Matching Items (11)
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- All Subjects: Marketing
- Language: English
- Creators: Department of Finance
- Resource Type: Text
Description
Micro influencers have become extremely powerful in terms of swaying buying patterns among consumers. This thesis examines the greater impact that micro influencers have on brand marketing. This was completed through a literature review that highlights the evolution of marketing, influencer marketing, discussing reach, relevance, and resonance, and Generation Z’s purchasing decisions. In addition, we conducted an online survey through Qualtrics that allowed us to analyze the impact social media influencers have. The results of our research indicate that TikTok is used most frequently, but Instagram is where social media influencers are followed most. From our data, we concluded that Generation Z is most influenced by authentic, genuine content created by influencers regardless of follower count. We recommend that a brand interested in reaching Generation Z (we refer to the brand as “Brand X”) use micro influencers, as our research shows that genuine relationships are valued among this generation. We believe that micro influencers are the most valuable to use as they are able to create meaningful relationships with consumers due to their reach, relevance, and resonance with the individuals their content reaches.
ContributorsYoung, Colbi G (Co-author) / Keenan, Anna (Co-author) / Giles, Charles Bret (Thesis director) / Schlacter, John (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
DescriptionDuring the Third Wave of Democratization, the United States has influenced many different cultures through politics and social interests. The way in which this has occurred is through their marketing and advertising. Many companies are the reason that the United States is a super power today.
ContributorsNebeker, Garrett Albert (Author) / Wilson, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Reiser, Mark (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Children today are being primed with technology at very young ages, leading to a more digitally focused lifestyle. Tangentially, today's digital culture has led to the increase of online shopping rather than in-store shopping. A group of students at Arizona State University's Innovation Space program, in partnership with Disney Consumer Products, set out to create a children's product that bridged the physical-digital gap, and encouraged outdoor activity. The result of their work was Blitz: a versatile, outdoor gaming console that brings traditional outdoor fun into the digital world. This thesis and paired creative project are an extension of the research and development done by the Blitz team. The purpose of this additional research is to discover how parents and children shop online in to design a website to market and sell the Blitz gaming system. Some of the topics covered include visual design, functionality, user interaction, and marketing tactics. The goal is not to develop advertising tactics to manipulate children, but to find the best ways to design for, and market children's products.
ContributorsPoindexter, Devin Alan (Author) / Fehler, Michelle (Thesis director) / Peck, Sidnee (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
The objective of this paper is to give information that can assist Independent (indie) authors at every stage of the book process: development, promotion and distribution of their books. The book market is changing, and it's changing today. As the market evolves it is essential for authors to evolve as well. Due to the market's evolution, authors must question every stage of the book process, from beginning to end. It is due to these significant changes that my paper will be formatted more as a guide for newer indie authors or authors who are having trouble keeping up with the new market. The guide will assist indie authors at every stage of the book process and will also make clear where the new market stands. In order to create a more credible guide, I collected large amounts of primary data and entered the market myself in order to truly understand the new market from an indie author's position. I found this approach essential due to the near absence of credible secondary data and because of the plethora of nuances at every stage of the book process. For primary data, I created and distributed an in-depth survey with the purpose of revealing book blogger preferences, online habits, and preferred methods of contact. The reason for my focus on book bloggers is because of the greatly increased importance of book reviews. I also believe that book blogger preferences are a good indicator of what the typical reader enjoys, giving me further insight into market preferences as a whole. I became an indie author in order to better understand the market so that I could ask the right questions and be better able to give practical suggestions. I wanted to create a guide that real indie authors could use, so it seemed natural that I should become a real indie author. This guide is structured in the way indie authors would create their book.
ContributorsCollopy, Robert Edward (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The Confessions of a College Entrepreneur is an honors project with the goal of revealing the business and marketing strategies that Charles Crawford used to create multiple successful companies. It's a collection of personal stories, book notes, millionaire interviews, and experiences that Charles had over the past 4 years of intense business experience and research across multiple industries. Charles wants college students and business owners to succeed in business ventures and life in general. This creative thesis project is the map for how to do just that.
ContributorsCrawford, Charles Joseph (Author) / Budolfson, Arthur (Thesis director) / Giles, Charles (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
This project examines the correlation between consumer perception and willingness to pay for electric vehicles (EVs). Using secondary research regarding sustainability, pricing and other factors influencing or swaying purchasing decisions, newfound details were uncovered. A survey was then created to collect primary research data, gauging general interest using a side-by-side comparison of the top three U.S. auto manufacturers and their efforts to transition to the next era of the automobile. From this, new marketing and advertising techniques are offered to allow for a more widespread adoption and quicker transition to full EV lineups in the near future - essentially, closing the gap from interest to action.
ContributorsKonya, Nicholas M (Author) / Gray, Nancy (Thesis director) / White, Philip (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
As social media continues to grow, so does the need to have a strong online presence that exhibits a unique personal brand. However, with social media platforms ranging from Twitter to Instagram to LinkedIn, it is a challenge for Millennials to know how to build a personal brand that is appropriate for all potential audiences. More than just friends and family are viewing our social media profiles; it is common practice for potential employers too and it can be difficult to cater our social media for both. This thesis looks at how personal branding has evolved with the rapid expansion of social media and the relationship between the two. It also looks at the importance of personal branding and best/worst practices for social media. Although there is an emphasis of professional networking platforms in my primary research, I also discuss how social media affects our personal, along with our professional, relationships. There is also a focus on the types of perceptions people make about someone’s personal brand based off of what they see on social media. To better understand people’s perceptions of social media as it relates to personal branding, I conducted interviews with job recruiters and administered a survey, which tested recommendations collected from the first interviews.
ContributorsLee, Juliana A (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Schlacter, John (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Personal branding within the music industry has long fallen under the supervision of profit-centric major record labels, whose control extended throughout artist’s music, copyrights, merchandising, and fair-use compensation. This paper explores how artists’ branding has evolved within the recording industry alongside the development of emerging technologies and the discovery of certain patterns in consumer behavior. Starting with an overarching exploration of the origins of commercialized music, this paper iterates how certain record labels ascended the corporate hierarchy to influence consumers’ accessible listening options. This understanding leads to an analysis of the inception of illegal file-sharing websites as an outlet for music distribution, as well as its long-lasting effects on industry distribution tactics and music streaming platforms. This paper then narrows to the origins of the rap industry, delving into the traditionally-rooted experiential celebrations that birthed such an impactful genre. Following an understanding of the history of the recording and rap industries, this paper identifies the modern music listener’s behaviors and choices, supplemented by an examination of how consumer social technologies have motivated these changes. To best understand the role of these evolving perceptions, this paper evaluates four successful rap artists - Chance the Rapper, Tekashi 6ix9ine, Lil Nas X, and Travis Scott - and determines the strategies employed by these individuals and their branding teams. Finally, in determining these strategies, this paper outlines the essential takeaways from this research that would aid in the advancement of an artist’s personal branding today.
ContributorsBoyle, Jared Devin (Co-author) / Schneider, Garrett (Co-author) / Giles, Charles (Thesis director) / Lisjak, Monika (Committee member) / School of Music (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
The Arizona Fall League is a baseball league affiliated with Major League Baseball to provide further development to seven of each MLB team’s top minor league prospects. The games are played at the same stadiums as spring training in Arizona but historically draw a very low attendance in comparison. The marketing strategies currently used to promote and advertise the Arizona Fall League are not sufficient to meet the goal of increased attendance and increased profits as a result. The league currently markets its core product to the customer, meaning the actual baseball game itself along with the highly talented players, rather than the actual product provided to fans, meaning the social utility they gain from their experiences at an Arizona Fall League game along with the game. The league needs to focus mainly on two target markets: men and women ages 18-25 and families with children under 18. In order to shift the focus to the actual product, the league’s marketing staff should run promotions (alongside their current promotions) in association with local sports bars or restaurants and places that provide entertainment, such as Top Golf. They also should revamp their social media accounts to integrate a more fan-focused base for their posts, making fans feel like they are a greater part of the experience. These improvements would drive up attendance and generate more profits for the Arizona Fall League.
ContributorsMcCann, Matthew Donald (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This paper discusses the development of the mobile gaming industry and analyzes a mobile game acquisition to provide context to the entire market. By discussing the history and growth of the industry, I discovered that mobile gaming was a massive opportunity for companies to generate lucrative earnings. The discussion revolving around the evolution of the mobile gaming business model serves to provide context on the industry’s unique opportunities and risk factors. Candy Crush’s developer King is the main focus in this paper as they were the highest-performing public company in the market. The company is the greatest example of the mobile gaming phenomenon, experiencing rapid growth due to the success of its games, faltering in financial performance after going public, and finally becoming a subsidiary of a larger video game company that recognized King’s potential. King’s acquirer, Activision-Blizzard (ATVI), is an industry veteran of the overall video game industry that bought out King in an attempt to capitalize on the rising popularity of mobile games and to improve their strategic position in the larger video game market. The mergers & acquisitions (M&A) analysis between ATVI and King serves to determine whether or not the acquisition was an appropriately priced deal and if King represented a worthy buy. A discounted cash flows model is the basis for the analysis using a wide range of assumptions to account for the volatility of the industry. Finally, an event study and post-acquisition analysis are conducted to determine if any financial synergies were achieved in the ATVI-King acquisition. While the analyses do not offer a definitive conclusion on King’s post-acquisition performance, it can be said that the company has managed to achieve some measure of longevity. In the context of the entire mobile gaming market, the potential of mobile games should make developers attractive in the eyes of investors and acquirers, provided they understand the mobile gaming industry’s unique risks.
ContributorsDai, Yongjun (Author) / Simonson, Mark (Thesis director) / Geoffrey, Smith (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05