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: Department of Marketing
Description
There are over 4,000 higher education institutions in the U.S., according to the National Center for Education Statistics. With a variety of options at an applicant’s disposal, the competition for institutions to attract their desired student body can be fierce. Some factors many consider when searching for the perfect college are its reputation and brand. Increasingly, universities have chosen to engage in marketing and branding techniques once reserved for corporations. According to a report by the Santa Clara Consulting Group, “a university is no longer just an institution of higher learning but also a business.” In coordination with this growing trend, institutions have been propelled to undergo some extent of a transformation to achieve their goals. This paper examines three institutions representing different higher education categories that have undergone or are currently undergoing some extent of a reputational shift. Looking at a large public university, an Ivy League institution and a liberal arts college, the research explores the various communications efforts made by each institution and how they compare. In some cases, the communications department is an integral component of the shift, while sometimes it provides mostly auxiliary support. Ultimately, this research hopes to provide insight into the following questions: what actions can an institution’s communications department take to help strengthen its reputation and grow its brand; and how do these strategies compare among various types of institutions?
ContributorsWolfe, Alexandra C (Author) / Hass, Mark (Thesis director) / Smiley, Andrea (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
The following is a public relations strategy developed to position Julia Pearl Wellness, a corporate wellness consulting firm, and its owner, Julia Pearl, as credible, professional and experienced. The first portion includes a situational analysis, a research report on corporate wellness programs and the need for health solutions in the U.S., and market analysis. The campaign proposal, a creative product of the research, provides recommendations and tools for the firm to reach its stakeholders.
ContributorsWerner, Anna Nicole (Author) / Hass, Mark (Thesis director) / Bovio, Sonia (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Our goal for the project was to formulate a reliable promotion strategy that, when implemented, will help future independent artists successfully get discovered and build an engaged following of their own. To do this, we set out to create moments of discovery - the moment when a listener decides they have a particular affinity for an artist or song. In an effort to find a better and more dependable process for independent artists to be discovered, we tested our theories on Apollo Bravo, an innovative, Alternative/Electronic passion project, created by two of our group members, Max Fees, and Cole Kinerk.
We found that traditional means of exposure offer little insight into an artist's growing audience and can pose several challenges when measuring their efficacy and return on investment. Through these channels, artists can spend thousands of dollars promoting themselves to disinterested individuals while learning very little about their audience in the process. If only there was a reliable method for artists to introduce themselves to the people most likely to enjoy what they have to offer…
By harnessing the power of Facebook’s audience targeting machine learning ad platform, artists have an opportunity like never before to:
1) Find an audience without compromise
2) Study and engage with said audience
3) Find millions more listeners who, based on their Facebook data, resemble their growing fanbase.
Furthermore, the more time and money artists are willing to invest in their ad campaigns, the more opportunities they create for Facebook’s machine learning algorithms to learn and optimize, thus targeting more desirable listeners more efficiently
Though access to new listeners is at an all time high, finding this audience requires strategy. In the context of driving results and creating an audience - honing one’s skills as a marketer is just as important as it is honing their skills as an artist. Before all else, artists must identify their genre and differentiating factors. A firm understanding of positioning and value proposition is necessary to inform one’s targeting, content and copy development strategies.
By harnessing the power of targeted advertising, machine learning, and brand strategy any artist can find and develop an engaged following. Furthermore, these powerful advertising platforms let independent artists circumvent the top-down system that the music industry has operated on since its inception. No longer do artists have to find a label or sign away their next five years to be successful. Through digital advertising and a small amount of ad spend, any artist can find the
right listener, a listener waiting to fall in love with their music.
We found that traditional means of exposure offer little insight into an artist's growing audience and can pose several challenges when measuring their efficacy and return on investment. Through these channels, artists can spend thousands of dollars promoting themselves to disinterested individuals while learning very little about their audience in the process. If only there was a reliable method for artists to introduce themselves to the people most likely to enjoy what they have to offer…
By harnessing the power of Facebook’s audience targeting machine learning ad platform, artists have an opportunity like never before to:
1) Find an audience without compromise
2) Study and engage with said audience
3) Find millions more listeners who, based on their Facebook data, resemble their growing fanbase.
Furthermore, the more time and money artists are willing to invest in their ad campaigns, the more opportunities they create for Facebook’s machine learning algorithms to learn and optimize, thus targeting more desirable listeners more efficiently
Though access to new listeners is at an all time high, finding this audience requires strategy. In the context of driving results and creating an audience - honing one’s skills as a marketer is just as important as it is honing their skills as an artist. Before all else, artists must identify their genre and differentiating factors. A firm understanding of positioning and value proposition is necessary to inform one’s targeting, content and copy development strategies.
By harnessing the power of targeted advertising, machine learning, and brand strategy any artist can find and develop an engaged following. Furthermore, these powerful advertising platforms let independent artists circumvent the top-down system that the music industry has operated on since its inception. No longer do artists have to find a label or sign away their next five years to be successful. Through digital advertising and a small amount of ad spend, any artist can find the
right listener, a listener waiting to fall in love with their music.
ContributorsKinerk, Cole B (Co-author) / Fees, Max (Co-author) / Patrick, Angela (Co-author) / Hass, Mark (Thesis director) / Patrick, Brad (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
“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