Platforms, Volume 2, Issue 2 (June 2024) – 3 articles

Advertising has been one of brands’ main allies in successfully promoting their products and services, creating trends and changing consumer mindsets, which allows them to increase sales and consequently achieve commercial success. The advertising medium has been evolving, increasingly encompassing new technologies as well as expanding its areas of intervention. This research article uses the Systematic Bibliometric Literature Review methodology, and its main objective is to clarify the state of the art regarding advertising and sustainability, since if advertising is one of the main allies for the success of brands, sustainability has become one of its main strategies. The starting question is whether advertising has been used to communicate sustainability. The methodology used in this study is a systematic bibliometric literature review (LRSB) to collect, analyze and synthesize data on advertising and sustainability, and covers a period of publications from the year 2007 to 2024, with the support of visual maps of the research indexed in the Scopus Database, created with VOSViewer. The aim was to give an overview of the studies published in this scientific area. The qualitative results of the analysis suggest that the theme of sustainability has been studied and associated with brands and sectors of activity such as luxury brands. The analysis leads to the suggestion of a reduced connection between sustainability and advertising, with studies on “green advertising” being mentioned, which allows us to affirm that this is an area that requires more in-depth studies, despite the fact that these initial results, on the one hand, help professionals in the field of digital marketing to make decisions, as well as clarifying the topic from a research point of view. Full article

Digital platforms are becoming more important in transforming the energy industry and altering the way we produce, distribute, and use energy. This paper explores the role of energy platforms in the transition towards renewable energy. We highlight, through real-life examples, that these platforms foster a participatory approach, convert consumers into proactive participants, democratize energy production, and encourage innovation in areas such as storage, electric mobility, and renewable project investments. Through a comprehensive review of the current literature, technological advancements, and emerging business models, we identify the possible key contributions of digital platforms to the energy sector. These platforms offer personalized user experiences, mutual benefits for users and companies, adaptability to market changes, support for peer-to-peer trade, and a reduction in bureaucracy. We then present a pioneering conceptual model by Liu et al. (2022), which integrates the energy cloud, digital platform, and transaction platform and we explore the business model of energy platforms. This business model is characterized by connectivity, innovative pricing, and revenue strategies independent of physical asset ownership. Advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain facilitate peer-to-peer energy trading, dynamic pricing, and a focus on transaction and access fees over traditional cost structures. Drawing on the business model and previous analysis we update the conceptual model for energy platforms to present a practical vision through a holistic approach. Full article

Local government debt (LGD), an important financing tool for local governments to achieve high-quality development, especially through the expansion of urban investment bonds led by local investment and financing platforms, has a significant impact on green development efficiency (GDE). This article starts from LGD, selects data from 30 provinces from 2010 to 2019, and uses a two-way fixed-effect model and mediation-effect model to empirically analyze the impact of LGD on GDE. The research results show that LGD has a significant inhibitory effect on GDE, and LGD can indirectly affect GDE through the degree of industrialization and the number of the urban population. This article suggests that the government should make even fuller use of LGD funds, optimize the use of relevant funds, standardize the operation of local government investment and financing platforms, reduce debt risks, promote industrial structure upgrading, promote urban population resettlement measures, and improve China’s GDE. Full article