AI In Academics & Globetrotting W/ Dr La Toya Quamina

Send us Fan MailDr La Toya Quamina is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Westminster Business School, University of Westminster, London. Teaching and researching on a cross section of areas including consumer behavior, brand management and digital marketing. Outside academia, La Toya is the Storyteller behind @thetravellustfam, a platform celebrating family travel, proving that black families are exploring the world and doing it in style. In this conversation, La Toya talks about her journey from Trinidad to life in London. She spoke about pursuing her studies, falling in love, making wise life choices along the way, and then relocating to London to start a family and work. We talk about her love for Caribbean food (doubles) and culture as a Trini in London. For the diaspora this means a lot, when they can see and experience the Caribbean Artiste like Kes the Band and others. She said that taking part in some of the Carnival activities can feed the soul and reminds them of home. Then we delve into her work in communications, marketing and branding. We discuss the influence of consumerism, brand differentiation and personalization.  Also working with Brand Ambassadors, Influencers and Content Creators. La Toya gives insight as to how they can be used effectively, because of their connection with diverse audiences, which can benefit both the companies and brands. Ultimately Marketing is about using the best tools based on your overall brand objectives, budget and business. La Toya talks about the policy for the use of AI at her University. The reality is most people are using it and in the future it will become the norm. As such, students are given guard rails for use, in that they are asked to use it responsibly and ethically. She talks about digital natives and the adoption of the use of AI for Educators.  Ultimately ChatGpt and other emerging technologies are tools and resources. She often tells her students that they are the experts, when they use the tools they must determine if it is useful in the context for their work. La Toya, then talks about her passion project @thetravellustfam  her luxury family travel lifestyle blog which features her family globetrotting. Her intent was to showcase the fact that a black couple and family can enjoy life, travel the world and experience and live a life of luxury. We talk about the places she visited like (5 countries in 16 days) and what it is like travelling with kids. Her belief is that if you work hard, you should play just as hard and enjoy life.  Whether navigating the academic world, travel or the realities of family life, La Toya brings her Caribbean flare and vibrant energy to every space she occupies. From T&T to London to Globetrotting, this Caribbean woman is living her best life. *****************Dr LaToya Quamina's work is published in several leading international peer-reviewed journals like Journal of Business Research, Journal of Advertising Research & Public Relations Review. Her latest research explores AI in Higher Education.Research Paper Oc, Y., Gonsalves, C. and Quamina, L. (2024). Generative AI in Higher Education Assessments: Examining the Impact of Risk and Tech-Savviness on Students’ Adoption. Journal of Marketing Education. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/02734753241302459