Public Relations and Advertising Commons^™

Information Exposure, Communication Channels, And Ssgi 2024 Data Utilization In Health Bureaucracy, Fachrudin Ali Ahmad, Tetrian Widyanto, Leny Wulandari, Ully Adhie Mulyani, Evi Suryani, Grace Lovita Tewu, Herianti Herianti

Jurnal Vokasi Indonesia

This study aims to analyze the influence of information exposure frequency and communication channel choice on the utilization of SSGI 2024 data. This study used mixed methods, quantitative and qualitative. Data were collected through a survey of 153 respondents, predominantly government officials, and in-depth interviews with 7 key informants. Analysis was conducted using the Chi-Square test and source triangulation. The frequency of information exposure was shown to have a significant effect on data utilization (p=0.001), where high exposure increased the likelihood of data utilization by 1.7 times. In contrast, the type of communication channel (formal vs. informal) did not have …

Millennial Memories

DePaul Magazine

Social media influencer Kate Steinberg (CMN '13), who studied public relations and advertising at DePaul, revisits her youth and DePaul days to create viral content with a nostalgic edge.

Online Shopping Non-Adoption In South Africa: A Distrust-Centric Framework Integrating Social Exchange, Trust Transfer, And Social Presence Theories, Cleopatra Moipone Matli, Jeevarathnam P. Govender

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

Online shopping non-adoption remains critically underexplored, especially in emerging markets. Addressing this gap, the authors develop and test a distrust-centric framework that applies the inhibitory logic of social exchange, trust transfer, and social presence theories to explain pre-emptive avoidance. Focusing on South Africa, where only 18.16% of the population engage in e-commerce, data was collected from 414 consumers who have never shopped online. Structural equation modelling reveals that perceived lack of reciprocity directly increases the intention of non-adoption. Moreover, distrust in online payment systems transfers to broader channel scepticism, which in turn drives avoidance. Perceived lack of social presence further …

Authenticity And Audience Relationships Among Nano-Influencers, Samantha O. Lichtenstein

Honors Theses

This study examines how nano-influencers with 2,500 to 25,000 Instagram followers utilize authenticity and vulnerability to build audience trust and drive engagement. Through a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 10 creators, the research identifies three core strategies: maintaining a digital best friend persona through reciprocal interaction, practicing "calibrated vulnerability" that balances personal disclosure with strict safety boundaries, and prioritizing ethical brand alignment to ensure honesty. Grounded in Parasocial Interaction Theory, the findings demonstrate that nano-influencers disrupt traditional one-way media models by fostering intimate, two-way relationships. Ultimately, the results suggest that for this influencer tier, success and consumer action are …

Where's The Love: Portrayals Of African American Romantic Relationships In Media, Christopher Johnson

Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal

In today’s world, the media is a pervasive and influential force that has a great impact on an individual’s thoughts, beliefs, and actions. Given this power, it can ingrain images in a person’s mind, that when not properly monitored, can cultivate “realities” that are nonexistent or slightly distorted. This study looks to understand heterosexual romantic relationship behavior in the African American sitcom “The Game” and the potential effects it could have on viewers. Employing a content analysis, interpersonal expressions were measured between characters in this television show that reinforce positive or negative relationship behavior. It was found that there were …

A Qualitative Study Of Journalism Course Syllabi In Relation To The First Amendment, Elizabeth L. Bunnell

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this research is to gain more insight into collegiate journalism course syllabi and the First Amendment. The First Amendment is a foundational aspect for a career in journalism, and one way to learn how college journalism students are interacting with the First Amendment is to conduct a qualitative analysis of the syllabi. A syllabus is the contract between professor and student for the course; therefore, it should contain the most important information relating to the course. 47 syllabi were collected from the School of Journalism and Strategic Media from the Spring 2025 semester. After reading through each …

Connection Through Crisis: A Thematic Analysis Of Dialogic Public Relations And Renewal In Social Media Posts From Nonprofit Organizations During Hurricane Helene, Cassidy L. Gruber

All Theses

During a crisis, nonprofit organizations must communicate quickly and ethically with their stakeholders to maintain a good relationship. Data was collected from nonprofit organizations’ Instagram and X accounts during a one-month period surrounding Hurricane Helene in 2024 to see how organizations were communicating with their stakeholders during a crisis. This study found that nonprofit organizations were implementing elements of dialogic communication and renewal into their social media messages. It was also found that national and global organizations were more vocal than local and regional organizations during the crisis. This research highlights the importance of communicating ethically with stakeholders during a …

Organizational Visibility In The Nonprofit Sector: Perspectives Of Communication Professionals, Theophilus Femi Alawonde

All Theses

Nonprofit organizations need to manage relationships with their stakeholders and audiences for varying reasons, one of which is the desire to stay visible. Given the peculiarities of the nonprofit sector, this study sought to understand how visibility is conceptualized in practice, and how nonprofit professionals work towards optimizing and evaluating visibility efforts, given organizational and sectoral constraints.

Drawing on Structuration Theory’s duality of structure framework, the study examined the structural constraints that shape visibility in the nonprofit sector, and extends the literature by examining the role of agency in enacting visibility among selected nonprofit organizations in the United States.

Mapping And Evaluating Butler University's Dining And Accommodation Messaging For Students With Dietary Restrictions, Cassia Belle Campbell

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Food-centered traditions are central to campus belonging, yet for students with medical dietary restrictions (e.g., celiac disease, severe food allergies), shared meals can become sites of stigma, exclusion, and heightened self-monitoring. Prior research frames these conditions as “invisible disabilities” (Davis, 2005) and highlights dynamics such as hypervigilance and disclosure fatigue (Schelly et al., 2022), which can be intensified when institutional processes are unclear or inconsistently communicated. This project examines how institutional messaging shapes the navigational burden students may experience when seeking safe participation in dining and campus life.

This study uses an artifact-based analysis of existing Butler University communication materials …

Advertising And Public Relations In A New Aige: Exploring Implications Between Advertising & Public Relations And Generative Artificial Intelligence, Hayden Tucker

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a new tool that is changing the landscape of several industries across the board, forcing practitioners to adapt and navigate a new terrain with this new addition. One industry that is particularly affected by the introduction of AI is the Advertising and Public Relations (ADPR) industry. Under the umbrella of strategic media, the ADPR industry focuses on building relationships with publics through connection, trust, and creativity in hopes of persuading publics to feel one way or another. This thesis focuses on exploring the new relationship between AI and ADPR and understanding the effects that AI …

Digital Orientalism: Examining Eastern Practices In The Wellness Industry, Celia Golden

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

As popularity rises for global and domestic wellness retreats as tourist destinations, their predominantly Western audience invites an American offshoot of Orientalism that commodifies Asian names and practices into “mindfulness.” This paper examines the guest guide of the Miraval Berkshires wellness facility and its treatment of Eastern practices. Findings revealed 55.6% of the specialists at the Miraval Berkshires employ Eastern techniques, and 74.14% of those offerings are restricted to paid and private sessions to create exclusivity. The word “ancient” is disproportionately leveled against Eastern practices in the guest guide to further cement them as relics of the past. Alongside minimalist …

Stories That Persuade: The Impact Of Pleasure-Based And Pressure-Based Prosocial Appeals On Charitable Support For Sexual And Reproductive Health Nonprofits, Tyler Outhouse

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study investigates how different narrative framing strategies, and corresponding sources of motivation, influence donors’ willingness to support a sexual and reproductive health nonprofit. A nationally representative sample (N = 205) completed an experiment embedded in an online survey. Participants were randomly assigned to read either a pleasure-based or pressure-based story about reproductive healthcare. Participants then reported their reactions, motivations, and willingness to support the nonprofit. Results indicated no significant difference in charitable support intentions across the two conditions, instead finding that partisan identification and value alignment were the key predictors of charitable support. The results also indicated that …

Learning Never Retires: A Fundraising Plan For The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute At The University Of Arkansas, Olivia C. Boykin

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

This professional strategic communication project uses contextual framework of fundraising methods and audience research to develop a strong justification for donor support to programs at The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Arkansas (OLLI) (Jalali et al., 2024). This work models theoretical perspectives of interdisciplinary motives for charitable giving to institutions of higher education and applies them to OLLI 's unique needs. The deliverables of this project will be (i) a scholarly applied research manuscript that provides a background for a fundraising plan; (ii) the fundraising plan, and (iii) evidence-based creative communication concepts, such as print-ready postcards, flyers, …

The Impact Of Ai-Generated Celebrity Endorsements In Political Advertising, Ryann M. Richards

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examines how celebrity endorsements and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) influence voter perceptions in elections. To study the relationship between celebrity endorsements and AI, I used an experiment embedded in a survey with two conditions: one AI-generated celebrity endorsement and one AI-generated non-celebrity endorsement. Both endorsements were for a fictional candidate running for office on a platform of supporting maximum age limits of elected officials. In the celebrity condition, an AI-generated version of Dolly Parton’s voice was used. Participants then reported their perceptions of favorability, trustworthiness, recognition, fandom, and policy support. The results showed that participants who …

Personal Tendencies And Traveler Preferences: A Study On Personality-Driven Travel Marketing, Evelyn Filleman

Honors Theses

This study examines the influence of personality typing (as outlined by the International Personality Item Pool test structure) on travel decision-making as it relates to marketing matrix strategies. Understanding the relationship between personality type and travel is crucial, as individuals will have different need hierarchies and place decision-making factors on different levels of priority. This study uses the theoretical frameworks of Clifford Geertz and Michael Pacanowsky (Cultural Approach to Organizational Communication) and Judee Burgoon (Expectancy Violations Theory) to inform, direct, and explain the results of the completed research. A total of 261 participants were asked to take a survey outlining …

Expanding The Pantheon Of “Place-Myth”: Media-Induced Travel In College Students Who Study Abroad, Isabella M. Shevetz

Honors College Theses

Media-induced tourism refers to any travel that is in some part motivated by the consumption of mass media related to that location. Media-induced tourism and mass-tourism have led to nation branding and destination marketing across the globe, two industry phenomena that have worked to skyrocket tourism in places where it was not previously a large driver of the local economy. The expansion of mass media availability and the birth of social media mean the media roles of producer and audience member have blurred. Ordinary people now have the influential power of large media corporations. In destination marketing, the user-generated content …

Pilattes; A Campaign With Prickly Pear Coffee Co., Grace Elizabeth Lappenga, Karis Grace Joe, Abigail Brooke Encalade

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The Prickly Pear Coffee Co. campaign sought to build awareness and community engagement around the brand’s new mobile camper location in Franklin, Tennessee. Founded by Annika Baylis, Prickly Pear Coffee Co. is a Christ-centered brand that began as a mobile espresso cart during the COVID-19 pandemic and grew into a Nashville staple with multiple storefronts.

With the new Franklin location facing limited awareness and a reduced marketing budget following complications from the January 2026 ice storm, three students in Belmont University’s PR Campaigns class conducted a situation analysis that included audience research, social media audits, and influencer identification. These insights …

Rvx In The Spotlight: Generating Awareness Growth For Belmont, Eloise G. Dornfeld, Lynda K. F. Clark, Kathryn E. Roller, Zoe E. Walls

SPARK Symposium Presentations

RVX is a student organization at Belmont University dedicated to students with the passion for dance and love for K-pop. With recent success of a dance cover for the “K-pop Demon Hunters” song “Golden,” the team has grown in following on social media. However, on campus awareness has not had the same trajectory. Spotlight PR, composed of four students in the spring 2026 Public Relations Campaigns class at Belmont University, partnered with RVX to increase general student and faculty awareness on campus. RVX began in 2017 with seven members and has grown to 26. Most notably, the student organization has …

Nicky’S Coal Fired: 10 Years Of Good, Better, Best, Isabel Y. Hodell, Lily K. Rosen, Jillian G. Gardner, Maren C. Conaghan, Victoria Mata

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Maren C. Conaghan, Jillian G. Gardner, Isabel Y. Hodell, Victoria Mata, Lily K. Rosen

Team Name: Bella PR Firm

Public Relations Campaigns Class, Belmont University, Spring 2026

Faculty Adviser: Dr. Bonnie P. Riechert, APR, Fellow PRSA

Abstract Summary: Nicky’s Coal Fired (https://www.nickysnashville.com/) is a family-owned Italian restaurant founded in 2016, located in The Nations neighborhood of Nashville, TN. The restaurant was established to bring the local community together through scratch-made Italian cuisine. In Spring 2026, a team of students (Bella PR Firm) in Public Relations Campaigns class at Belmont University partnered with the organization to celebrate their sustained …

Assessing The Impact Of Alumni Relations: Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Understand Fsu Students Motivation To Engage, Eldaneka Rolle, Richard Waters Phd, Ciara A. Lewis

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study aimed to understand Florida State University graduate and upper-division undergraduate students in the College of Communication and Information, attitudes and perception of connection through the specific behavior, engagement with alumni relations. If individuals perceive a connection, is there perceived behavioral control (PBC), does PBC influence their intent to remain connected through one of the four key components, experience, communication, volunteer and philanthropy. Five focus group discussions were conducted using semi-structured interviews. Through thematic analysis, eight common themes were developed, Major, Minor or Certification Interest, Program Experience, Faculty, Advisors and Staff, Event Participation, Communication Preference, Volunteer Opportunities, Small Contributions …