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Artificial intelligence (AI) is a burgeoning technology, industry, and field of study. While interest levels regarding its applications in marketing have not yet translated into widespread adoption, AI holds tremendous potential for vastly altering how marketing is done. As such, AI in marketing is a crucial topic to research. By

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a burgeoning technology, industry, and field of study. While interest levels regarding its applications in marketing have not yet translated into widespread adoption, AI holds tremendous potential for vastly altering how marketing is done. As such, AI in marketing is a crucial topic to research. By analyzing its current applications, its potential use cases in the near future, how to implement it and its areas for improvement, we can achieve a high-level understanding of AI's long-term implications in marketing. AI offers an improvement to current marketing tactics, as well as entirely new ways of creating and distributing value to customers. For example, programmatic advertising and social media marketing can allow for a more comprehensive view of customer behavior, predictive analytics, and deeper insights through integration with AI. New marketing tools like biometrics, voice, and conversational user interfaces offer novel ways to add value for brands and consumers alike. These innovations all carry similar characteristics of hyper-personalization, efficient spending, scalable experiences, and deep insights. There are important issues that need to be addressed before AI is extensively implemented, including the potential for it to be used maliciously, its effects on job displacement, and the technology itself. The recent progression of AI in marketing is indicative that it will be adopted by a majority of companies soon. The long-term implications of vast implementation are crucial to consider, as an AI-powered industry entails fundamental changes to the skill-sets required to thrive, the way marketers and brands work, and consumer expectations.
ContributorsCannella, James (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Giles, Charles (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
This thesis examined whether the saturation of the social identity environment could impact consumer decision-making and preferences. One experimental study revealed that consumer preference for identity-salient products is moderated by the strength of the identity of the consumer and saturation of the social identity environment. Results showed that when participants

This thesis examined whether the saturation of the social identity environment could impact consumer decision-making and preferences. One experimental study revealed that consumer preference for identity-salient products is moderated by the strength of the identity of the consumer and saturation of the social identity environment. Results showed that when participants held a strong native membership, they were more likely to engage with identity relevant products when in an unsaturated (vs. saturated) social identity environment. Conversely, participants who held a low native membership were more likely to engage with identity relevant products when they are in a saturated social identity environment vs. an unsaturated social identity environment.
ContributorsRamohalli, Kavitha (Author) / Kristofferson, Kirk (Thesis director) / Morales, Andrea (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
Becoming good at selling is a nuanced skill. Many pivotal techniques are often not communicated properly in the training and onboarding phases, leaving many members of the sales force "crippled" before they even get into the field. We set out to discern the "best practices" of selling, and the underlying

Becoming good at selling is a nuanced skill. Many pivotal techniques are often not communicated properly in the training and onboarding phases, leaving many members of the sales force "crippled" before they even get into the field. We set out to discern the "best practices" of selling, and the underlying causes as to why they work. Through meticulous research obtained via study of experiments, sourced articles and other academic papers we compiled a thorough outline detailing the most efficient ways to build a relationship with the buyer and close the sale. From there we discussed the methodology to implement those skills into a complete sales training program. This paper serves as an informational guide to the necessary skills to complete a sale and how to train for those skills.
ContributorsSweeney, Connor (Co-author) / Reid, Tyler (Co-author) / Dietrich, John (Thesis director) / Ostrom, Lonnie (Committee member) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
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Description
The millennial generation is quickly solidifying its place as the dominate generation within the workforce. As millennials transition through workplace hierarchy it is essential organizations understand how to properly develop incoming talent. This is especially important within sales as the opportunity cost for hiring and developing new sales professionals is

The millennial generation is quickly solidifying its place as the dominate generation within the workforce. As millennials transition through workplace hierarchy it is essential organizations understand how to properly develop incoming talent. This is especially important within sales as the opportunity cost for hiring and developing new sales professionals is much higher compared to other professions. Downward trends in millennial retention rates is also a strong contributing factor to the importance of understanding the millennial generation. This paper aims to identify key concepts and elements employers should incorporate into their sales training programs in order to better develop millennials entering sales roles. Through an analysis of each generation and sales training a clear framework will be identified to achieve this goal. Analyzing millennials unique strengths and weaknesses will provide the basis for the key areas employers need to focus on when designing their sales development programs. The framework identified is easily adaptable within any organizations as the concepts discussed can be universally applied.
ContributorsStensland, Zachary William (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Schlacter, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
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Description

With as rapid a growth that Esports has had and its current introduction to the public mainstream, there is yet to be sufficient studies and research compiled to fully develop the profile of an Esport consumer. While companies such as Neilson and others have begun scratching the surface of the

With as rapid a growth that Esports has had and its current introduction to the public mainstream, there is yet to be sufficient studies and research compiled to fully develop the profile of an Esport consumer. While companies such as Neilson and others have begun scratching the surface of the Esport community, there is much that is relatively unknown. Consumer behavior patterns of traditional sports has been defined for years, however as the billion dollar a year industry that Esports is, Esport consumer behavior is still taking shape. This thesis will attempt to build upon previous studies conducted by former Arizona State University students to continue to define the Esport consumer. Through quantitative research conducted via an online survey consisting of demographic, behavioral, and psychographic questions, the stereotype of an Esport consumer will be dissolved to reveal their true nature. This study will prove to be an iteration among the previous research by -<br/>• Developing a functional segmentation of Esport consumers, which will allow for marketers within the industry to better understand their audience in their attempts to persuade/incentivize<br/>• Understanding and dissecting the scale of influence that content creators (those who play Esports for the purpose of entertaining through various platforms) and competitive Esport athletes have on certain segmentations of consumers<br/>• Discovering the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on certain segmentations in regards to their time spent playing themselves<br/><br/> After compiling results from this questionnaire, marketers that are both endemic and non-endemic brands seeking to partner within the Esports space will have a better understanding of their audience and how to connect with them.

ContributorsPearson, Samuel Tyler (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
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Description

Workers in sales roles are often faced with a large number of time management decisions on a daily basis. Sales people must choose where they should be spending their time in order to create revenue while also maintaining a healthy work-life balance. In this thesis project, a sales process is

Workers in sales roles are often faced with a large number of time management decisions on a daily basis. Sales people must choose where they should be spending their time in order to create revenue while also maintaining a healthy work-life balance. In this thesis project, a sales process is analyzed to see if there is an opportunity to increase both revenue and work-life balance. This paper investigates a wholesale insurance brokerage company, Risk Placement Services, and their sales force of brokers. A significant portion of these brokers’ workday consists of the backend task of marketing accounts to insurance carriers to find coverage. This is necessary for the completion of the sales cycle but either limits the amount of time brokers can be out on the road or on calls trying to bring in new business or makes them work longer off the clock hours to get these accounts out to insurance carriers. The more business a broker is bringing in, the more time they have to spend marketing these new accounts to carriers, which puts them into a constant snowball of increasing tasks and goals. The main model for the analysis of this problem will be Reframing Organizations by Bolman & Deal which focuses on using their four-frame model to analyze and gain more insight into organizations. Being able to understand this problem from multiple perspectives will allow a more holistic solution to be reached. Following this analysis multiple potential solutions are discussed towards the end of this thesis project.

ContributorsWard, James Henry (Author) / deLusé, Stephanie (Thesis director) / Thomas, Ash (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
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Description
In today’s society we see an increasing amount of food being wasted because of impractical aesthetic production standards and idealistic consumer standards. Unrealistic ideals regarding outward produce appearance drive these standards. As imperfect, ugly produce waste is on the rise, further research on what drives consumer preferences is necessary to

In today’s society we see an increasing amount of food being wasted because of impractical aesthetic production standards and idealistic consumer standards. Unrealistic ideals regarding outward produce appearance drive these standards. As imperfect, ugly produce waste is on the rise, further research on what drives consumer preferences is necessary to combat this growing issue. Variations in outside appearance deem produce imperfect despite its perfectly normal interior quality. In this research, I will explore whether a market segmentation variable such as political ideology drives purchase for imperfect, inferior produce. I will also explore whether a balance salient condition, indicated through balance-oriented slogans, drives purchase for imperfect, inferior produce. I will study the differences between vertical differentiation and horizontal differentiation as they relate to consumer identity. I will also study how all consumers, in particular conservatives, utilize balance motive and compensatory reasoning to justify their purchasing decisions. In a polarized society with dominant political identities, marketers can more easily target consumers through their political opinions. By understanding consumers’ ideology, marketers can improve marketing efforts that will ultimately better appeal to their rationale. Through a pretest measuring how many oranges were taken in balance-oriented conditions and a main field study, I investigate how political ideology plays a role in influencing the number of imperfect, inferior oranges taken. I also investigate how balance salient conditions play a role in influencing how many imperfect, inferior oranges consumers will take. This study opens doors for future research to further investigate how political ideology and balance salient conditions may impact consumer preference for imperfect, unattractive produce items.
ContributorsGoldhirsch, Julia (Author) / Lisjak, Monika (Thesis director) / Mandel, Naomi (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
Companies are constantly looking for a way to increase sales and productivity from their workforce. A popular way to spark motivation and competition is through employee sales contests or incentive-based plans. In theory, these contests are geared to include every employee at the sales level in the organization and are

Companies are constantly looking for a way to increase sales and productivity from their workforce. A popular way to spark motivation and competition is through employee sales contests or incentive-based plans. In theory, these contests are geared to include every employee at the sales level in the organization and are thought to boost motivation across the board. But, sales contests receive substantial attention regarding their effectiveness from the academic and professional press due to some unethical incidents happening at large corporations. There have been many studies regarding the effectiveness of contests, but many have inconclusive results and do not produce a definite answer. Because of this, further research is needed to confirm the effectiveness of such contests used in the professional world. Further research would require a study that is much longer in length, as there are many variables that are behind the psychological factors associated to sales contests.

I conducted a study on the effective design, implementation, motivational factors, and takeaways upon completion of such contests. The purpose of this study is to find out whether or not sales contests are an effective way of motivating a diverse workforce. The results suggest that sales contests are a hyper-efficient tool to increase employee motivation but must be prepared for and implemented correctly in order to achieve efficient results. I recommend that sales managers use contests as a tool to gauge the motivational and behavioral changes in their employees resulting from such contests, instead of just trying to gain more revenue. Also, to combat the growing threat of unethical behaviors as a result of running sales contests, leaders need to implement appropriate measures, like unethical behavior diversion courses.
ContributorsWitt, Tyler Lee (Author) / Montoya, Detra (Thesis director) / Dietrich, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05