Marketing Commons^™

Managing Digital Transformation With Blockchain: Distributed Ledger Innovation Platforms, Nobuyuki Fukawa, Gregory J. Fisher

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Realizing its overarching potential in achieving digital transformation, leading organizations, such as Air New Zealand, have recently employed blockchain technology to manage 3D printing innovation. Despite the potential benefits, including the key role of blockchain as a supporting technology in Industry 5.0, these applications of blockchain technology in 3D printing are still at a nascent stage in practice and mostly limited to producer innovation. Additionally, 3D printing and blockchain technologies are often independently revolutionizing value capture and value creation, whereas the theoretical implications of their combined impacts on innovation management remain an underexplored domain. Limited digital transformation efforts have been …

Dos Hemisferios: Rebranding Strategy For A Nascent Ecuadorian Wine Market, Jacob Massoud, Vafa Saboorideilami

Barowsky School of Business | Faculty Scholarship

The Ecuadorian winery, Dos Hemisferios, had started as a hobby in 1999 but quickly grew into a business and passion for the Wright family. After receiving an international award in 2009 for its cabernet sauvignon-malbec blend called Paradoja, the winery realized its potential and decided to expand its vineyards and production of wines. As part of the strategy to increase sales, Robert Wright, the Dos Hemisferios President, and his father, Guillermo Wright, developed a rebranding proposal for the next board of directors meeting. This rebranding initiative hinged on the belief that people in the Ecuadorian wine market did not know …

An Evaluation Of Promotional Tools: Trends And Practices, Eve M. Umberger

Honors Projects

It is generally acknowledged that marketers achieve promotion objectives through the optimal use of Advertising, Sales Promotion, Direct Marketing, Personal Selling, the Internet, and Social Media. Nevertheless, there is a widespread misconception when it comes to comprehending what promotion entails. Moreover, the distinction between various promotional tools, including their individual merits and demerits, remains largely underappreciated. Thus, to address this knowledge gap, the current study employed secondary data along with qualitative interviews to examine the application and effectiveness of various promotional tools across different communication contexts. The findings present a rich analysis and description of specific promotional tools, including Advertising, …

Anime And Luxury Fashion: Studio Ghibli And Loewe's Unorthodox Brand Merchandizing, Theodore Gournelos, David Marutschke

Communication & Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

While they might seem counterintuitive to traditional concepts of “luxury,” collaborations between luxury and anime brands are a growing pattern reflecting the growth of both industries for key demographics. This paper argues that luxury brands use these collaborations to establish brand relevance and cultural connection while also positioning themselves advantageously against other brands in an increasingly social and online environment. Through a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of Instagram posts and user comments from Studio Ghibli and the Spanish luxury brand Loewe regarding their three product collaborations, we argue that there is a significant amount of room for differentiation in …

Diverse Bodies, Inclusive Shopping? How Representation Of Body Diversity Shapes Consumer Experiences, Javier Alejandro Martinez

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

This systematic literature review aims to summarize the prior research on the impact of body diversity representation on consumer behaviors in the fashion retailing industry. Deriving from 30 peer-reviewed research articles, we explore how body diversity representation in advertisements and product assortment affects consumer self-evaluation, shopping behaviors, and the nuances within the luxury fashion sector. Consistent with self-congruence theory, findings show that diverse and natural model representation improves body image and purchase intentions. In contrast, idealized portrayals and limited size options reinforce exclusivity, deepen social divides, and harm the self-esteem of excluded consumers, a model that is utilized in luxury …

Selling Trust: The Evolution Of Relationship Selling In The Investment Industry, Kaden N. Kroslak, Frederik Beuk

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This honors research project examines how relationship selling in the investment industry, especially within registered investment advisory firms, has evolved over time. Advisor-client relationships are being shaped by technology, analytics, regulations, and a frenzy of information. This literature review explores whether the stated factors of technology, credibility, regulations, information access, and fiduciary duty, caused change in how investment advisors create, maintain, and grow client relationships within the context of trust. The project styling, in form of a literature review analyzes peer-reviewed studies on financial technology, artificial intelligence, psychological approaches, and regulatory systems. The outcome is a paper which helps fill …

Submission To Ireland’S Electoral Commission- An Coimisiún Toghcháin’S Consultation On Education And Public Engagement Strategy, Brendan K. O'Rourke, Ewan Macdonald, Richard Woodward

Other Resources

An Coimisiún Toghcháin’s establishment and its work is very welcome in a world where democracy is being buffeted by many forces that are undermining it. There is a lack of trust and trustworthiness in the media (O’Neill, 2018). The public sphere is being fractured in the splintering niches of media (Nechushta,2024), in the filter bubbles, echo chambers & behavioural manipulations of the online world (Nguyen, 2020; Zuboff, 2022) and in the increasingly homosocial interactions of most people’s everyday face-to-face encounters. This submission uses, in addressing some of the main issues in democratic participation, the concept of the ‘endarkenment’ danger in …

Uncovering Libraries Instagram Engagement, Kenneth Saito

Library Research Scholars Program Spring 2025

The Binghamton University Libraries utilizes its Instagram platform to engage its audience to share information regarding its resources and services. Current research suggests elements such as color grading, scenic backgrounds, and maintaining a proper online social media presence affect how Instagram users engage with content. However, additional elements such as audience type and how they engage with content may factor into the Libraries’ reach on their platform. This project seeks to identify how the Libraries Instagram platform can maximize engagement based on their audience needs and identified interaction behavior. A literature review determined that a qualitative survey is the best …

Does Ethical Ideology Really Matter In Consumer Responses To Corporate Wrongdoing? The Effects On Trust And Word-Of-Mouth Recommendations, Grzegorz Zasuwa, Alicja Węgierak

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

The purpose of this study is to better understand how the ethical ideologies of consumers influence their responses to perceived corporate social irresponsibility (CSI), focusing on trust and word-of-mouth (WOM) recommendations. Data were collected through a survey involving 627 car owners in Poland, using a real-life case of CSI concerning a major car manufacturer fined for misleading consumers about diesel emissions. The analysis employed partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that moral idealism amplifies the negative effects of CSI on WOM, while moral relativism produces neutrality towards CSI. Specifically, it appears that highly idealistic individuals are …

Introducing Sustainable Development Goals In College Curricula: A Way Forward, Christy Ashley, Jason D. Oliver, Hillary Leonard

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

The commentary proposes a blueprint to help guide curriculum innovations, partnerships, and teaching interventions that incorporate the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) into the curriculum. It suggests the utilization of AACSB’s Societal Impact Canvas with Ancona et al.’s (2007) Leadership Capabilities (Sensemaking, Relating, Visioning, Inventing) to provide a blueprint for mission-aligned SDG integration at a local level. It provides an illustrative example from the University of Rhode Island (USA), where the focus is on the Blue Economy. It aims to provide practical guidance for how a college or university can efficiently organize to gain stakeholder input that helps enhance …

The Impact Of Using Artificial Intelligence (Ai) On Employer Branding, Doaa Ayoub, Sherine Fathy El-Fekey, Malak Walid

Business Administration

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing Human Resource Management, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and strategic capabilities as companies want to stay competitive in the global market. In recent years, AI has transformed numerous facets of business operations, especially in the development of employers’ branding strategies. Additionally, one-third (36%) of HR professionals anticipate a high use of AI in the next two years, while 61% expect at least moderate use within a year. AI enhances employers’ branding - fostering a work culture that attracts and retains top talent in the global market. Furthermore, the contribution of AI in improving employers’ branding strategies has …

You’Ll Be Back: Sensory Cognition’S Influence On Audience Retention, Tia Dimicelli

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study explores the impact of sensory elements – specifically ambient scent and music – in theatrical lobbies on audience satisfaction and likelihood of returning. Two general surveys were distributed to gauge what audiences expect from lobby spaces, and what they describe as memorable experiences. Then, two experiments were conducted using a test/control group design during live performances in New Hampshire. Participants completed surveys assessing their perception of the lobby environment, satisfaction with the performance, and likelihood to return to or recommend the venue. While the initial general surveys indicated that participants believed sensory elements would enhance their experience, no …

Quota Fairness, Procedural Justice, Turnover Intentions, And Turnover: A Multi-Path Model Of Salesperson Perceptions, Support, And Trust, James Deconinck, Julie Johnson-Busbin

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study investigates how salesperson perceptions of quota difficulty, quota fairness, and procedural justice influence perceived organizational support (POS), organizational trust, and ultimately turnover intentions. Drawing on social exchange theory and fairness heuristic theory, we propose and test a multi-path model in which quota-related justice perceptions shape salesforce attitudes and behavior through both direct and indirect mechanisms. Data from 313 business-to-business salespeople and their 142 managers reveal that perceived quota difficulty significantly predicts fairness, which in turn is positively related to POS and organizational trust. While fairness was a significant predictor of turnover intentions, procedural justice was not directly related …

The Interplay Of Morality, Emotional Labor, And Customer Injustice: How Salesperson Experiences Shape Job Satisfaction, Omar S. Itani, Colin B. Gabler, Ashish Kalra, Khashayar Afshar Bakeshloo (Kash), Raj Agnihotri

Marketing Faculty Publications

Despite the significant role emotions play in business-to-business (B2B) sales transactions, the impact of salesperson emotional labor on well-being, specifically job satisfaction, has garnered limited attention. To address this gap, the present study examines the relationships among salesperson moral identity, emotional labor strategies, customer injustice, and job satisfaction. An analysis of responses from B2B salespeople reveals that moral identity internalization is positively related to deep acting and negatively to surface acting, whereas moral identity symbolization is positively related to both deep and surface acting. Furthermore, surface acting has a stronger unfavorable effect on customer injustice compared to deep acting, which …

Marketing The Message: Maximizing Engagement With Digital Publications Through Social Media, Email, And Analytics, Rich Evans

AADEJ - The Communicator

This article outlines a strategic approach for professional associations to enhance engagement with their digital publications in today's digital-first environment. Drawing from the Michigan Dental Association (MDA)'s transition to a fully digital Journal, it emphasizes the vital role of marketing and analytics. Key recommendations include leveraging social media for strategic visibility (e.g., summarizing articles, tagging authors, video pitches), implementing direct email delivery to members (e.g., monthly digests, audience segmentation), and ensuring easy website integration for accessible content. The piece also stresses the importance of mobile-responsive design, clear formatting, and multimedia embedding to improve the digital reading experience. It suggests evaluating …

How Personalized Chatbots Win Customer Loyalty, Jaeha Lee, Dooyoung Choi

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The study applies affordance theory to investigate how perceived personalization influences loyalty through cognitive, affective, and social drivers. Data was collected from 220 participants who watched a video of a chatbot interaction and then assessed their loyalty intentions. While all paths were significant between personalization and consumer’s willingness to stay, the effects of personalization on consumer’s willingness to recommend the retailers to others were slightly different. If companies aim to capitalize on word-of-mouth marketing, it will be better to prioritize cognitive and affective qualities of chatbot over social qualities, because the latter did not contribute significantly to word-of-mouth intentions about …

“Swap What No Longer Serves”: An Exploration Of Zero Waste Fashion Communities Online And Irl, Rosemary Leger

Open Access Dissertations

As sustainability concerns grow within the fashion industry, consumer-based communities play a critical role in shaping more responsible consumption practices. This dissertation explores how individuals engage with zero-waste fashion both online and in physical practice, offering a deeper understanding of their motivations, behaviors, and visions for a more sustainable fashion future.

Through a two-study approach, this research investigates the communication and knowledge-sharing practices within digital zero-waste fashion communities and explores the experiences of individuals participating in offline zero-waste initiatives. Study 1 employs netnography to analyze online zero-waste fashion discourse, identifying how consumers exchange knowledge and promote sustainable practices in digital …

The Effect Of Distance On Persuasion In International E-Mail Marketing Campaigns, Peter Magnusson, Stanford A. Westjohn

Marketing Faculty Publications

We investigate the relative effectiveness of different persuasive appeals in international e-mail customer acquisition marketing campaigns. We conducted three separate experiments, including two lab experiments and one field experiment, to examine the impact of different persuasive appeals on customers. Our research specifically focuses on consensus and authority-focused persuasive appeals. Our findings consistently show that when there is a small cultural distance between the seller and potential buyer, consensus appeals are more effective. On the other hand, when there is a large cultural distance, authority appeals are more effective.

How Art Centers In Michigan Use Social Media To Communicate Mission, Alexandria Milot

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The use of social media for marketing purposes has become a widespread practice for nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Social media can assist in communication efforts in many ways, including communicating an art center's mission. However, with limited documentation of the use of social media marketing within these organizations, it can be challenging to know how current art centers are using social media and if their social media marketing strategy is reaching their intended audiences. This research explores how art centers in Michigan use social media to communicate their mission to their audience and if it matches the organization’s original purpose …

From Chaos To Cohesion: Building A Brand Kit, Brooke Kries

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

From Chaos to Cohesion: Building a Brand Kit is a lesson designed for undergraduate students to show how a strong visual identity supports an organization’s mission and goals. Utilizing interactive instruction, guided exercises, individual exploration, and peer discussions, students will learn how elements, such as typography, logos, and color can shape public perception and align with audience expectations. By the end of the lesson, students will have created a sample brand kit and graphic to reflect an organization’s purpose and tone.

This lesson integrates marketing theory, real-life examples, and independent hands-on learning to encourage creativity, collaboration, and strategic thinking. Students …

Confronting Indecision, Lane Allison Murray

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

This course aims to increase students' understanding of indecision and how to confront it. The class provides insight into how the fear of the unknown holds people back from making decisions and about understanding one's values as a means to combat indecision. Students and teachers alike explore instances of indecision and evaluate their own impulses & thought processes by reflecting on the deeper reasons for their choices. Students will increase their comfort level of asking themselves and their peers questions about the values that guide them and, in doing so, strengthen their relationships with themselves and others.

Personalized Persuasion In The Digital Age: A Data-Driven Approach To Effective Communication, Annye Braca

Doctoral

This thesis investigates the potential of Machine Learning (ML) to personalize persuasive marketing messages. It explores the identification of individuals receptive to specific persuasion techniques based on their psychometric profiles. By developing ML models that incorporate these profiles, the thesis aims to predict the impact of tailored messages and improve the effectiveness of marketing communication.

The Csr Authenticity Crossroads: A Comparative Analysis Of Greenwashing In The Cosmetics And Food Sectors, Magdalena Klimczuk-Kochańska

Studia i Materiały Wydział Zarządzania Uniwersytet Warszawski

Purpose: The article aims to investigate the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies, manifestations of greenwashing, and their underlying motivations in selected companies from the cosmetics and food sectors.

Methodology: The study employs a qualitative, comparative case study methodology. Six companies (L’Oréal, Natura & Co., Bielenda, Nestlé, Maspex, and Tony’s Chocolonely) were analysed based on publicly available secondary data, including corporate reports, NGO analyses, and media coverage.

Findings: The study identifies and defines two distinct sectoral logics: companies in the cosmetics sector follow a ‘brand-centric logic’, where greenwashing manifests as product-level marketing claims. In contrast, firms …

The Entrepreneurs Handbook: A Practical Meets Academic Guide For Both Current And Budding Business Owners And Risk Takers, Howard J. Friedman

Open Educational Resources

This work has been created with the intention of being used as a practical guide for the budding entrepreneur. The concepts are presented to optimize creative thinking and find a path to a fully realized business. From idea through funding, the company life cycle. This work is meant to provide the reader with all the materials that will be needed to make a real-world decision. Effort has been made to combine academic and practical data to offer a straightforward guide to finding, funding, and realizing your dream.

Bed Allocation Model For Infection Control During A Pandemic, Rosemary R. Seva, Dennis E. Cruz, Lourdes Marie Tejero

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This study proposes a model of allocating beds in a hospital considering infection control during a pandemic. The problem was formulated using the quadratic assignment problem (QAP) in a multi-period planning horizon. The main objective is to

minimize the spread of infection by maximizing the total distance (TD) between areas assigned to the pandemic and non- pandemic patients. Model validation using GAMS showed that the assignment of patient groups to areas is determined by

the arrival rates of patients and the area’s capacity. The model was able to identify periods when the sharing of space was more advantageous. The model’s …

The Follower Fallacy: Revisiting Engagement Hypothesis By Evidencing Nonlinear Dynamics In Influencer Marketing, Pranjal Jain, Pooja Jain, Anju Jain

DLSU Business & Economics Review

The traditional premise posits a positive correlation between influencer following (indegree) and engagement metrics, covering likes, shares, comments, and so forth. This study aims to either affirm or dent this engagement hypothesis. Through a methodical analysis of engagement data, this research recognizes potential deviations from the anticipated linear trajectory. Contrary to antecedental social influence, campaign customization, indegree composition, and post components define diverse nonlinear trajectories, empirically challenging the existing research assumptions underlying hypothesis. By evidencing the multifaceted dynamics of influencer engagement, this study offers critical insights for marketers navigating the complexities of contemporary digital marketing landscapes, facilitating the optimization of …

An Economic And Production Analysis Of Seaweed Farms In California And The Pacific Northwest, Brian Donovan

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Since the early 2010s, the seaweed aquaculture industry has steadily expanded in the United States, with states like Alaska, Maine, Hawaii, and Connecticut leading the way in the development of this emerging sector. However, information gaps remain concerning certain aspects of the domestic seaweed aquaculture industry. The purpose of this study was to examine the status of the seaweed aquaculture industry along the West Coast of the United States; specifically in the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Seaweed farmers in these states were invited to voluntarily complete surveys asking important production, economic, and commercial questions regarding their operations. Data …

The Effects Of Brand Activism On Brand Performance, Lin Zhao

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Brand activism—the explicit demonstration of a brand’s sociopolitical beliefs—has become increasingly prevalent and consequential. Concurrently, consumers now hold higher expectations for firms to engage in sociopolitical conversations, driven by the rise of belief-drive purchase in consumers’ decision-making and the growing ideological polarization worldwide. The interaction of brand activism and consumer behavior presents unique potential for brands to gain competitive advantages while contributing to social welfare. This dissertation comprises three essays that examine the effects of brand activism through multiple understudied yet compelling perspectives.

Essay One investigates how brand activism influences consumer-brand relationships through both transactional and relational lenses. This research …

Blurred Vision: Understanding Barriers To Initiating Collaborative Market Driving, Kim Feddema, Daniel Schepis, Liudmila Tarabashkina, Sharon Purchase

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: This paper aims to examine why many producers of origin-bound products struggle to collectively drive increases in market value, despite shared interests. The authors apply a collaborative market driving (CMD) lens to the early stages of collective efforts, to identify the key motivators, visioning processes and explore why CMD can fail to initiate. Design/methodology/approach: The authors present a qualitative case study of the Western Australian monofloral honey industry. Data includes 64 producers’ and distributors’ online content and 30 interviews with stakeholders. Leximancer was used to map marketing communications, and participant narratives were thematically analysed using terroir and authenticity frameworks. …

(In)Attention To Attractive Brand Alternatives, Danielle J. Brick, Veronica L. Thomas

Marketing Faculty Publications

Understanding how consumers maintain their brand relationships has important implications for marketers as committed consumers contribute significant value to firms. In the present research, we propose and test one such way consumers protect their brand relationships, namely through attentional avoidance of attractive alternative partners. Across multiple studies, we find support for our theory that committed consumers avoid attending to alternative brand partners by recalling less about and spending less time focused on attractive alternatives. We further find that this inattention occurs because consumers view the competing brand as a threat to the consumer’s current relationship. In addition, we investigate a …