Matching Items (8)
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- All Subjects: Public Relations
- Creators: School of Community Resources and Development
- Creators: Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm
Description
Starting in 2002, Arizona State University (ASU) began a rebranding effort to transition from having a reputation as a top 10 party school to being known as a prestigious research institution. Over the last 15 years, ASU has successfully reached some of these goals, eventually being named the #1 most innovative university in the country by the U.S. News and World Report. Part of this success can be attributed to the university's communication and marketing efforts, which seek to improve the university's reputation and build relationships with stakeholders. This study analyzes ASU's communication entities, how they interact and what messages they push out to stakeholders, particularly in regards to the #1 in innovation award. Primary research in this study looked at keywords used by different stakeholder groups affiliated with ASU, how they viewed ASU's reputation and how they receive communication from the university. Overall, the closer the relationship with ASU, the more positively the respondent viewed the university. Perception also varied based on geographic location and proximity to the university. Innovation is clearly a key brand perception of ASU from stakeholders, and the party school image is still persistent among those not affiliated with the university.
ContributorsHarrelson, Savannah Lee (Author) / Renzulli, Virgil (Thesis director) / Bovio, Sonia (Committee member) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
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
This study examines the The Disney College Program, a semester-long paid internship hosted by the Walt Disney Company employing more than 10,000 students each year. With over 120,000 alumni in the past 10 years, this program offers students housing and community building opportunities within the "Living" component, college credit courses within the "Learning" component, and on-the-job experience at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World theme parks through the "Earning" component. Specifically, the research focuses on Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The researcher conducted a 39-question online survey prompting 1,749 responses from Disney College Program alumni to help answer the following research questions: (1) Who are Disney College Program Cast Members, (2) What is their level of satisfaction with the program, and (3) Are they influencers? This study uses theoretical elements (e.g. levels of adoption, influencers and brand loyalty) to describe influence and psychological effects to describe satisfaction (e.g. indoctrination, human motivation and Stockholm Syndrome). With the findings showing discrepancies between the ratings of "Living," "Learning," and "Earning" and the average overall rating, some questions arise about the program's tendencies to form tightly cohesive groups approaching elements of Stockholm Syndrome and cult-like ethos. Focusing on the 1,490 of 1,749 respondents from Walt Disney World in the past 10 years, the study concludes that Walt Disney World College Program alumni are not influencers nor advocates, but rather evangelists (i.e., zealous advocate) and loyalists.
ContributorsMcgowan, Sloane Shea (Author) / Matera, Fran (Thesis director) / Archer, Ciara (Committee member) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / College of Public Service and Community Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This study investigates the use and perception of communications efforts among 197 animal-related and human services nonprofit organizations. Several facets of nonprofit communication such as traditional communication usage, social media adoption and usage, and the overall perception of the organizations' communications efforts were examined using a survey and Form 990 analysis. More in-depth analysis was conducted on the participating organizations' Facebook and Twitter accounts as well. After analyzing this data, the study found significant differences in how these two types of nonprofit organizations conduct their communications efforts. Animal-related organizations were much more active and saw higher levels of engagement on Facebook than human services organizations; however, there were no differences in how both types of organizations used Twitter. This study also found that human services organizations are more likely to have full-time or part-time staff members in charge of their communications, while animal-related organizations were more likely to assign this responsibility to a volunteer. These findings contribute valuable insight into how different types of nonprofit organizations are communicating with their stakeholders.
ContributorsColeman, Alexandria Elizabeth (Author) / Wu, Xu (Thesis director) / Taj, Torrie (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
A guide to implementing empathy in crisis communications
ContributorsLong, Mary Louise (Author) / Schmidtke, Lisa (Thesis director) / Bovio, Sonia (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
The Walt Disney Company has been successful in developing adored brands for nearly a century. Although the company’s business ventures are in a wide variety of industries, Disney Parks and Resorts has become a staple of the company earning 20.3 billion dollars in revenue.
The Walt Disney Company theme parks would be nothing without its integral Disney branding. Utilizing characters and storytelling from both classic and brand new Disney brands, Disney Parks and Resorts creates a quality brand through unique theming and world class service.
This thesis will dive into the different areas of the Disney Parks and Resorts and how the company has managed and tailored their brand in these faucets to create an unforgettably Disney experience through storytelling and impeccable service.
The Walt Disney Company theme parks would be nothing without its integral Disney branding. Utilizing characters and storytelling from both classic and brand new Disney brands, Disney Parks and Resorts creates a quality brand through unique theming and world class service.
This thesis will dive into the different areas of the Disney Parks and Resorts and how the company has managed and tailored their brand in these faucets to create an unforgettably Disney experience through storytelling and impeccable service.
ContributorsHathaway, Catherine Elizabeth (Author) / Hass, Mark (Thesis director) / Paniagua, Krista (Committee member) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Tiger Woods’ adultery scandal was one of the most widely covered sports stories of the 2000s, in part because of how famous he was as a person and athlete. But the scandal and Tiger’s handling of it provided public relations professionals one of the most relevant crisis communications case studies in the history of sports. This case study is split into three sections; pre-scandal, the scandal itself and then his road to recovery. The case study is accompanied by an essay analyzing Woods’ crisis communications and image restoration strategies.
ContributorsVatti, Rayan (Author) / Hass, Mark (Thesis director) / Hege, Kristen (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor, Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
On March 12, 2020, The Walt Disney Company announced that its U.S. Disney Parks, Disneyland and Walt Disney World, would close because of COVID-19. This study aims to determine how park annual passholders and frequent guests of the U.S. Disney Parks reacted to COVID-19 related news from The Walt Disney Company and if it impacts their decision to visit the parks. To determine this, five focus groups were conducted with annual passholders and frequent guests of the U.S. Disney Parks. Their social media habits, relationship with The Walt Disney Company, and reactions to COVID-19 related news was discussed. The results showed that while annual passholders and frequent guests may get their information from third party accounts, face confusion on some topics, and have reservations about COVID-19 during park reopenings, they still trust The Walt Disney Company and are eager to enter the parks again.
ContributorsHoldaway, Emily (Author) / Gilpin, Dawn (Thesis director) / Bovio, Sonia (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12