Public Relations and Advertising Commons^™

Ua12/2/1 Grad Guide, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald featuring the Class of 2022.

• Crawford, Ashlyn. Dear 2022 Graduates
• Jones, Tea. Survival Guide for Post Graduate Job Prep
• Wilson, Gabby. Time for Your Close-up!
• Wilson, Gabby. Your Grad Book List
• Honeck, Adelle. Taking Risks: Advice to Graduates
• Potter College of Arts & Letters
• College of Health & Human Services
• College of Education & Behavioral Sciences
• Ogden College of Science & Engineering
• Gordon Ford College of Business
• Brush, Bailey. Grad Playlist

The Past And Present: Issues Of Male Patriarchy Throughout Historic Literature And Dominance In Media Today, Leah Moore

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women’s subjugation to the objectification of men is a traced theme throughout the history of Western culture. In this thesis, the attributes of the male gaze will be explored via the patriarchal pioneers of literature: Dante to Petrarch to Shakespeare. The solidification of the male gaze takes place during the late middle ages as Dante Alighieri writes an infatuated love for Beatrice throughout La Vita Nuova and Inferno, demonstrating the virgin-whore dichotomy with Francesca. Similarly, Francesco Petrarch’s poetry of Rime Sparse describes the objectification and dismantling of woman for erotic pleasure and patriarchal power. The shift from early to …

The Cuban Missile Crisis: Civilian Response And Expectations, Celeste Nunez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

On October 14, 1962, an American U-2 spy plane flying over the island of Cuba discovered Soviet missiles being constructed. This discovery led President John F. Kennedy, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, and Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro into a thirteen-day negotiation period to remove the nuclear missiles from Cuba. During this time, the world was the closest it had ever been to nuclear destruction, causing stress and anxiety to many worldwide, especially the American populace, who believed they were invincible in a home front attack. Throughout this thesis, I aim to examine the Cuban Missile Crisis and nuclear fallout through the …

Targeted: How Relevant Parties Position The Ethics Of Online Demographic-Based Targeted Advertising, Gabrielle Marie Allen

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This thesis examines how relevant parties position the ethics of online demographic-based targeting to vulnerable populations. Relevant parties fell into four categories: professional organizations, government organizations, major platforms, and activist groups. As advertising technology has rapidly evolved, relevant parties are in a unique position to shape the ethics of new technologies like demographic-based targeting. Statements from relevant parties were collected and a thematic analysis was conducted to determine the varying stances taken by each relevant party. Five stances emerged from this analysis representing how relevant parties positioned the issue: supports non-discriminatory demographic-based targeting, supports consensual demographic-based targeting, supports legal demographic-based …

A Social Media Strategy Plan For The Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry, Sara Katelyn Holm

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Jane B. Gearhart (JBG) Full Circle Food Pantry is a student-led program that provides food assistance for members of the University of Arkansas community. This thesis project includes a social media strategy plan that aims to increase the overall awareness of the pantry and its multifaceted services to decrease food insecurity levels at the University of Arkansas. This plan intends to create behavioral changes that expand usage of the pantry and social media engagement among UA students. Grounded in data-driven insights, this plan is designed from (i) literature on food pantry marketing techniques; (ii) a review of the pantry's …

Black Ads Matter: An Analysis Of Black Representation In Advertising., Elyssa Quinn Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the summer of 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) became a rallying cry throughout the United States and the world. At that time, many individuals and organizations reflected on how they could better support the movement for equality, equity, and inclusion, but some of the results were ingenuine, perceived as virtue signaling or woke washing. In this thesis I explore the Black representation in advertising from three prominent car brands from both pre- and post-summer 2020. I analyze ads from Acura, Buick, and Lincoln to determine if they are synergistic and include multi-dimensional Black representation, criteria Burgess et al.’s (2020) …

A Content Analysis Of The Female Tiktok Influencer: How Smis Alter Their Image And Self-Presentation Based On Their Communities., Sydney R Dotson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Influencer marketing is a growing industry on social media platforms, like TikTok. Influencers have the power and authority to control the purchases and habits of their audiences, however, the communities of these followers can be just as influential. According to TikTok For Business (2021), “part of the excitement of [TikTok] is derived from people having the power to choose the spaces they want to be part of, and the content they want to interact with.” The purpose of this study is to determine if social media influencers alter their image and self-presentation based on their community. The study examines the …

Multiculturalism In Advertising: A Look At Non-Diversification And Stereotyping In The Advertising Industry., Elise Heesch

Honors Capstone Projects

If a surveyor was to ask, how does advertising make one feel, would the responses depend on the participant’s disposition, race, and gender? All the responses would potentially be different depending on whether a white male, young Indigenous person, or black female answered. Advertising contributes a significant portion of what society is exposed to. The general population takes advertisements for granted but the message is there to sell a product. Consumers do not always realize the fabricated messages that are present in most advertisements. Desensitization has taken place in response to the strategies that the marketers use. Numerous stereotypes are …

Communicating Through A Crisis: An Analysis Of The University Of Mississippi's Initial Covid-19 Crisis Communications, Sydney Waitley

Honors Theses

This thesis, in effort to examine modern-day crisis communications, focuses on the analysis of University of Mississippi’s initial crisis communications during the COVID-19 pandemic during March 2020. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the university’s communication efforts during this crisis in order to determine the effectiveness of the University of Mississippi’s initial COVID-19 crisis communications. First, the researcher analyzed historical case studies on three notable crisis communications (the Johnson & Johnson Tylenol Crisis of 1982, the United Airlines Crisis of 2017, and the Crock-Pot Crisis of 2018). From these case studies, qualities of good crisis communications were determined …

Influences Of Youtube Advertising On Young Adults: A Social Identity Perspective, Nathakorn Srithong

Master's Theses

Social media sites, such as YouTube, have provided a platform for many individuals to have online communities and form their own audiences through their shared interests and a sense of belonging. YouTube exemplifies a social environment in which everyone has the potential to be both the consumer and the producer of content and suggests the speed at which social networking innovations can transform the way we interact with other users. Corporations began to deviate new strategies to engage this new online market and have created a salient area to study the potential problems that may arise when ads present cultural …

The Impact Of Oversaturation And Corporate Identity On Csr Messages Within The Electric Car Industry, Carla White

All Theses

Rooted in the call for increased electric and zero-emission vehicles, this study aims to analyze the impact of repeated industry-wide Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) messages on public perception. This research will test the impact of oversaturation on CSR message outcomes according to Hon and Grunig's (1999) organizational-public relationships (OPRs) scale. Additionally, this research will incorporate corporate identity (CI) framework derived from business literature to test CI's influence on CSR messages and OPR outcomes. Participant's overall trust, satisfaction, and commitment towards a company mission statement and various advertisements under differing experimental conditions will determine the effect of both oversaturation and CI …

A Wellbeing@Ksu Journey: Mapw Portfolio, Meghan Cooper

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

A process narrative and samples and complete works from my time in MAPW and as a GRA within the health and well-being departments at KSU. The portfolio showcases my journey as a communicator and professional writer and how it has impacted my current career.

Small Town To The World Wide Web: Designing A Website For A Local Business, Madison Cozzens

Honors Projects

The Raspberry and The Rose is a small business in Medina, OH, and had a multitude of visual communication issues that needed to be solved. But what's an online presence without a website? "Small Town to the World Wide Web: Designing a Website for a Local Business" focuses on fulfilling a local business's need for a strong online presence. It dives into how a user's experience on the website can impact brand loyalty, foot traffic, and overall perception of a business. The ultimate goal of this project is to provide insight into how a non-e-commerce website can impact a business.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald: The Social Issue, Vol. 97, No. 7, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald for the period March 21 - April 25, 2022.

• Murray, Debra. How Social Media Shapes Creative Lives – Alexis Mueller, Andre Swai, Gatlin Milam
• West, Christina. The Bottomless Pit of Social Media
• Anderson, Alexandria. Campus Organizations Utilize Social Media to Improve Outreach to Students
• Rutherford, Lucy. WKU Freshman Showcases Passion for Photography with Instagram Challenge – Brett Phelps

A Systems-Theory Analysis Of The Relationship Between Communication, Beliefs/Practices, Religiosity, Spirituality And Expected Future Religious Practices Of College Students, Rachel Williams-Smith

Campus Research Month

This study uses systems theory to explore relationships between individual, micro, meso, and macro factors and expected future religious practices of students studying at a Seventh-day Adventist university. The study operationalizes system theory in context of both public relations and spirituality. The primary purpose is to understand relationship between each level of systems theory and students’ expectations about future religious practices. Key recommendations include the need to increase use of digital communication tools, the value of distinguishing between understanding and belief/action at the micro level, and the importance of supporting spiritual development outside the context of organized religion.

Come Close And Listen: Exploring The Intimacy Of Audio Media, Eleanor Kingwell Sharples Hoover

Honors Theses

This thesis aims to demonstrate the power of the audio medium to connect speaker and listener, as a result of the uniquely intimate nature of the medium. By understanding how speakers and listeners connect through audio, the research reveals that the audio medium is a sustainable media outlet, one that is durable despite changes in culture in the media market, that has transformed over time, all while keeping itself within the principal constraints of its original form, that being sound as conveyed to a listener. Three interviews were conducted with individuals situated in different areas of the audio media landscape; …

Ua12/2/1 Best Of The Hill, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald.

• WKU Favorites
• Food & Drink
• Cambridge Market
• Clothing & Gifts
• Things to Do
• Miscellaneous

Response To A Shooting: Supporting A Community’S Steps Forward, Ady Dewey

Strategic Public Relations Projects

On February 1, 2022, two security officers were killed by a gunman on the Bridgewater College campus. Our peaceful community was rocked by heartbreak. The fear, trauma, and grief of that day and the days—and months—to follow were uncharted and challenging in as many different ways as there were individuals impacted.

When the Strategic Public Relations (COMM 347) met for the first time when classes resumed a week later, after processing together their feelings and reactions to the day, they determined that they wanted to do something to help in the healing. They identified two needs: encouraging self-care and promoting …

Ua19/16/2 Men's Basketball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases, photos and game statistics for WKU men's basketball team from January to July 2022.

Ua19/16/2 Women's Basketball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases, photos and game statistics for WKU women's basketball team from January to July 2022.