Business Commons^™

Paid Advertising: Understanding How Ad Format And Visuals Impact Ad Link Clicks And Conversions, Samantha Ensinger

Honors Projects

Limited research exists that effectively describes what format of ads (photos, videos, graphics, or GIFs), receive the most link clicks, the most adds-to-cart, and the most conversions. There is even less research available that describes the extent to which the visual structure of advertisements, such as chosen colors, imagery, text, and duration impacts ad performance. This study sets out to address and help close this research gap by creating and testing multiple advertisements on Facebook and Instagram.

Launching An Online Boutique And Analyzing Digital Marketing Strategies Used, Kayla Weyers

Honors Theses

Digital marketing is becoming more relevant and widely used in the marketing industry. In order to use the marketing skills that I have learned through my marketing major in a real-world scenario, I launched an online women’s clothing store called Ash + Grae. This paper examines the start-up process and legal obstacles of opening a small business. It also analyzes the different marketing techniques by comparing digital marketing strategies such as social media, influencer, email, and SEO marketing.

Impact Of Employer Value Proposition And Social Media Use On The Intention To Apply For A Job In The It Industry Of Vietnam, Quoc Trung Pham, Duy Anh Vo

The South East Asian Journal of Management

Research Aims: Human resources are critical for success in the digital economy. However, IT human resources are predicted to be scarce and attracting IT talent is difficult for many enterprises. Currently, employer branding and social media advertising are possible solutions to these problems. This research aims to evaluate the influence of EVP and social media use on the intention to apply for an IT job.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The quantitative research method is used to verify the research model. The sample includes 240 valid respondents from HCMC, Vietnam. The research model includes six independent variables (5 values of EVP and social media …

Vignettes: Social Media Practices Of Selected Social Enterprises In The Philippines, Raymund B. Habaradas, Ian Benedict R. Mia

Center for Business Research and Development

Social media enable firms to engage their consumers at a lower cost and at a higher level of efficiency than traditional communication tools. Using the typology for social media marketing of Coursaris et al (2013), we illustrate how two Philippine social enterprises, namely Human Nature and HOPE, utilize social media, specifically their Facebook brand pages, to promote their social and economic objectives.

Our exploratory study shows that social enterprises adopt different approaches in crafting the messages they release on social media. Their choice of highlighting either their products or their advocacies are influenced by the nature of their products and …

Are More Followers Always Better? The Non-Linear Relationship Between The Number Of Followers And User Engagement On Seeded Marketing Campaigns In Instagram, Suyoung Moon, Shijin Yoo

Asia Marketing Journal

Seeded marketing campaign (SMC) is a newly created type of marketing activities with the widespread use of social media. Previous research has examined to find out the optimal seeding strategy that yields the best outcome from the campaign. This research explores the relationships between the characteristics of the seeded influencer and user engagement. The data consists of information from 1,062 seeded Instagram posts posted in September 2020 in Korea and 778 seeded influencers who posted those contents. Analyzed by negative binomial regression, our quadratic model suggests that the relationship between user engagement and the number of followers of the seeded …

Keeping The Faith: The Impact Of Religiosity On Controversial Social Justice Advertising, Rebecca Rast, Josh Coleman, Christina S. Simmers

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Religious individuals have traditionally responded negatively to controversial advertising; however, little has been examined in their response to brand activism in the form of social justice issues. Interestingly, brands may find support from more religious individuals when promoting certain social issues. Across three studies using two social networks (Twitter and Instagram), this research demonstrates that individuals who identify as more religious (compared to those who identify as less religious) consistently display higher attitudes, intentions, and perceptions of authenticity for brands supporting social justice issues (precisely racial inequality, or “Black Lives Matter”). These findings are explained through social identity theory, in …

Advising 101 For The Growing Field Of Social Media Influencers, Stasia Skalbania

Washington Law Review

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) protects consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices. In 2019, the FTC released the “Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers Guide” (herein referred to as the “2019 Influencer Guide”). The 2019 Influencer Guide outlines advertisers’ and endorsers’ specific responsibilities relating to the advertising and marketing of products on social media platforms. Despite the extensive information provided within the 2019 Influencer Guide, there is still great confusion regarding endorsement disclosure requirements, and many brands and influencers are not in compliance with FTC recommendations. This Comment provides guidance to brands and social media influencers on how to …

Investigating Instagram Marketing Strategies For Nonprofit Donor Engagement During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Annabella Cobos

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a profound shift in various industries around the world, the non-profit industry being one of them. In this research the author virtually interviewed four participants with experience in marketing from three non-profit organizations to determine what strategic components of Instagram marketing worked best to influence donations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The changed marketing strategies in the nonprofit industry are the result of changed donor behavior. The results from the interview findings reveal two Instagram marketing strategies were successfully adapted to influence donations during the pandemic: focusing on authentic media to increase …

Paralinguistic And Rhetorical Capabilities Of Emojis In Marketing Communication, Jacob Christopher Almaguer

Theses and Dissertations

Consumers and social media marketers have over 3,000 emojis at their fingertips. Despite the popularity of emojis on social media, marketing research on emojis remains limited. Extant marketing research on emojis that does exist primarily focuses on the emotional and reinforcement capabilities, a remnant of the limitations of the emoticon ancestor, and largely ignores the additional paralinguistic and rhetorical potential of emojis. In this dissertation, emojis as a paralanguage are explored with a particular focus on the creation of meaning on social media (Essay 1), and emojis as a full (Essay 2) and partial (Essay 3) substitute for text in …

How The Financial Services Industry Is Utilizing Social Media To Expand Their Client Base, Kristen Stewart

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Social media is becoming an increasingly important aspect of all companies’ marketing strategies. It is almost imperative for companies to advertise through social media if they want to have a fair chance of reaching the younger generation. In fact, “the majority (97%) of Gen Z consumers say they now use social media as their top source of shopping inspiration; 65% say they use social media to find entertaining content; and 61% of them are specifically interested in watching more video content” (Kastenholz, 2021). This proves that social media can make a significant and lasting impact on a company’s success. Social …

“Tiktok Made Me Try It”: Social Media’S New Role In Marketing Strategies And Its Effect On Consumer Behavior, Preston Starkey

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study investigates the impact that social media has on marketing strategies and consumer behavior. Social media has risen significantly in popularity over the past decade, and with the introduction of Social Media Influencers, brands have found a new market to promote their products. However, there is very little research conducted to show how social media users are engaging with the new marketing strategies and how it affects their purchasing behavior. This study begins by performing two case studies on brands that have successfully utilized social media to market their products: Crumbl Cookies and Chipotle Mexican Grill. This study then …

Creating A Social Media Marketing Strategy For A Small Business, Kaila Trowbridge

Theses

As the world continues to digitalize, it has never been more crucial to use and understand social media when running a business of any size. Social media is where people share their ideas, experiences, and information with the world. People can reach a larger audience once they grow their profiles and understand who the audience truly is. From a business standpoint, social media should be used to display products, services, and develop an open relationship with the audience and customers.

Determining The Best Practices Of Social Media For A Small Business: A Case Study On The Salt Cave Of Perrysburg, Michelle Timms

Honors Projects

This study is about finding the best social media practices for a small business. I used The Salt Cave of Perrysburg, which is located in Perrysburg, Ohio, as my testing subject for the implementation of the social media practices that were found through primary research, such as surveys and waiver forms, and secondary research, such as previous research papers, textbooks, and previous surveys. Through primary and secondary research, this paper will describe how to research and then implement the best practices for a small business. With the research I have found, I then implemented those findings to The Salt Cave …

The Artist's Artist, Katherine Cacopardo

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

My senior project is the creation of a brand identity that explores how sounds, words, and imagery work together to create a complete experience by illustrating the recorded music and lyrics of fellow honors student McCall Chapin. My project includes album/single artwork, one music video, one lyric video and lyric video concepts for each of the other songs, streaming strategy, social strategy, and supplementary photos and graphics for promoting the work on social media. The idea is to create a complete brand that not only fits who McCall Chapin is as an artist but also visually tells the story of …

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.

Complementary Effects Of Crm And Social Media On Customer Co-Creation And Sales Performance In B2b Firms: The Role Of Salesperson Self-Determination Needs, Omar S. Itani, Ashish Kalra, Jen Riley

Marketing Faculty Publications and Presentations

Highlights

• Social media, CRM technology & social CRM enrich the knowledge of salespeople.

• Social media, CRM technology & social CRM support value co-creation efforts.

• Knowledge mediates the effects of social media, CRM technology, and social CRM.

• Job autonomy & sales quota ease moderate the effect of knowledge on value co-creation.

• Value co-creation increases sales performance.

Abstract

This study examines the effects of salespeople's social media and customer relationship management (CRM) technology use on value co-creation through knowledge and the downstream impact on sales performance. Based on task-technology fit and self-determination theories, the findings reveal that social media, CRM technology, and …

The Impact Of Social Media Marketing On The Broadway Industry: A Study Of Hamilton: An American Musical, Jordan Pontelandolfo

Senior Theses

In recent years, social media has become an increasingly important part of the marketing strategies for many Broadway productions. Yet, many Broadway marketing teams do not take complete advantage of their social media channels, instead relying on traditional marketing methods to attract audiences. Hamilton: An American Musical is a recent Broadway production that has used an innovative social media marketing strategy to attract diverse audiences and create a dedicated fanbase. By analyzing the strategy across Hamilton’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok, I determine what made its social media so successful and how other Broadway shows can learn from …

Influence Of Social Media Posts On Service Performance, Carol L. Esmark Jones, Stacie F. Waites, Jennifer Stevens

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

Much research regarding social media posts and relevancy has resulted in mixed findings. Furthermore, the mediating role of relevancy has not previously been examined. This paper aims to examine the correlating relationship between types of posts made by hotels and the resulting occupancy rates. Then, the mediating role of relevancy is examined and ways that posts can increase/decrease relevancy of the post to potential hotel users.

Design/methodology/approach

Within the context of the hotel industry, three studies were conducted – one including hotel occupancy data from a corporate chain – to examine the impact of social media posts on relevancy …

"Real" Marketing Within The Fast Fashion Industry: An Analysis Of Internal Vs. External Dei Practices, Marinda Lynn Carlyle

University Honors Theses

This thesis will analyze the social media marketing (SMM) practices of Fast Fashion industry trends that have surfaced due to recent events. Specifically, this work will compare customer-facing SMM efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives against the internal values and practices a company expends towards these efforts. This thesis will use H&M as an illustrative example in representing a company within the Fast Fashion industry. The motivation of this thesis or[i]ginates from the ongoing shifts in corporate SMM practices after the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020 and the corresponding increase in social justice activism …

Rise Of Social Media Influencers As A New Marketing Channel: Focusing On The Roles Of Psychological Well-Being And Perceived Social Responsibility Among Consumers, Jihye Kim, Minseong Kim

Integrated Strategic Communication Faculty Publications

This empirical research investigated the structural relationships between social media influencer attributes, perceived friendship, psychological well-being, loyalty, and perceived social responsibility of influencers, focusing on the perspective of social media users. More specifically, this study conceptually identified social media influencer attributes such as language similarity, interest similarity, interaction frequency, and self-disclosure and examined the respective effects of each dimension on perceived friendship and psychological well-being, consequently resulting in loyalty toward social media influencers. The authors collected and analyzed data from 388 social media users in the United States via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk with multivariate analyses to test the hypothesized associations …

Slogans As Persuasive Accelerants Of Electronic Word-Of-Mouth Communication: A Preliminary Conceptual Model, Theo Lynn, Pierangelo Rosati, Charles M. Wood

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Brands have been conceptualized as being made up of three different components: name, logo and slogan (Keller 1993, Dass, Kumar, Kohli, & Thomas, 2014). Slogans are short, memorable phrases that are often used to sign off on advertisements. They characterize a large proportion of brand advertising and are designed to attract consumer attention, crystallize brand positioning, increase advertising memorability, and improve brand affinity (Keller, 1993). Slogans have been part of our world for millennia, and a staple in the advertising world since its inception. Less complex messages – i.e., slogans – have been associated with improved advertising effectiveness (Lowrey 1998). …

An Investigation Of Teenagers’ Advertising Literacy In The Context Of The Brand-Rich Environment Of Social Media, Emma Sweeney

Doctoral

Teenagers are avid consumers of social media and consequently, constitute attractive target audiences for marketers. On social media, advertising can be integrated into content such as YouTube videos and Instagram posts which means the boundary between commercial content (the advertisement) and non-commercial content (e.g., the video in which the ad appears) becomes increasingly blurred. Therefore, in this context, the consumer must be able to navigate a minefield of overt and covert advertising that is disseminated by a range of sources, including brands and social media influencers. A resulting concern for academics, parents and policy makers alike relates to young people’s …

Exploring The Effects Of Linguistic Elements Of Social Media Corporate Apologies On Consumer Responses, Laurel Johnston

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

In the current landscape of social media, consumers bring product and service failure complaints directly to brands daily. Whether such complaints are routine or hold potential for great consequence, social media’s viral nature means any brand-to-consumer interaction could become a public crisis if handled incorrectly. Corporate apologies are an effective strategy to mitigate negative audience sentiment and reduce online interactions that damage brand reputation. This study will manipulate previously identified but largely untested linguistic components of corporate apologies on Twitter, including personal greetings and closures and directives, to test their effects on consumers’ perceived apology sincerity, forgiveness, purchase intentions, and …

Saving Face: Comparing The Effects Of Endorsement Marketing Strategies On Millennial Americans, Alessandra Noli, Sindy Chapa, Daniela Castillo, Tim O'Hara, Anna Dean, Tyler Trobert

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

The rapid boom of social media in the 21^st century has positioned it as a key instrument in the realm of marketing. Social media has also given rise to a new kind of endorser: the influencer. The present study tested the effects of expert influencers vs traditional celebrities on brand attitude and purchase intentions of makeup products, within a cohort of millennials. Results showed respondents tended to favor the expert influencer in terms of perceived expertise, brand attitude and purchase intention. This has important implications for marketers when it comes to deciding upon an endorser for their brand, with …

Social Media Influencers: Talk Is Not Cheap!, Antoinette Okono

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Social media influencers are digital opinion leaders who have amassed large followings on social media. Through their content and communication on social commerce platforms, and social networking sites, social media influencers can influence their audience's attitude towards brands and encourage purchase decisions. This paper explores the impact of social media influencers on the relationship between social commerce and purchase intention. Since the relationship between social commerce and purchase intention has been thoroughly examined by researchers, I discover through reviewing the literature how an independent entity can impact social media consumers' attitudes and purchase decisions. Specifically, I analyze the social commerce …

Inside Sales Social Media Use And Its Strategic Implications For Salesperson-Customer Digital Engagement And Performance, Nawar N. Chaker, Edward L. Nowlin, Maxwell T. Pivonka, Omar S. Itani, Raj Agnihotri

Marketing Faculty Publications and Presentations

Highlights

• Inside salespeople rely on four main strategies when it comes to using social media in their roles to engage with customers.

• Inside sales strategic social media use leads to higher levels of customer digital engagement and, ultimately, performance.

• Firm digital technology resources may shape the effects of inside sales strategic social media use.

Abstract

The nature of inside sales has shifted, increasing in autonomy, importance, and scope. Moreover, buyers are changing their preferences from face-to-face interactions to virtual-based relationships, leading to a future full of opportunities for inside salespeople using social media. The practitioner literature suggests that inside sales …