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Social Media Marketing Integration: Agile Project Management, Ida M. Holst

The Kabod

The implementation of digital and social media strategies to currently existing marketing strategies requires extensive knowledge and expertise. Project management techniques and practices can be utilized to implement this change and determine its success. Because of the constantly evolving nature of social media marketing, an agile project management approach should be utilized to enhance chances of success. Social media marketing requires a thorough understanding of the target market and their behaviors on social media to deliver appropriate content utilizing the right mediums of communication. The ability to evaluate the success of a project and make changes as needed to meet …

A Critical Perspective On Short-Term Missions, Sarah M. Bunyea

Senior Honors Theses

There is a growing number of participants going of short-term mission trips from the North American church. There are many criticisms of short-term mission trips, including that they are planned around tourism and completing projects, rather than learning from the people in the communities being visited and sharing in their own Christian ministry. One reason for this is that false promotional messages from churches and mission organizations give participants wrong perceptions of the purpose of these trips, creating market demand for tourists who want to help the poor. Mission organizations and churches not only need to change the structure of …

Cultivate: Inspiring Women In Their Pursuit Of Creativity And Entrepreneurship, Ana P. Campbell

Senior Honors Theses

Cultivate Magazine’s purpose is to inspire and educate creative women in their business ventures. Furthermore, Cultivate serves as a catalyst for our readers’ business by featuring insightful interviews from other creative women and practical advice on how to run a successful creative business. In short, Cultivate’s target market is female creative business owners with occupations such as photographers, designers, writers, entrepreneurs, artists, and bloggers.

The Effects Of The Internet On Marketing, Alexander M. Payne

Senior Honors Theses

With the use of the Internet, marketers are able to reach consumers where they work, play, shop, and live more efficiently than without it. Through e-commerce, social media, mobile phones, and much more, businesses are able to spread brand awareness, increase market share, and unveil new products. With this great opportunity comes an equally great responsibility, as businesses have now come under extreme scrutiny by their customers. In the Information Age, news travels faster and farther than ever before, with the news of ethical mishaps reaching even the smallest of shareholders. The most crucial element in e-commerce is trust and …

Building Social Media Through Teamwork: Dividing And Conquering When Budgets And Time Stand In The Way, Johannah Lowder, Joshua Waltman

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Get Schooled: A Visual Social Semiotic Analysis Of Target's Branding Using Instagram, Chelsea Bevins

Masters Theses

With new technology arising, brands must be able to adapt to them. This thesis will break down brand management, using David Aaker's framework, of the Target Corporation to see if they are using modern resource, Instagram effectively. This thesis will also look at how the theory of visual social semiotics, applied to communications, is used to decipher intended meaning. Brand management embodies a company and people are driven by what a brand portrays. People are driven by values, emotions and quality within a brand. People associate products with memories, celebrities, attributes and symbols. Brands are more than just a name. …

The Misunderstanding Of Multi-Level Marketing, Adrienne D. Reavis

Senior Honors Theses

The structure of multi-level marketing has been mistaken for a pyramid scheme with the introduction of companies, such as Amway, Avon and Mary Kay Cosmetics. The concept of multi-level marketing includes a system of selling a company’s product that involves a pyramid of sales persons. Even though a pyramid structure is present within multi-level marketing, it does not influence the entirety of the business. Because multi-level marketing is a successful manner in which individuals can achieve financial freedom, multi-level marketing companies have migrated to various parts of the world, especially China. However, recent controversies have occurred in China because the …

Social Media Strategic Plan For Under Armour, Ashley Leers

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis is a study of the effects of social media on an organization’s integrated marketing communications strategy in general and provides a proposal of how the sports apparel company Under Armour could use social media to enhance its promotional strategies. It is a discussion of the implications that social media has on consumer behavior with focus on how social media has changed the way today’s consumers interact with brands. This thesis provides an analysis of the growing importance of social media being implemented within a business. Benefits discussed include the appeal of social media over traditional media, increased customer …

Making The Magic: How Public Relations Is Handled At The Disney Parks, Elizabeth Demeo

Senior Honors Theses

The Walt Disney Company has always been an organization that has prided itself on its corporate image. One of their biggest successes has been their 11 theme parks across the globe. Ever since its creation in 1955, Disneyland has been known as "the happiest place on earth." However, many wonder how this reputation came to be and how it is being maintained today. To find this answer, one must look to the creative minds behind Disney's public relations. By examining the Disney parks and their public relations history, tactics, crisis management and current and future campaigns, companies can find out …

Reflections Magazine - A Promotional Magazine For Reflections Adoption Ministry, Kamryn Reynolds

Senior Honors Theses

For my senior honors thesis I have received permission to present a project along with its scholarly apparatus. I will be displaying ways to apply communications to ministry. The project will be a promotional magazine and informational materials. For the thesis I will include the magazine and a press release. I will be approaching some marketing techniques for a non-profit organization and assessing potential ways to reach the public. Many organizations are doing incredible work to fight social injustice and oftentimes few people understand the issues. I want to show how communication can revitalize ministry and get the word out …

Successfully Social: A Non-Profit’S Guide To Modern Social Media Marketing, Deana D. Dennis

Senior Honors Theses

Social media has revolutionized modern business and marketing practices by providing a mass audience of potential stakeholders for all business entities. Nonprofit organizations that learn to utilize social media affectively could benefit in virtually every organizational initiative, including marketing, fundraising, and advocacy, by easily connecting to target audiences through the power of virtual social networking. The specific focus of this work is on Christian ministries and charitable organizations. Case studies of two differing Christian organizations are discussed: the relief organization, Samaritan’s Purse and the young adult ministry, Love and Respect (NOW). The case studies explore the organizations’ background and mission, …

Building A Successful Publishing Company, Joshua M. Buechner

Senior Honors Theses

Abstract

In the present book publishing industry, it is becoming increasingly difficult for traditional book publishing companies to compete and adapt due to the changing structure of the industry. By examining the history and industry of book publishing and lessons from Disney, TOMS Shoes, and the film industry, a feasible business strategy will be formulated for a book publishing company. Trends such as the rise in self-publishers and the balance between print books and eBooks are dramatically changing the industry environment, shifting the power towards authors more than ever before. Where once the only way to publish was through a …

An Examination Of The Role Relationship Marketing Plays In The B2b Model Between Chinese Manufacturers And American Distributors, Ran An

Masters Theses

Relationship marketing has been a heated topic in the communication paradigm. The primary relationship is the one between a supplier or provider of goods or services and buyers and users of those goods or services. In order to facilitate it, other stakeholders in the network of relationships may have to be involved. This thesis examined the relationship between Chinese manufacturers and American distributors by a pilot qualitative study. Social exchange theory was used as a scope to analyze the relationship. Nine participants from both sides answered computer-mediated interview questions. Business ethics and worldviews are important factors that businessmen look for …

Selling Life To Abortion-Seekers: A Content Analysis Of Passive And Active Persuasion In Crisis Pregnancy Center Marketing, Alexander Kocman

Masters Theses

For supporters of the pro-life cause, crisis pregnancy centers (or CPC's) have become the "darlings of the movement," according to the New York Times (Belluck, 2013), offering women with unplanned pregnancies free advice, information, classes, childcare, and needed supplies. For abortion advocates, such establishments are intended to seduce vulnerable abortion-seekers into a situation where they will be counseled out of an abortion and possibly even proselytized. Yet for as much controversy as exists in the news media, medical community, and legal realm about CPC's, there is an unsettling lack of understanding of how--and why--CPC's market themselves the way they do. …

Canadian Patriotism And The Timbit: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Tim Horton's Inc.'S Canadian Connection Through The Application Of Semiotics, Shelanne Jennings

Masters Theses

This study examines the content of Tim Horton's television advertisements from 1980 to 2014 from a communication perspective. Using Peirce's semiotic theory, this study examines the significations of Canadian culture as they appear within each advertisement for the purpose of establishing the time and extent to which Canadian culture was used over the course of Tim Horton's advertising history. This study finds that Tim Horton's advertisements did not purposefully use Canadian significations during the 1980s to create a connection between their brand and Canadian patriotism. However, after discovering Canadians' natural affinity to the Tim Horton's brand through focus group research …

Like, Retweet, Repeat: Social Media's Impact On Real Estate Marketing, Emily Kendall

Masters Theses

With the advent of Facebook and Twitter, people from all walks of life in all parts of the world have the ability to connect electronically, impersonally, and constantly. Small businesses are just beginning to unlock the power of social media marketing, specifically real estate professionals. Shelly Chaiken created the Heuristic Systematic Model of persuasion, the descendant of the Elaboration Likelihood Model. This study applies the tenets of Chaiken's HSM to the methods of persuasion employed by real estate agents via Facebook and Twitter. Fifty participants were surveyed by the researcher in order to gauge their activity, interest level, and motivation …

Corporate Communication In The Twenty-First Century, Susan Laws

Other Graduate Scholarship

Corporate communication represents an evolving area of study within the increasing puzzle of global growth in the twenty-first century. The theoretical history of public relations originated in North America and the United Kingdom before the ubiquitous presence of technology and the internet. Since the 1950s, numerous approaches and models of corporate communication have emerged. The focus of this study is to contribute to the development of a new theory of corporate constructs of identity, image and reputation, formulating competitive advantage with strategy formulation, within the framework of the new political economy – these economies do not and cannot operate in …

Quench The Thirst: A Content Analysis Of The Persuasive Techniques Of Unicef's Tap Project, Rachel Chadalavada

Masters Theses

This study analyzes the persuasive techniques utilized by UNICEF's Tap Project. This water related campaign began in 2007 and since then has created four themes. These themes are: Dine out, Celebrity Tap, Facebook Push and Cellphone Challenge. The study finds that the videos employed by the Tap Project portray all six Facets of Effects. However, their usage was based on the message that was being delivered. That said, not all videos utilized all of the facets. This implies that an advertisement need not necessarily use all six Facets of Effects to be successful. The facet of association however, stood out …

Business Startup And Cause Marketing In The Running Apparel Industry, Zachary Barker

Senior Honors Theses

Entrepreneurship has been the backbone of the American economy since the penning of the Declaration of Independence. Small businesses help the United States prosper and help create jobs for the American people. As today’s business world is increasingly changing in a technological and global way, entrepreneurs must consider many environmental conditions in their small business planning. Business start-up is a long process backed by research and market testing that will maximize the opportunity for success. One way many business start-ups have become successful is through cause-related marketing programs that many people support. Additionally, a particular industry that has proven to …

Introducing Target Into Singapore, Yealim Ko

Senior Honors Theses

The global business trends point to international expansions with corporations increasingly turning to emerging markets for new opportunities to grow and create new sources of revenues. While the BRIC countries including Brazil, Russia, India, and China remain at the center of attention from global industries, the surrounding countries in Asia including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore emerge as potential markets because although smaller in size, the surrounding countries with fast growing economy and consumer demand for foreign goods suggest large profit potentials. Considering the increasing trend of going abroad in the retail industry (S&P, 2013), the paper is an …

How The Internet Has Revolutionized Video Marketing, Dylan D. Sheldon

Senior Honors Theses

From the creation of film to the streaming of digital media, moving pictures have always been a premier medium of marketing. Today, the use of video in marketing offers an experience unlike any other for consumers by engaging them in an entertaining, yet informative, format. In the past few decades, the surge of the Internet has chan From the creation of film to the streaming of digital media, moving pictures have always been a premier medium of marketing. Today, the use of video in marketing offers an experience unlike any other for consumers by engaging them in an entertaining, yet …

The Tweet's The Thing: Exploring The Intersection Of Social Media And Broadway, Hilary Sutton

Masters Theses

In 2009 the little known Broadway musical Next to Normal rose to fame through the aid of an unprecedented Twitter campaign conducted by Situation Interactive, a digital marketing agency. The Next to Normal Twitter account gathered over one million followers throughout a six-week campaign in which the Situation Interactive team joined forces with the book writer and lyricist of Next to Normal to recreate the plot in one hundred and forty-character snippets. By analyzing the data collected the researcher cultivates a collection of best practices for running a successful Twitter marketing campaign for a live experience.

Unleashing The Power Of Social Media Marketing Within Non-Profits, Through The Lens Of Social Cognitive Theory, Kerah Kemmerer

Masters Theses

While many organizations still struggle to effectively incorporate the present-day promotional framework of social media marketing, research reveals that non-profit organizations are lagging even further behind when it comes to the implementation of effective social media and interactive marketing strategies. The interactive marketing strategy model incorporates technology and media-based tactics designed to enhance marketing strategies within any industry. In this project, the primary researcher explored why non-profits are struggling to incorporate these specific strategies, and considered it through the lens of social cognitive theory. The purpose of this project was to focus on a specific non-profit organization and apply the …

Fifteen Percent Or More: A Content Analysis Of Geico's Commercial Advertising, Paul Davis

Masters Theses

In this media saturated world which is lived in today, the general public is bombarded by a multitude of advertisements. This thesis was conducted to examine Geico's commercial advertising looking specifically at their use of humor. The Elaboration Likelihood Model and the Humorous Message Taxonomy were used to conduct this content analysis. The research examined the route of persuasion and elaboration that were used in 60 Geico commercials from five of their most recent campaigns. The Humorous Message Taxonomy helped to establish which types of humor were being used along with the processes and relationship between elements. Three research questions …

Refresh. Create. Inspire. The Mission, Vision And Values Behind The Coca-Cola Company And The Digital Marketing Strategies Of The "Open Happiness" Campaign, Sara Svendsen

Masters Theses

Due to the influence of Coca-Cola on advertising, digital marketing, and marketing strategies, the present rhetorical analysis seeks to show the many aspects of digital media in the Company's present "Open Happiness" campaign. The study of the campaign seeks to show that the Company mission statement, Company values and the vision of The Coca-Cola Company are implemented into all of the different facets of the Open Happiness campaign, and in the context of Mood Management Theory, exude the overall theme of the campaign, happiness. The parts of the campaign that were analyzed were focused on the YouTube channels of The …

Seattle's Seafaring Siren: A Cultural Approach To The Branding Of Starbucks, Briana Kauffman

Masters Theses

Many corporate brands tend to be built on a strong foundation of culture, but very minimal research seems to indicate a thorough analysis of the role of an organizational's culture in its entirety pertaining to large corporations. This study analyzed various facets of Starbucks Coffee Company through use of the cultural approach to organizations theory in order to determine if the founding principles of Starbucks are evident in their organizational culture. Howard Schultz' book "Onward" was analyzed and documented as the key textual artifact in which these principles originated. Along with these principles, Starbucks' Website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube page …

The Phenomenon Behind The Bite: Altercasting As It Applies To Apple Technology, Elizabeth Baldwin

Masters Theses

This paper investigates how the brand Apple markets their product so that consumers feel obligated to buy their product. By looking at five main categories of brand loyalty, environmentally friendly practices, being up-to-date with technology, pricing with value and customer service, this paper will rhetorically analyze how successful of a job it does. To get an inside look at what the public thought on the the way that Apple fulfilled their altercasting this paper analyzed what people said about Apple verses competing technology brands. By drawing overall conclusions, recording trends and making observations about the way that people had been …

Social Recruiting: The Role Of Social Networking Websites In The Hiring Practices Of Major Advertising And Public Relations Firms, Keri Cook

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the role that professional networking websites, such as LinkedIn, play in the hiring decisions of talent recruiters at major advertising and public relations firms. A study of literature relating to social media, traditional recruitment techniques and legal implications regarding the use of networking websites in the hiring process provided a foundation for the study. Primary research, in the form of online surveys distributed to hiring managers at some of the largest international advertising and public relations firms, was conducted to set a foundation for understanding the use of networking websites in the …

Social Media: Revolutionizing The Business World, Emily Raush

Senior Honors Theses

Public communication avenues were greatly affected through the invention of the Internet; however, what has developed communication processes even further is the rise of social media. This thesis explains how the utilization of social media tools is revolutionizing the business world and also provides information to understand the direction in which social media is heading.

Social Media Marketing: Gaining A Competitive Advantage By Reaching The Masses, David J. Perdue

Senior Honors Theses

Social media marketing involves the use of online social media tools—such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn—to reach consumers in innovative ways. Given the increasingly large numbers of consumers using social media, businesses of all types are getting involved in social media in an attempt to reach new audiences and strengthen their ties with existing customers. However, the magnitude of resources available and the potential consequences of a failed social media marketing campaign have left many companies in a state of uncertainty. How can a company develop a social media marketing strategy that will prove successful in the long run? Instead …