About Research Teaching Projects Contact
Digital Marketing, e-Business, Startups, Agentic Marketing

Christos
Ziakis

Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Macedonia, researching how organisations use digital marketing, e-business innovation, and AI to make better marketing decisions and grow.

Google Scholar LinkedIn Cruxivity Book a meeting
About

What does it take for a startup to build a digital marketing strategy when there's no budget, no team, and no certainty? How do startups and small businesses actually adopt AI for marketing? These are the questions I keep coming back to, across digital marketing, agentic marketing, e-business innovation, and SaaS growth.

I work within the ISEB Lab (Information Systems and e-Business Lab) at the University of Macedonia. The lab's focus on information systems and e-business is a natural fit for what I do, bringing together the theoretical and applied sides of my research.

ISEB Lab

iseb.uom.gr ↗

Information Systems and e-Business Lab, University of Macedonia. Research on digital transformation, AI adoption, e-business strategy, and the organisational implications of emerging technologies.

My postdoctoral research produced the CRUX framework — a mixed-methods model for how early-stage startups approach digital marketing. A research university spinoff, Cruxivity, was developed to make the framework accessible in practice.

Research

What I work on

Seven interconnected areas, with agentic marketing and e-business models at the frontier and digital marketing strategy and AI adoption as the empirical core.

  • 01 Agentic Marketing - AI agents as autonomous actors in marketing workflows; implications for strategy, automation, and human oversight. Emerging area
  • 03 Digital Marketing Strategy - SEO, content, organic growth, and how small businesses actually compete online. Applied & empirical
  • 03 Decision Intelligence - frameworks and tools for better marketing decisions under uncertainty. Conceptual & applied
  • 04 Startup Growth - go-to-market strategy and digital readiness for early-stage ventures. CRUX framework
  • 05 Innovative e-Business Models & Platforms - new platform logic, digital business model innovation, and value creation in networked digital environments. Models & platforms

The CRUX Framework

CRUX is the main output of my postdoctoral research - a framework for understanding how startups navigate digital marketing across four dimensions. The name stands for the four dimensions, but the point of it is simpler: most startup marketing advice is written for companies with large teams and large budgets. CRUX is for everyone else.

C Context - market environment and constraints
R Research - data gathering and audience intelligence
U User Experience - the digital journey and conversion
X Execution - channels, content, and performance

If you're a researcher interested in the dataset or extending the model, I'm happy to talk. The framework is also the foundation for Cruxivity - see below.

Cruxivity - research spinoff

Cruxivity translates the CRUX framework into practice. It helps startup teams diagnose their digital marketing, understand where they stand in the customer journey, and identify what to focus on next. It includes a toolkit that covers all stages of the funnel - turning the framework into concrete diagnostics, priorities, and actions. It also serves as the operational layer of the research: the place where the CRUX model gets tested and refined against real-world constraints.

cruxivity.com ↗

Selected publications

  • Structuring Early-Stage Startup Marketing: The CRUX Conceptual Perspective on Discovery, Prioritization and AI Integration
    Ziakis, C. & Fouskas, K., Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation, Springer, 2026 Book chapter
  • Engagement Depth and Booking Intent in AI-Mediated Tourism Discovery: Evidence from a Regional Destination Portal
    Ziakis, C. & Vlachopoulou, M., Tourism and Hospitality, 7(4), 107, 2026 Journal
  • A Comparative Study of Social Media Presence and Web Performance in Software-As-A-Service Startups
    Ziakis, C. & Kavoura, A., Springer Nature Switzerland, 2025 Book Chapter
  • Conversion Rate Optimization in e-Business: Trust, Design, and Personalization Implications for Landing-Page Design
    Ziakis, C., Papadopoulos, A., Antoniadis, I. & Saprikis, V., Springer Nature Switzerland, 2025 Book Chapter
  • Generative Artificial Intelligence Adoption: An Exploration of Challenges and Perceptions
    Ziakis, C., The Economic Impact of SMEs, Springer Nature Switzerland, 2025, pp. 213–231 Book chapter
  • Artificial Intelligence in Digital Marketing: Insights from a Comprehensive Review
    Ziakis, C. & Vlachopoulou, M., Information, 14(12), 664, 2023 Journal
  • Using Machine Learning Models to Investigate Consumer Attitudes toward Online Behavioral Advertising
    Ziakis, C. & Kydros, D., Intellectual Economics, 16(2), 2022 Journal
  • Start-up Ecosystem (StUpEco): A Conceptual Framework and Empirical Research
    Ziakis, C., Vlachopoulou, M. & Petridis, K., Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 8(1), 35, 2022 Journal

Full list on Google Scholar.

Teaching

Courses & Digital Marketing textbook

I teach e-business and digital marketing. The courses are practical by design; students work with real tools, real campaigns, and real data.

  • Digital Marketing
    5th Semester, Dept. of Applied Informatics, University of Macedonia
    UoM, Undergrad
    eLearning ↗
  • e-Business
    3rd Semester, Dept. of Applied Informatics, University of Macedonia
    UoM, Undergrad
    eLearning ↗
  • Social Media – Social Networks
    8th Semester, Dept. of Applied Informatics, University of Macedonia
    UoM, Undergrad
    eLearning ↗
  • Digital Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing
    Master in Applied Informatics, University of Macedonia
    UoM, Postgrad
    eLearning ↗
  • IT Trends for Digital Marketing
    MSc in Strategic Marketing, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
    AUTH, Postgrad
    eLearning ↗
Digital Marketing in the AI Era: Strategy and Applications
Greek-language textbook, in press, Rosili Publications

Digital Marketing in the AI Era: Strategy and Applications

Maro Vlachopoulou, Christos Ziakis

A comprehensive Greek-language textbook on digital marketing strategy and application in the age of AI - covering Agentic Marketing, Online Ads, Search Engine Marketing, Ask Engine Marketing, Marketing Analytics, Metaverse Marketing, and AI-driven tools. With supporting materials and case studies at digitalmarketingbook.gr.

digitalmarketingbook.gr ↗ Request for course adoption

Thesis topics

If you are a student looking for a thesis supervisor, the following areas are where I can offer the most focused guidance. Feel free to reach out with your own angle on any of these.

Bachelor theses

  • SEO strategy and organic visibility for Greek SMEs
  • Social media marketing effectiveness across platforms
  • AI tool adoption in small businesses
  • e-Commerce performance and conversion optimisation
  • Digital marketing in the tourism and hospitality sector
  • Email marketing and automation workflows
  • Google Ads campaign strategy and ROI measurement

Master theses

  • Decision intelligence frameworks for digital marketing
  • AI adoption barriers and enablers in SMEs
  • LLM visibility as an emerging marketing channel
  • e-Business transformation in traditional industries
  • Behavioral analytics and booking intent in e-tourism
  • Startup digital marketing strategy: extending the CRUX model
  • Agentic AI and marketing automation in resource-constrained firms
Applied Context

Research infrastructure & prior work

Some of my research is grounded in platforms I have built or contributed to over the years.

  • Cruxivity
    Research spinoff, applies the CRUX framework as a practical diagnostic for startup teams
    cruxivity.com ↗
  • Innovation Hub Thessaloniki
    Transforming Thessaloniki into a digital innovation hub through collaboration with local and international stakeholders - supporting digital entrepreneurship and developing highly skilled graduates to tackle the challenges of modern societies.
    openhubs.io ↗

Prior to my academic appointment, I was involved in digital marketing and e-business practice through iMarketing.gr and related ventures (2010-2025). I also participated in startups in various capacities: as founder of QRShop (2011-2015), an e-commerce startup, and innovationhub.gr (2016-2020); and as a consultant to BIRN (2020-2022), a blockchain-based real estate valuation platform. That professional background informs my research perspective but is not an active part of my current academic role.

Research projects

Funded and collaborative research programmes I participate in or have contributed to.

  • Start for Future (SFF)
    Startup acceleration and innovation ecosystem development, Thessaloniki, Digital marketing mentorship and go-to-market strategy
    Researcher, Mentor
  • UniHub
    University–industry collaboration hub, digital transformation and entrepreneurship education for student teams
    Researcher
  • EUFORIA
    EU-funded initiative on digital transformation and AI readiness for innovation-driven SMEs across Southern Europe
    Researcher
  • ISEB Lab Research Programme
    Information Systems and e-Business Lab, University of Macedonia, ongoing research on Digital Marketing, Marketing Automation, e-Business, and Startups Growth
    Postdoctoral Researcher
Contact

Get in touch

I'm always happy to hear from researchers, students, and practitioners. The best way to reach me is by email.

Email ziakis@uom.edu.gr ziakis@gmail.com
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/ziakis ↗
Google Scholar Publications & citations ↗
Book a meeting 20-minute call ↗

University of Macedonia

Dept. of Applied Informatics, ISEB Lab
Office 233, 2nd floor
Thessaloniki, Greece

For updates on research and activities, the easiest place to follow is LinkedIn.