Business Commons^™

Are All Body Sizes Beautiful? A Content Analysis Of Plus-Size Representation In Fashion Brands, Julia Mclaughlin

Honors Projects in Marketing

An abundance of body positive campaigns has become increasingly popular among fashion brands. The current study aims to analyze the consumers' perceptions of model's beauty attributes and well-being based on their body size. The purpose of the present research is to provide a deeper insight into the effects that models’ appearance poses on an individual's well-being. The goal of this study is to explore consumers' perceptions of model's beauty attributes and well-being based on their body size. By conducting a content analysis of female models in the fashion industry, consumers' perceptions of models' beauty attributes, well-being, and lifestyle were discovered. …

More Than Just A Game? The Impact Of Athletic Team Performances Of Advertisement Appeal, Matthew Cook

Honors Projects in Marketing

The goal of this study was to determine the effects that an athletic team's performance may have on the ways in which their fans view advertisements. Conducted using a 2 (game: basketball vs. baseball) x 2 (outcome: win vs. loss) x 2 (score: blowout vs. close game) experimental study created within Qualtrics, we set out to determine how the type of game, outcome, and score may all affect advertisement appeal. Using clips from a Celtics vs Lakers game as well as a Red Sox vs Yankees game, we created short video clips that were designed to replicate the experience of …

Advertising To Reduce Public Stigma And Its Associated Consequences For Medical Marijuana Patients, Jack Tishkevich

Honors Projects in Marketing

Medical marijuana patients must contend not just with their maladies, but with the social stigma surrounding marijuana use as well. This study hypothesizes that advertising can be used to positively influence individual’s acceptance of medical marijuana. It seeks to answer the questions: Can persuasive advertising be used to reduce stigma surrounding medical marijuana? Which advertising method is most effective in this persuasive process? To find the answer, a between subject, factorial design experiment is used. One of six randomized advertisements are shown to participants in a 3x2 (pathos, logos, ethos x guilt and shame) design. Participants opinions on the advertisement …

Financial Literacy And Investing Habits Of Generation Z As It Pertains To Financial Marketing, Meghan Mazzatto

Honors Projects in Marketing

As technology boomed at the end of the 20th Century and into the 21st Century, the methods young adults use to manage their finances have also evolved. Between moving financial investing and banking to the internet, robo-advising apps, college debt, and the generational reaction to the 2008 Financial Crisis, the world of investing has taken a drastic turn when it comes to young investors. The purpose of this study is to examine the financial habits of Generation Z in order for financial planning companies to better market to the upcoming Generation Z. A survey was used for this study to …

Deception Perception: The Marketing Of Student Loans, Lauren Roth

Honors Projects in Marketing

Marketing from student loan servicing companies tend to omit important information, thus deceiving borrowers. These companies may be taking advantage of students' position as vulnerable consumers with limited information to maximize their own profits. This study explores the relationship between deceptive advertising from student loan servicers and its effects on consumer perceived deception, student trust in the loan servicer, and student satisfaction in their borrowing decisions. Consumer perceived deception (CPD) is the extent to which a consumer believes the ad they were exposed to tends to mislead them. To test the hypotheses, an experiment was conducted, and a questionnaire was …

The Influence Of Price Transparency On Consumer Perceptions: The Role Of Culture And Luxury Brands, Cady Qiu

Honors Projects in Marketing

There is an abundance of research that analyzes country of origin (COO) and its effect on consumer behavior; however, many of these studies are in relation to products unrelated to fashion. In addition, there are a plethora of studies that discuss price transparency and product transparency. Though, most of this research is also unrelated to the fashion industry. There is also a significant lack of COO studies in relation with price and product transparency. This current study aims to focus on developing new methods of marketing in congruence with COO and fashion products. Utilizing a between-subjects experimental design, 2 (country …

Looking In The Mirror: Does Representation In Marketing Impact The Consumer?, Alyssa Collins

Honors Projects in Marketing

This study explores the implications of fitness apparel marketing on consumer self-esteem, attitude towards brands and ads, and purchase intention. Furthermore, this study explores the relationship between a diverse, inclusive (body size and ethnicity) model and consumer attitudes. Female participants were recruited to share their feelings towards their own personal body satisfaction, how they perceive advertisements, how they feel about the brand based on the advertisement that they view, and their intentions to buy the product. The study found that while the original hypotheses were not statistically significant, that there was a positive correlation of customers being more likely to …

The Stereotypical Perception Of A Spokesperson In A Sports Advertisement, Trinity Lennon

Honors Projects in Marketing

This study examines the gender role of a spokesperson and a type of sports in the "Match-Up Hypothesis." Two studies were conducted to test the effectiveness of sports advertisements for a gym membership: in a 2x2x2 experiment, the gender of the spokesperson, a type of sports, and the gender of the consumer are manipulated. Results indicated that females have a higher expectation of improvement when the gender of the endorser does not match the sport (Breaking the Glass Ceiling Effect). In contrast, males have a higher expectation of improvement when the gender matches the sport.

The Effects Of Sponsorship Disclosure On Consumer Perceptions, Evan Leonard

Honors Projects in Marketing

This study examines the effects of sponsorship disclosure by social media influencers on consumer perceptions. Influencers on the social media platform Instagram were focused on, testing consumer perceptions of trust, relevance, engagement, feelings towards the brand, and purchase intentions. The study was done through exploratory survey research analyzing the effects of different sponsorship disclosures on the variables (N=93). The study found a sponsorship announcement to show significantly positive results across the variables, with a discount code also shown to be significantly positive towards purchase intentions.

Rainbowashing: Does It Impact Purchase Intention?, Ramon Luis Fille

Honors Projects in Marketing

Cause related marketing efforts by multiple brands have grown over the past few years. With the growth of social media and even more awareness for multiple causes, consumers are pickier when it comes to brands that supports them. While many studies have been done when it comes to “greenwashing” (the tactics of brands to show their green initiatives), there are still more that needs to be done to understand the impact of “rainbowashing” marketing methods on consumer purchase intention. The importance of this study and how it can affect businesses are discussed. To get a feel for the potential effect …

Advertising In The Volunteer Tourism Industry: Analyzing The Relationship Between Social Exclusion And Self-Versus-Other Benefit Appeals., Lyndsay Swanston

Honors Projects in Marketing

This study aims to analyze how consumers perceive advertisements in the volunteer tourism industry when influenced by social exclusion and benefit appeals. The authors examined feelings, attitudes, and behavioral intentions of consumers in reference to an international volunteer trip advertisement. Based on data from a sample (n=259), findings demonstrated that consumers who felt more socially excluded responded more favorably to other-benefit appeals, opposed to self-benefit appeals. An interaction effect was discovered when looking at the degree of sympathy that participants felt regarding the advertisements. Participants who were socially excluded felt more sympathetic after viewing the other-benefit appeal advertisements, whereas those …

The Effect Of The Pandemic On Engagement Levels Of Linkedin Posts, Lauren Fedor

Honors Projects in Marketing

This paper will examine the effects that the pandemic COVID-19 has on the social media platform LinkedIn. It will detail the ways that LinkedIn has changed and shifted since the virus became a widespread challenge for the entire country. The paper will look at LinkedIn activity during 2020 of various users, highlighting the factors of the top five posts with the highest engagement. The specific LinkedIn users that will be looked at will be sales recruiters, and the success of their posts will be measured by engagement levels (number of likes and comments). It will look for any patterns during …

The Effect Of Native Vs. Foreign Language On Consumer Visual Perception, Gabriela Reymont

Honors Projects in Marketing

This research examines the effect of language on visual perception. Specifically, how the use of native language vs. foreign language affects preference for different elements of visual perception (e.g. low movement vs. high movement, angular shape vs. circular shape). Although language usage has been found to influence consumer perception, past literature has failed to examine language as the antecedent of visual perception. To fill that gap, two controlled experiments are conducted in a survey format. Within the survey, participants examine marketing stimuli presented either in their foreign language or native language. For the first experiment, participants choose between packaging with …

Impact Of Fashion Advertisements On Consumers, Kathryn Sweeney

Honors Projects in Marketing

This paper sets out to investigate the expectations, satisfaction, and retention of fashion advertising. The purpose of this paper is to determine if ad type (traditional models vs. plus-size models) and brand type (luxury vs. non-luxury) have impacts on consumers’ perceptions, attitudes, purchase intention, and overall expectations of the advertisements and brands. Two-hundred fifty-six participants (62.5% males, 37.5% females) (mean age = 19.9) were recruited from Bryant University and received extra credit in their MKT201 course for completing the survey. Each participant was randomly assigned one stimulus advertisement and was then asked to answer a questionnaire that featured measures of …

Competence In Co-Creation: The Impact Of Product Attributes And Add-On Services In The Decision To Co-Create, Peter Elder

Honors Projects in Marketing

Purpose: Co-creation is increasingly used by companies as a method of improving the overall value of a product or service offering. The purpose of this paper is to explore determinants of customer value in relation to customer value co-creation in the context of an online purchase decision.

Objective: Evaluate the impact of Elaboration Likelihood on the desire to co-create a product and the attractiveness of the product based on different contextual modifiers to the online purchase and co-creation decision. Methodology: In order to understand determinants of the value of a co-creation experience, an online purchase process was simulated for participants, …

Strategy & Tactics To Improve Sales For B2b Manufacturing Firms: A Case Study, Frank T. Ricci, Jr.

Honors Projects in Marketing

Manufacturing businesses primarily focus on producing products, but as a result, these firms can fall behind on their marketing efforts when compared to other business sectors. Through a case study approach, an analysis was conducted to reveal how business to business 'B2B' manufacturing firms can attain and use marketing research supplemented by robust data analysis from its customers to improve sales. The study was divided into 7 sections. Sections 1, 2, and 3 show the dynamics of this business sector and motivations for this project. The remaining sections 4, 5, 6, and 7 explore the practical implications through a live …

The Comparison Of Effectiveness Of Social Media Marketing By Brands And Influencers For Organic Cosmetics, Alyssa Belanger

Honors Projects in Marketing

The cosmetics industry, one of the largest industries in the world, has taken a major shift toward organic products. Consumers prefer these products because they are safer on the human skin, have longer lasting positive effects, and do not harm animals in the creation of the product. Marketing strategies have taken a major shift toward social media. Partnering with influencers to promote products has become increasingly popular because it can be more effective by creating a deeper, more personal relationship with consumers (Glucksman, 2017). However, distrust has been growing toward influencer marketing because their recommendations are not always authentic (Kowalewisc, …

A Study Of The Technology Acceptance Model For Social Media Adoption In Small & Medium Enterprises, Lily Iacurci

Honors Projects in Marketing

While some small businesses adopt social media into their business practices, others do not. This study utilizes the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to discover what factors or elements influence the adoption of social media within small and medium enterprises (SMEs). An extended version of the TAM was created to examine several factors that may influence SMEs’ adoption of social media. Through an empirical analysis, several findings were uncovered. It was found that compatibility, perceived ease of use and cost all had a significant effect on SME’s owner or marketers’ attitudes toward adopting social media. The implications of these findings for …

Impact Of Fashion Advertisements On Consumers, Kathryn Sweeney, Kacy Kim, Sharmin Attaran

Honors Projects in Marketing

This paper sets out to investigate the expectations, satisfaction, and retention of fashion advertising. The purpose of this paper is to determine if ad type (traditional models vs. plus-size models) and brand type (luxury vs. non-luxury) have impacts on consumers’ perceptions, attitudes, purchase intention, and overall expectations of the advertisements and brands. Two-hundred fifty-six participants (62.5% males, 37.5% females) (mean age = 19.9) were recruited from Bryant University and received extra credit in their MKT201 course for completing the survey. Each participant was randomly assigned one stimulus advertisement and was then asked to answer a questionnaire that featured measures of …

An Examination Of Sustainable Marketing And Fan Engagment Within The Sports Industry, Caroline Meizen

Honors Projects in Marketing

The goal of this research-based thesis was to uncover the prominent methods of connecting with fans and recognizing preferences of marketing messages to see if sustainable marketing will increase engagement on game-day or have a neutral impact. Research was conducted through an analysis of case studies from the perspective of teams, athletes, and venues. A survey was distributed to analyze fan behaviors related to the importance of sustainability, engagement preferences with marketing messages and overall impact of the sports space as a platform for sustainable messages. Survey results of sports fans showed that the connection with their favorite teams and …

Rivalry Appeals In Advertising: Distinctiveness Versus Inclusiveness, David Stahr

Honors Projects in Marketing

The main objective of the research is to study how convenience and shopping products impact how consumers react to rivalry appeals in advertisements. The authors examine the effectiveness of rivalry appeals in advertisements and how they are impacted by the product type considered by consumers. In two studies, a 2 (prime: distinctiveness vs. inclusiveness) x 2 (message: competition vs. collaboration) ANOVA methodology was conducted on survey data. In Study 1, participants primed with distinctiveness (inclusiveness) and considering convenience products experienced an assimilation effect where they preferred competitive (collaborative) rivalry appeals. In Study 2, participants primed with distinctiveness (inclusiveness) and considering …

Rivalry Appeals In Advertising: Distinctiveness Versus Inclusiveness, David Stahr, Sukki Yoon, Kacy Kim

Honors Projects in Marketing

The main objective of the research is to study how convenience and shopping products impact how consumers react to rivalry appeals in advertisements. The authors examine the effectiveness of rivalry appeals in advertisements and how they are impacted by the product type considered by consumers. In two studies, a 2 (prime: distinctiveness vs. inclusiveness) x 2 (message: competition vs. collaboration) ANOVA methodology was conducted on survey data. In Study 1, participants primed with distinctiveness (inclusiveness) and considering convenience products experienced an assimilation effect where they preferred competitive (collaborative) rivalry appeals. In Study 2, participants primed with distinctiveness (inclusiveness) and considering …

The Business Of Being Good: Crm Strategies And For-Profit Organizations, Danielle Crepeau

Honors Projects in Marketing

Many studies have measured the impact of cause related marketing (CRM) strategies on non-profit organizations, however few have been able to measure the impact that these strategies can have on the for-profit organizations employing them. This study hypothesizes that a co-branded CRM strategy will have greater benefits for a for-profit organization than will a jointly-branded strategy or no strategy at all. This hypothesis was tested using two studies, both with a 2x3 factorial design for firms with both a positive and negative brand reputation. It was found that, for an organization with a negative image, consumers viewed the organization more …

Seeking To Understand Subaru’S Turbocharged Appeal: A Study Of Brand Communities, Product Utility, And Corporate Promotion, James Imrie

Honors Projects in Marketing

This study attempts to analyze Subaru’s significant and unique appeal in the greater automotive market. The primary research findings are presented in a video documentary, while frameworks for existing research on certain facets of brand management and consumer groups are presented in the following paper. Based on analysis of existing data and interviews conducted with people connected to the brand, we can conclude that the phenomenon is a result of an appealing product that offers differentiated utilities at an affordable price, the formation of consumer groups around the various offerings, and insightful promotion on Subaru’s part. The degree to which …

How Technology Has Changed Direct Selling, Robert Anthony Norris

Honors Projects in Marketing

Traditional direct selling has undergone a dramatic transformation as new technology, products, and methods have developed over the last few years. The industry has adapted to these advancements in order to stay relevant in today’s changing market place. In some ways, these technological advancements have created opportunities, though some believe the essence of direct selling is now at risk. There has been little research in the field of direct selling and even less on the impact technological advances have on the industry or players involved. The purpose of this research is to uncover how the development of technology and social …

Advertisements’ Perpetuation Of Rape Culture: A Look At How Images Containing Objectification And Victimization Impact Consumers, Lauren Leedberg

Honors Projects in Marketing

The research I have conducted explores connections between images shown in advertisements and the perpetuation of rape culture and gendered stereotypes in society. It was guided by the Cultivation Theory which looks at how media, such as advertisements, can shape our reality. After an extensive literature review, data was gathered via an experimental design utilizing surveys. Within these surveys, respondents were randomly shown an advertisement I created containing the variables to be tested (i.e. images with objectification and victimization). After viewing the ad, they answered questions regarding their attitude toward the brand/product depicted, purchase intentions, a rape myth acceptance scale …

Globalization Of The Catholic Church: Implications For Managing A Large Multinational Organizations For A Long Period Of Time., Paula Robinson

Honors Projects in Marketing

No abstract provided.

Five Seconds To The Ad: How Program-Induced Mood Affects Ad Countdown Effects, Tiffany Venmahavong

Honors Projects in Marketing

The study examines what effects a five second countdown warning will have on consumer’s attitudes towards the advertisement depending on the main program content. This study builds upon several theoretical models concerning program-induced moods in relation to viewer’s judgment to commercial advertisements. Findings from two studies suggest that program-induced mood systematically influences attitude toward the inserted ad with (vs. without) a five-second countdown: for the negative-affect program, attitude toward the ad was more positive when the ad was preceded by the countdown than when the ad was not preceded by the countdown. However, for the positive-affect program, attitude toward the …

Social Media Influence: Metrics Matter, Juliana Houldcroft

Honors Projects in Marketing

It is imperative for companies to engage in social media marketing as consumers are often dependent on online information and electronic word-of-mouth. Past literature claims that consumers evaluate the influence of communications differently on social media than they would in a traditional environment because of the nature of the internet. This study aims to analyze user’s perceptions of social media marketing influence and determines if user’s perception of influence changes based on the number of social media metrics (likes, comments, and shares) that accompany a Facebook post. The study also investigates if perceptions of influence vary depending on a user’s …

Consumer Purchasing: When Does Corporate Social Responsibility Matter?, Abigail Blecker

Honors Projects in Marketing

Almost all companies engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, and often times consumers are unaware of this. As societal pressures on companies and organizations to be more responsible increases, so have the practices companies have undertaken. My research will examine the potential impact a company’s CSR information and practices have on a consumer’s purchasing intentions. It will answer the following two questions: Does CSR information have the ability to change a person’s purchase intentions in high and low involvement purchasing scenarios? Will a person’s individual level of social responsibility cause differences in purchase intentions among different purchasing scenarios? Exposure …