startup Weekend Tuscaloosa is made possible with the support of international sponsors, Techstars and Google for Entrepreneurs, and local business sponsors, Alabama Power and Regions Bank. For additional information, contact Startup Weekend Tuscaloosa at tuscaloosa@startupweekend.org.