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This paper looks at the growth of influencer marketing in application and how it has shifted the relationship between brands and consumers. Barriers to enter the space and methods of practice are discussed and analyzed to project the accessibility of obtaining influencer status. Best practices for brands and influencers are outlined based on research, and key findings are analyzed from interviewed participants that play an active role in the field. Another component of the paper includes the discussion of the significance of platform dependence regarding influencers and brands using social media channels to reach consumers. The dynamic of the relationship that exists between consumers, brands and platforms is demonstrated through a model to demonstrate the interdependence of the relationship. The final component of the paper involves the exploration of the field as an active participant through an experiment that was conducted by the researcher on behalf of the question: can anyone be an influencer? The answer to this question is explored through personal accounts on the journey during an eight month process of testing content creation and promotion to build awareness and increase engagement. The barriers to enter the space as an influencer and to collaborate with brands is addressed through the process of testing tactics and strategies on social channels, along with travel expeditions across Arizona to contribute to content creation purposed into blog articles. The findings throughout the paper are conclusive that the value of influencer marketing is increasing as more brands validate and utilize this method in their marketing efforts.
ContributorsDavis, Natalie Marie (Author) / Giles, Bret (Thesis director) / Schlacter, John (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The automotive industry is a staple of the U.S. economy, an international job generator and a leader in research and innovation. Cars have symbolized freedom and independence for generations. But to Millennials, they represent additional payments and crowded parking lots. Millennials are the largest generational cohort and wield considerable buying power. This thesis used case studies and elite interviews to examine Millennials' buying habits and how automotive marketers can reach this audience. The project found that life events, such as moving into the suburbs or having a family, are what motivate Millennials to buy cars. When they do purchase vehicles, Millennials strive to balance the need for practicality with the desire to purchase aspirational brands. Automakers that support Millennials during their consumer research and position their cars as a supplement to the Millennial lifestyle tend to resonate with the generation.
ContributorsSitter, Katherine Faith (Author) / Barrett, Marianne (Thesis director) / Edsall, Larry (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
What's in a name? A person not a number is a multimedia eBook that will explore how the media treats coverage of sexual assault victims and challenges the traditional no-naming policy instilled in almost every professional newsroom. Historical context to no-naming policies, opinions from critics of the no-naming policy and legal information will be provided. This book serves to encourage journalists and editors to consider identifying victims after long, thoughtful discussions, to educate media consumers on the topic, to eradicate the societal stigma of rape, and to reflect the views of survivors so that they may feel more willing to share their stories. Identifying sexual assault victims conforms to the journalistic imperative to tell the truth as fully as possible and to inform the public as completely as possible. When the information is part of the public record and there are no legal limitations on its use, identifying sexual assault victims will have a positive impact in educating the public and eradicating the stigma associated with being the victim of sexual assault. This book proposes that through educated, thoughtful and truthful stories about sexual assault can spark careful conversations and help turn around the stigma our society has placed on victims. The full eBook, complete with photos, videos and other audio components, is available at https://alejandraarmstrong.atavist.com/whats-in-a-name-a-person-not-a-number.
ContributorsArmstrong, Alejandra Moya (Author) / Gilger, Kristin (Thesis director) / Petchel, Jacqueline (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
It is important to examine training programs for in-store associates in the specialty retail industry. The retail industry is strong right now, and growth is expected to be at 7% over the next 10 years. In the retail industry, the Internet poses a credible threat to brick and mortar stores, as many customers now prefer to shop online. To compensate for this, storefronts need to provide an increasingly exceptional in-store experience to drive sales and maintain customer relationships. Creating excellent training programs for in-store associates is the best way in which to improve the relationship between the customer and the associate and create an excellent store experience. Strong associate training programs have numerous benefits to the overarching organization. An employee that feels confident and competent in their job is more engaged at work. Engaged employees are less likely to quit than average, which means a strong training program can save a company turnover costs and loss of institutional knowledge. Additionally, an engaged associate is more likely to exert extra discretionary effort, which increases operational efficiency. Ultimately, an engaged employee will strengthen the service profit chain and create a better overall experience for the customer. When creating a training program it is important to take into account the learning preferences of the company's associates. Millennial learners prefer working in groups, integrated technology, and lessons that are applicable to real life. Generation X learners are self-sufficient and view time as a luxury. They expect material to be straightforward and concise. Additionally, when creating a training program it is important to benchmark programs within and outside of the operating industry. REI has a comprehensive training program that focuses on connecting employees to the mission of the company as well as in-depth product knowledge. Macy's recently overhauled its training program to include more face time with managers and semi-annual refresher trainings. Ritz-Carlton, a step outside of the retail industry, provides legendary training where employees receive over 250 hours of training in the first year alone. Ritz-Carlton employees are highly engaged and autonomous in their work, which leads to an excellent hotel experience. Using my internship as a field study, I share some important results from work with a Fortune 400 specialty retailer headquartered in the Phoenix Valley. Here I examine the associate and customer relationship with the aim of improving the in-store experience. Through benchmarking, associate interviews, and data analysis I am able to recommend a long-term vision for training at the organization where up-to-date product information is accessible in the aisle and overall knowledge well rounded through buddy shift programs and cross-training. My overall recommendation for the specialty retail industry is to take a holistic approach to training. I advocate looking at training programs from multiple perspectives including learning preferences, employee motivations, and corporate culture. Additionally, holistic training means that a company educates and trains associates in all areas of the business through cross-training and buddy shifts. Holistic training will create an engaged work force and improve the customer experience.
ContributorsHouts, Madeline Kirby (Author) / Mokwa, Michael (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Management (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
While Italian and American news may look similar from a surface observation, the history and the development of news practices in each respective country is very different. The intent of this research is to dissect the breaking news cycle and point out differences and offer an explanation as to why these differences exist. The research for this will be collected using a variety of methods including first-hand observation, interviews and photographs. It will require travel to the four Italian media locations that are being compared as well as historic research to be conducted in order to provide context for the study. What is collected at the various Italian media organizations will be compared with the American news outlets The Arizona Republic and Arizona NBC affiliate, 12 News. The study goals are focused around three main research questions that aim to uncover differences in breaking news practices regarding ethics, the reporting process and promotion using social media. Cultural, historic and physical barriers separate the two countries. Because of this, directly comparing breaking news between the locations will be difficult, thus it is crucial to be able to analyze what data are being gathered in order to uncover patterns and draw conclusions.
ContributorsNicosia, Domenico Giuseppe (Author) / Silcock, B. William (Thesis director) / Dell'Anna, Antonella (Committee member) / Johnson, Aric (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor)
Created2014-05
DescriptionThe purpose of this study is to assess to what degree employees of the Commercial Service are knowledgeable about social media. It is also a means to learn about the perceptions of social media within the U.S. government and the Commercial Service and examine its innovation culture.
ContributorsSinclair, Torunn Kathryn (Author) / Matera, Fran (Thesis director) / Phillips, Robin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
This paper aims to assess potential similarities and differences in the way that public relations professionals approach ethics in Spain and The United States. The approach taken for this study was first a thematic analysis of industry-accepted codes of ethics. These were the PRSA Code of Ethics from the United States and the ADECEC and Dircom codes of ethics from Spain. Although the codes provide a basis for a basic analysis, it is hard to say how public relations professionals implement ethical practices in their work solely based on codes of ethics. To further study the ethics in practice, interviews with public relations professionals from a 2012 trip to Madrid were transcribed and analyzed for key themes. To assess ethics in practice in the United States, public relations blog posts related to ethics were analyzed for key themes. The history of public relations in Spain is much shorter than in the United States The histories of the and cultural differences may be the cause of some of the differences in ethics.
ContributorsLurie, Hannah Jessica (Author) / Gilpin, Dawn (Thesis director) / Matera, Fran (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor)
Created2014-05
DescriptionThe purpose of this thesis is to analyze and outline the different publicity and promotion tactics along with social media tactics that film studios use to market their films and the overall importance of the audience.
ContributorsEngers, Carli Noelle (Author) / Pucci, Jessica (Thesis director) / Chadha, Monica (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
On September 11, 2012, terrorists attacked the American Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi, Libya. Four men died in the attack, including a U.S. ambassador, and 10 others were injured. As has become customary with terrorist attacks, there was constant coverage of the attack by newsrooms all over the world. And as terrorism has become a more prevalent occurrence, newspapers have been confronted with unique ethical issues. This study examines how four international newspapers – The New York Times in the United States, The International Herald Tribune in France, The Gulf Times in Qatar and The Guardian in Britain— responded to the attack in Benghazi and whether they violated journalism ethical codes in three specific areas. A content analysis of 140 print articles published in a little more than three weeks after the attack revealed that The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune were more likely to frame the attack around politics, whereas The Guardian and The Gulf Times focused on international ramifications of the attack. It also found that all four newspapers changed their stories on what was to blame for the attack as time went on. In this study, a total of 41 violations of ethical codes were displayed. The Guardian presented the highest number with 15. These findings suggest that the newspaper’s geographic separation from the incident and Britain’s lack of personal involvement may have influenced its coverage. Additionally, the findings revealed that journalism ethics codes need to be updated to reflect some of the moral dilemmas that are unique to terrorist attacks.
ContributorsMcCarthy, Meghan Catherine (Author) / Silcock, Bill (Thesis director) / Carlson, John (Committee member) / Magruder, Jane (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Entertainment Marketing to the Millennial Generation is an honors thesis project which combines research with a creative application. The thesis consists of four main segments: an overview of data surrounding Millennials, a discussion of three companies that successfully marketed to this generation, the creation and explanation of a proposed marketing modeling framework and an application of the previously found conclusions to a brief advertising strategy for Paramount Pictures. This thesis first looks at the Millennial Generation to answer the question "Who are the Millennials?" and to more clearly understand their role as media and entertainment consumers. Characteristics of technological dependence, fast-moving attention spans, desire for connection, and unique brand perceptions emerged as most significant. The case studies examine the marketing campaigns of Lionsgate Films' The Hunger Games, Nickelodeon's The 90s Are All That and MTV Iggy's Music Experiment. Strategic tactics used to target and foster a strong Millennial fan-base were identified. The previously discovered principles led to the development of a modeling framework to be used to build a Millennial-focused marketing campaign. The framework utilizes the five key elements of connectedness, hyper-advertising, technological leadership, brand currency and cultural edge. Finally, all findings were gathered and applied to Paramount Pictures. The knowledge gained from Millennial research, the case studies and the marketing framework shaped recommendations for a creative advertising brief for Paramount Pictures' Anchorman 2. The general principles of the thesis were also suggested for use in marketing in various industries.
ContributorsHoy, Grace Dorothy Curran (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Olsen, Douglas (Committee member) / Brooks, Daniel (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor)
Created2013-05