Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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- Creators: Gray, Nancy
Description
Even in today's society, we are still unsure of the limitless potentials of digital media. The digital media sector has, without a doubt, increased opportunities in marketing, sales and creativity within the fashion industry. Blogging has become increasingly popular with the efforts of commercializing high fashion. Social media has also revealed new opportunities for upcoming designers to establish themselves within their target audience. The creative uses of e-commerce also show the effectiveness and infinite possibilities digital media offers. With digital media reinventing the fashion industry, we are seeing a direct correlation between the technological advancement of a brand and their market success. Simply put, digital media is the future of the fashion industry. Technological advancements like digital printing and e-commerce tools like mobile purchasing trackers are proving to be the future of the fashion industry. Predictions for digital media in the fashion industry include a more advanced method of e-commerce, the continual usage of creative digital technologies such as holograms in fashion shows, and also the seamless integration of global markets. To gain a better perspective and knowledge of the roles of digital media in the fashion industry, Calypso Lawrence, the Public Relations Manager of fashion designer, Prabal Gurung was interviewed through email. RaeAnn Lukza, the CEO and founder of online retailer, Knee Deep Denim was also interviewed to better understand the development of e-commerce and the incorporation of social media.
ContributorsNa, Jennifer (Author) / Cheong, Pauline (Thesis director) / Gray, Nancy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
As firms increase the number of channels that they operate and distribute their products and services on, they run into new challenges with branding. One sub-industry where many firms have used multi-channel branding is the specialty apparel segment of retail. Many firms of this kind are using a four-channel approach with physical stores, brand websites, social media pages, and direct mail catalogs to market their products. Yet, there are few specialty apparel retailers that do this well across all four channels. A particular technique used to market products in this way is visual merchandising. Visual merchandising for apparel products pieces together full outfits with multiple clothing items and shows them, in some way, being worn. Beyond just marketing products, however, visual merchandising can provide firms with benefits of branding such as brand expertise, positive consumer attitudes, and increased consumer purchase intent. To do this, firms must develop quality brands using traditional branding practices. To use as guides, J. Crew and Anthropologie's branding and visual merchandising practices were analyzed in case studies. Testing consumer perceptions of these brands and their success, primary research about consumers' behavior relative to specialty apparel retail brands and their visual merchandising displays was an outcome. From this research, it was found that consumers best respond to in-store visual merchandising displays. In showing products, a variety product combination strategy is preferred as it enhances the value consumers perceive in brands and builds brand character. Consumers also feel that visual merchandising impacts their knowledge of the brand and its products as well as personal styling. If brands successfully use visual merchandising to brand themselves, brand consistency, brand expertise, and positive consumer attitudes are an outcome. Recommendations for specialty apparel retail brands have been developed using these findings, and the potential such firms are able to realize in using these will greatly benefit them.
ContributorsTaylor, Allyson Nicole (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Gray, Nancy (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The following business plan will delve into the financial feasibility of a business venture into niche pet product markets: more specifically, the market for pet products both sourced and made in the USA, which is a distinction also discussed in the body of the paper. The paper begins by detailing the anecdote that brought about the vision for the company and then segues into a description of the products that will be carried by the company. These include pet toys, beds, leashes, vitamins, soaps, treats and more, which is followed by a list of potential product suppliers who have all already expressed interest in the venture. The plan then discusses the possibility of expanding into markets abroad such as China and the feasibility of carrying products outside of those strictly for dogs and cats. An in-depth market analysis includes a series of statistics reinforcing the potential profitability of the business, including the fact that a recent study has found that 81 percent of pet owners consider their dogs to be "bonda fide family members" and that online spending on pet supplies increased 67 percent between July 2015 and July 2016. It also includes the projection that the industry is intended to reach $91.72 billion in sales by 2019. The discussion then transitions into the company's target market, which, at the most specific level, will be white, married individuals age 55 to 64 living in rural areas with an annual household income of $125,000 or more. The plan then delves into a target market segment strategy, which addresses how marketing and business strategies will target certain demographics to appeal to them individually, whether it be through a "family-owned" impression or an appeal to their sense of patriotism or social consciousness. Next, the plan addresses potential competition within the pet product market, first discussing the super giants PetSmart and Petco and how these corporations hardly cater to this niche market and then smaller companies who do meet the same demand, such as myusapetsupplies.com, but fall short in terms of strategy and marketing. Marketing for the business venture will be almost entirely digital, ranging from pay-per-click services to mass newsletters and online social media contests and giveaways. The paper then transitions to location, facilities, shipping, and licensing, discussing the layout, which will be in a residential garage that meets all city regulations. A best-in class e-commerce experience is vital to the success of the business. By optimizing our e-commerce platform and search marketing, we can level the playing field and standout from our competition. Therefore, Shopify will be used as the content management system and the domain name "petsuppliesusa.com" has been selected. Three potential logo designs and reasoning for each are examined. Next, the plan discusses the company and management, stating that decision making will lie in the hands of the founders even after a larger employee pool is hired and a flatter structure is employed. Lastly, the plan lists a pro forma for the business and a projection that the first year will reap final profit of $125,000 at the end of the first year of operation.
ContributorsGish, James (Author) / Trujillo, Rhett (Thesis director) / Gray, Nancy (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Companies and brands have long used well-known “celebrities” to promote their products or services - the first instance of a celebrity endorsement dates back to the 1700s. However, there is currently a rise of non-celebrity “influencers” (well-known on social media but not typical celebrities) emerging in marketing: some companies are starting to allocate more marketing funds to these influencers over celebrities. Why are companies beginning to hire non-celebrity influencers more? When are consumers more likely to be influenced by a celebrity versus a non-celebrity influencer? Does the extent of influence (i.e. credibility) of the two depend on the status/quality of the product that is being promoted? Through a research study conducted at Arizona State University, I explore the forces of taste and product status, how much power celebrities and non-celebrity influencers have over these forces, and when consumers may be more influenced by celebrities versus non-celebrity influencers.
When browsing on social media – particularly Instagram – users will see a slew of well-known celebrities featuring different brands, products, or services in their posts. Celebrity endorsements for advertising “dates back to the 1760s” (Vemuri & Madhav, 2004), so the concept has existed for a few centuries. Today, some examples of celebrity endorsements include LeBron James and Nike; Justin Bieber and Calvin Klein; Sofia Vergara and Head & Shoulders, etc. It has become almost an expectation to see celebrities in most advertisements - it seems as if utilizing exclusively commonplace models in advertising isn’t the standard norm for companies anymore. Commonplace models still have the ability to sell, but celebrities can take that selling ability to another level. As stated in an article published by Forbes, many celebrities have cult followings, so “when famous people are seen in advertisements promoting a new product, audiences are prompted to buy that product, either subliminally or directly” (Olenski 2016). Due to their widespread clout, using celebrities to market products can be quite effective in reaching consumers. For instance, if a consumer is scrolling on social media like Instagram and sees his or her favorite celebrity using a certain brand or product, this may influence that user to begin using that same brand or product as well. A person who likes a celebrity presumably holds a certain level of trust in that celebrity, and trusts his or her judgement when it comes to using a specific product or service. Companies can benefit from investing in celebrities to “[juxtapose] brands and organisations with endorser qualities such as attractiveness, likeability, and trustworthiness... they trust that these qualities will generate desirable campaign outcomes” (Vemuri & Madhav, 2004). Essentially, consumers will associate products with likable celebrities, and therein purchase them.
When browsing on social media – particularly Instagram – users will see a slew of well-known celebrities featuring different brands, products, or services in their posts. Celebrity endorsements for advertising “dates back to the 1760s” (Vemuri & Madhav, 2004), so the concept has existed for a few centuries. Today, some examples of celebrity endorsements include LeBron James and Nike; Justin Bieber and Calvin Klein; Sofia Vergara and Head & Shoulders, etc. It has become almost an expectation to see celebrities in most advertisements - it seems as if utilizing exclusively commonplace models in advertising isn’t the standard norm for companies anymore. Commonplace models still have the ability to sell, but celebrities can take that selling ability to another level. As stated in an article published by Forbes, many celebrities have cult followings, so “when famous people are seen in advertisements promoting a new product, audiences are prompted to buy that product, either subliminally or directly” (Olenski 2016). Due to their widespread clout, using celebrities to market products can be quite effective in reaching consumers. For instance, if a consumer is scrolling on social media like Instagram and sees his or her favorite celebrity using a certain brand or product, this may influence that user to begin using that same brand or product as well. A person who likes a celebrity presumably holds a certain level of trust in that celebrity, and trusts his or her judgement when it comes to using a specific product or service. Companies can benefit from investing in celebrities to “[juxtapose] brands and organisations with endorser qualities such as attractiveness, likeability, and trustworthiness... they trust that these qualities will generate desirable campaign outcomes” (Vemuri & Madhav, 2004). Essentially, consumers will associate products with likable celebrities, and therein purchase them.
ContributorsOng, Madison Courtney (Author) / Lisjak, Monika (Thesis director) / Gray, Nancy (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
In the startup community, growth hacking tactics are often a key to massive growth in a short amount of time. This is vital in a community where innovation consistently outpaces development, funding runs out fast and products are easily scalable. In this rush to get users, startup companies are finding ways to scale quickly and efficiently, leaving bigger companies unable to keep pace. This thesis examines how Fortune 500 companies can utilize growth hacking in order to mimic the successes found by startups using these techniques. When large companies implement growth hacking tactics, there are two primary models they can follow. The first is an acquisition model, where companies acquire a startup that has already implemented growth hacking tactics successfully. In this model, the startup, despite being acquired, remains autonomous from the core company and is largely allowed to continue in its efforts to grow without the strain and rules of corporate culture. The second model is an internal implementation model. In this model, the company attempts to create an "internal startup" that lives within the parameters of the company's culture and rules. The company then tries to discover and implement the best-suited growth hacking tactics themselves. At the moment, there are several instances of Fortune 500 companies implementing both models. It is important that companies experiment in implementing these tactics as one way to stay relevant and keep up with the ever changing and innovating market. In this thesis, I will attempt to implement growth hacking through MakerSource, an internal project started by Avnet, Inc. I will compare the results of the growth hacking tactics implemented within MakerSource with those implemented by Hackster.io, a startup recently acquired by Avnet, Inc. In each program a variety of push, pull and product tactics were to be implemented. While Hackster.io achieved success with their growth hacking following the acquisition model, MakerSource, following the internal implementation model saw less success.
ContributorsYoung, Jordan Stephanie (Author) / Giles, Charles (Thesis director) / Gray, Nancy (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
Branding is one of the most important tools a business can use. Whether consumers know it or not, every purchasing decision that they make – be it for a product or service – is rooted in the brand. Thus, it is somewhat of a surprise that branding for individuals did not become popularized until 1997, with Tom Peters’ article “The Brand Called You.” In his article, Peters remarks on how changes in the marketplace and technology make developing a personal brand more accessible, as well as more important. The increasingly competitive marketplace combined with the rise of social media means that personal branding is even more important and more attainable today. Thus, it is vital for students entering the workforce to develop a brand that will allow them to distinguish themselves. This research examines whether or not students understand what personal branding is and if they have taken the steps to develop their personal brand. The research questions are as follows:
• Do students understand what personal branding is?
• Are students able to define their skills?
• Do students have a career plan?
• Do students have a plan to promote their brand?
A pilot study was first distributed to students of Arizona State University which found that students lack an understanding of what personal branding is and have a need for the knowledge and tools to develop a personal brand. A workshop was then developed to address these issues. This workshop was held three times: first, for a Landscape Architecture class, second, for a marketing class, and third, for a student sales organization. The workshop discussed branding, personal branding, and then the participants were able to begin working on developing their own personal brand. The students in the first workshop had two sessions and were able to complete their own personal brand process with the workshop leader, while participants from the second and third workshops completed it on their own, after only a single workshop session. After completing the in-person workshop, participants shared their brand with their fellow students in a Google Plus page. Finally, participants completed an exit survey. This exit survey was used to measure the research questions.
The first workshop proved to be most effective, even though the participants in the first workshop were all landscape design students and the majority of the participants in the second and third workshops were business students. It was found that unless the students’ own brand development process was finished during the workshop or affected the students’ grade, it would not be completed. It was also evident in all of the workshops that slides with imagery were more effective at starting discussions than the text-heavy slides. As such, future workshops should be designed with a greater time allowance, the intent of the students’ own brand development process to be completed during the workshop, and the presentation should be redesigned to better initiate discussion among participants.
• Do students understand what personal branding is?
• Are students able to define their skills?
• Do students have a career plan?
• Do students have a plan to promote their brand?
A pilot study was first distributed to students of Arizona State University which found that students lack an understanding of what personal branding is and have a need for the knowledge and tools to develop a personal brand. A workshop was then developed to address these issues. This workshop was held three times: first, for a Landscape Architecture class, second, for a marketing class, and third, for a student sales organization. The workshop discussed branding, personal branding, and then the participants were able to begin working on developing their own personal brand. The students in the first workshop had two sessions and were able to complete their own personal brand process with the workshop leader, while participants from the second and third workshops completed it on their own, after only a single workshop session. After completing the in-person workshop, participants shared their brand with their fellow students in a Google Plus page. Finally, participants completed an exit survey. This exit survey was used to measure the research questions.
The first workshop proved to be most effective, even though the participants in the first workshop were all landscape design students and the majority of the participants in the second and third workshops were business students. It was found that unless the students’ own brand development process was finished during the workshop or affected the students’ grade, it would not be completed. It was also evident in all of the workshops that slides with imagery were more effective at starting discussions than the text-heavy slides. As such, future workshops should be designed with a greater time allowance, the intent of the students’ own brand development process to be completed during the workshop, and the presentation should be redesigned to better initiate discussion among participants.
ContributorsBinsfeld, Jacqueline Rose (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Gray, Nancy (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
“Natural” Personal Care Product and Cosmetic Marketing: An Ideographic Analysis on Product Marketing
Description
The discussion of the word “natural” in product marketing and its power to persuade consumers is not often discussed. Research on consumer behavior surrounding “natural” products is compelling due to the current lack of research on the topic and true meaning of the word. Without any legal guidelines for the marketed use of the word “natural” in the sale of personal care products and cosmetics, consumers’ perceptions of the “naturally” marketed items are subjective. Additionally, brands identify with the word “natural” in different ways, using the word as an ideograph to suggest brand enhancing associations to consumers without legally needing to support these associations.
The following thesis is a creative project that looks at all facets of the “natural” personal care product and cosmetics industry. This includes the origin, history of use, regulations, and consumers’ understanding of the word “natural” in marketing, as well as the identity of the word “natural” as an ideograph. In addition, this project illustrates in-depth analyses of the three major consumer segments of this industry. These analyses uncover each consumer type’s perceived connotations of the word “natural” in personal care product and cosmetics and their characteristics and buying behavior. Lastly, this project features a plan for a digital marketing campaign to showcase this research and incite discussion that raises awareness surrounding the word “natural” in the beauty space.
The following thesis is a creative project that looks at all facets of the “natural” personal care product and cosmetics industry. This includes the origin, history of use, regulations, and consumers’ understanding of the word “natural” in marketing, as well as the identity of the word “natural” as an ideograph. In addition, this project illustrates in-depth analyses of the three major consumer segments of this industry. These analyses uncover each consumer type’s perceived connotations of the word “natural” in personal care product and cosmetics and their characteristics and buying behavior. Lastly, this project features a plan for a digital marketing campaign to showcase this research and incite discussion that raises awareness surrounding the word “natural” in the beauty space.
ContributorsPaulson, Katherine (Author) / Hass, Mark (Thesis director) / Gray, Nancy (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
Description
The goal of this research study is to examine the nature and effects of social media marketing and the role it has played towards driving Gen Z into the luxury fashion industry. In addition, qualitative exploration focused on uncovering the reason behind why this market chooses to purchase luxury products and investigated the relationship between social media influencers, luxury brands, and their consumers.
Through 12 qualitative research interviews, five key insights were suggested from the results of the study: people buy luxury to fit in or stand out in social groups, social media marketing portrays a false reality, social media has contributed to the rise of Gen Z consumers in luxury fashion, social media has normalized owning luxury products, and social media has caused lowered self esteem and social pressure amongst Gen Z. These insights can be explained through a triangular framework, making up a marketing ecosystem involving the brand, the social media influencer, and the consumer. These three roles work together to buy and sell goods from one another. If one of the players fails to do their role, the relationships fall apart.
Given phones and apps are highly personal items often only used by one individual, understanding and comparing the ads and images one user is exposed to versus another can be very tricky. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission has increased regulations over native advertisements when viewers became unable to decipher ad from reality. Gen Z’s may inadvertently compare themselves to influencers, ultimately causing lowered self esteem when they cannot possess or achieve the lifestyle of these individuals. These insights are important to help understand how to negate the negative effects of social media marketing and propel companies to be more transparent in their marketing initiatives to reduce social pressure and poor mental health amongst Gen Z. Luxury brands could utilize more explicit differentiators on paid advertisements compared to editorial material to make audiences more knowledgeable of the type of content they are viewing. In addition, society should change the way people perceive online content and have more open discussions surrounding the ethics of native advertising and decipection social media posts may cause. The way young users interact and process social media posts is very complex. Investigating this topic is important to prevent the possible underlying repercussions of social media and help marketers best cater toward this market in an open, ethical fashion.
This study concludes with managerial applications and directions for further research. Businesses should prepare to face increasing guidelines regarding native advertising. These guidelines may include requirements to have explicit markings on branded content and binding contracts with social media influencers. To work around these restrictions, the future of luxury fashion indicates that direct to consumer strategies are on the rise. Video livestream retail and social commerce are already taking the Chinese market by storm and it's only a matter of time before American brands will be forced to adapt to keep up with changing trends in the marketplace. DTC brands benefit from having a direct channel to the consumer without interpretation or the need for intermediaries. Given this research primarily focuses on the links between the brand to influencer and influencer to consumer, future exploration could focus on the channel between the brand and consumer through direct selling. Going forward, brands may prefer to interact with their customers directly, without the use of an influencer, to help establish a close relationship with their audience through a seamless customer journey.
ContributorsElton, Eila (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Gray, Nancy (Committee member) / Bush, Leslie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
Based on the findings from previous studies and research, social media use and psychological issues among minors are increasing overtime. However, there are still questions about whether or not these factors are related to one another. The goal of my study is to better understand the relationship between social media use and the psychological issues among minors by analyzing their self-esteem, self-efficacy, social anxiety, locus of control, and peer pressure. My research examined minors' time spent on social media, their influencer engagement, and the social media platforms they use and how these factors impact the constructs of interest: self-esteem, self-efficacy, social anxiety, locus of control, and peer pressure. My study was conducted by distributing a survey to minors (ages 12-17) that asked about their social media use and habits. Based on my findings, I concluded that minors that use a large number of social media platforms have lower self-esteem and high levels of peer pressure, the more frequently a minor uses social media, the higher their self-esteem is, and the more social media influencers that the minor is following, the lower their self-efficacy is. Additionally, using certain social media platforms, following certain types of influencers, and participating in certain engagement behaviors had different effects on the minor’s self-esteem, self-efficacy, social anxiety, locus of control, and peer pressure. An implication from my results is that social media can be a positive outlet for a minor's mental health and it can impact a minor positively or negatively depending on how they use it.
ContributorsSmaw, Rebekah (Author) / Dong, Xiaodan (Thesis director) / Gray, Nancy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2022-05