This report was commissioned to provide an analysis and evaluation of consumer perceptions and branding as it relates to the political and social climate in America. To be able to do this, the paper analyzes shifts in the external environment as well as researching case studies and online consumer perception surveys. Overall, this paper aims to examine the distributed survey and attempt to correlate and identify how branding, consumer perceptions, and social and political issues all can work and affect one another. Through the administration of this survey, we were able to formulate a conclusion that points towards the importance of brands actively adhering to changing consumer preferences, ideals, and expectations.

This report was commissioned to provide an analysis and evaluation of consumer perceptions and branding as it relates to the political and social climate in America. To be able to do this, the paper analyzes shifts in the external environment as well as researching case studies and online consumer perception surveys. Overall, this paper aims to examine the distributed survey and attempt to correlate and identify how branding, consumer perceptions, and social and political issues all can work and affect one another. Through the administration of this survey, we were able to formulate a conclusion that points towards the importance of brands actively adhering to changing consumer preferences, ideals, and expectations. The research draws attention to the fact that brands are now living in polarized times, in which there can be numerous risks and opportunities for taking a particular stance socially or politically (Kleinberg, 2017). Thoroughly understanding and measuring brand customer perception in regards social and political stance can be vital to the future success or demise of a brand. To further understand consumer perceptions, it is imperative to analyze the opinions and information of the demographics in which brands appeal to. They can have differing opinions on the subject matter, therefore brands must be sensitive to these differences, and make changes accordingly. Moreover, analyzing current advertising campaigns are essential in gauging the overall expectation that consumers have for their brands in relation to current political and social climates. In essence, these questions and studies led us to formulate our final recommendations pertaining to this subject. Therefore, it is recommended: Brands should consider the political ideology in which the majority of their consumer base identifies with in order to leverage consumer purchasing power Brands should institute protocols before officially releasing proactive or reactive ad campaigns, such as brand advisory committees, competent spokesmen, issue based ads By utilizing this information, it allows brands to be proactive and refocus their objectives in order to accommodate varying consumer perceptions.

Arizona State University has prided itself on the mission to become a global leader in innovation, sustainability, and inclusion for students of all backgrounds. To provide the most meaningful experiences and promote student growth both personally and professionally, the university offers over 800 students organizations for involvement and leadership on campus. With a heavy reliance on paper and print materials, large-scale engagement events such as Passport to ASU and Panhellenic Formal Recruitment have become wasteful and inefficient, straying from the goals established by university president, Michael M. Crow. The processes involved within these two events are outdated and limit accessibility for many students, minimizing the opportunity to get involved and connect with their peers. Engage is a company founded by an Arizona State University student, hoping to find feasible solutions to meet the needs and improve the overall student engagement experience. By designing two separate mobile applications for Passport to ASU and Panhellenic Formal Recruitment, Engage has eliminated the need for paper and print materials while simplifying the event processes for incoming students and the organizations. These apps will similarly improve accessibility for all students, allowing users to get involved and connect with peers without limitations such as transportation or time. Innovation is a key focus of Arizona State University, and to stay competitive they must find new ways to improve the student experience and modernize current offerings. Getting involved is often considered one of the defining parts of collegiate life, and the university must work to maximize opportunities and make the transition as effortless and enjoyable as possible. By implementing these two mobile apps, student engagement will reach new heights and realign with the missions Arizona State University was founded upon.

As two students who have benefitted immensely through engagement in the ASU Professional Sales Program, Emily Herring and Lauren Coles attempt to address the ASU Professional Sales Program as a brand. This is accomplished through an extensive investigation into the current brand in terms of brand inventory and positioning, integrated marketing communications and digital brand strategy, landscape data collection and consumer brand perceptions, and brand development strategies. For this investigation, primary and secondary research via online resources, including competitor websites, articles, etc., was used to analyze the brand and competitors. We collected primary research for the landscape data and consumer brand perceptions via a survey of sales students and coaches from other schools as well as a survey of incumbent participants of the various parts of the program. From this analysis of these data using brand management theory sourced from academic texts, we concluded that there are issues with our brand awareness and consistency. In order to mitigate this, we recommend many changes, the most pertinent and current of which are amalgamated within a holistic 3-pronged positioning campaign. The rest are included in considerations for the future. Within the holistic 3-pronged positioning campaign, the internal and external positioning drive, the customer-driven communications, and the various co-branding initiatives include strong and decisive changes, like changing the name of SPARK, the general student sales club at ASU, and using recaps of events to drive engagement on social media. We hope these changes will engage more students with the ASU Professional Sales Program earlier in their career, with increased dedication to and interaction with the various program offerings.

The consumer decision making process is becoming less complicated, as consumers are turning more and more to social media and peers for reviews and suggestions of new products to purchase. Changes in purchasing trends, along with other external factors, have created a perfect environment for influencer marketing to become more effective for brands than traditional marketing strategies (including television, print, email and radio advertising)—by reaching the right target market with easier ways to track conversion rates and other returns on investment. This thesis looks at the factors that go in to influencer marketing, including why brands utilize this strategy—in terms of budget, returns on investment and best practices for finding the perfect influencers. It also looks at influencer marketing from the view of the influencers themselves. This thesis looks at the spectrum of influence and the motivation and goals of each level—from macro-influencers to micro-influencers and brand advocates. To better understand the research presented in this thesis, a case study of a successful brand, analysis of influencers and a creative project are all presented.

Marketers today have found a way to expose sexualized content to young girls. Intentional or not, girls are taking notice of it and it shows in the increasing numbers of mental and physical disorders. This thesis attempts to synthesis previous research studies and current examples of sexual objectification of women in the hopes to create more awareness on the sexualization of girls. Several aspect play a significant role in shaping young girls including how females are portrayed in the media, how the beauty standards continue to change with the current trends, and how parents are playing an influential role in their children's lives. I will propose some recommendations about what we, as a society, can do to help parents and children grow up in this hyper sexualized world.

In recent years, trade restrictions have been lifted, national borders have opened up, and technology has improved. As a result, companies have been able to expand beyond their home countries and operate in foreign markets. This phenomenon has led to the rise of multinational corporations. Although there are been a trend towards international pursuits, not all businesses have been successful overseas. Further, there is no foolproof way to guarantee that a company will be lucrative in other markets. Some large, well-known multinational corporations have experienced great success in their home markets as well as some foreign markets; however, the same companies have experienced defeat in other national markets. The international expansion strategy that a company must pursue in order to be successful in a foreign market varies depending on the company as well as the foreign market it is entering. For this reason, companies must tailor their foreign expansion strategies to each of the markets in which they operate. From Big Mac to Maharaja Mac: An Analysis of Brand Management Practices Across National Borders examines international business expansion, particularly looking at brand management practices utilized by an array of multinational corporations. This thesis aims to research, analyze, and pinpoint key international brand management strategies and then make recommendations for corporations that are currently operating in a single market but wish to expand their reach beyond their home market's national borders.

The Hispanic population is growing rapidly in the United States and already possesses tremendous buying power and influence. The Millennial generation has officially outnumbered the Baby Boomers to become the largest generational group in the United States. This thesis aligns these two groups to study the U.S. Hispanic Millennial and the characteristics that make this segment unique and powerful. How are Hispanic Millennial consumers different and unique? How can brands connect with Hispanic Millennials in an authentic way? These questions will be explored through a literature review which covers three important aspects: Hispanic identity, culture, and the influence of the Spanish language. Next, a primary research study is conducted to determine if there is a relationship between Hispanic acculturation levels and language preference in advertisements. Finally, the findings of the study are compared with various research studies and reports to determine the best methods of connecting with U.S. Hispanic Millennials as a marketer.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the current state of the brick-and-mortar bookselling industry, with particular focus on independent bookstores and their strengths and weaknesses, and synthesizing recommendations for these bookstores to reinvent themselves in a rapidly changing market. This examination is highly relevant given recent concerns that, with the rise of e-retailers like Amazon and the closure of bookstore chain Borders, brick-and-mortar bookstores may be superseded by new digital vendors. Independent bookstores are thought to be at a particular disadvantage to these retailers, given their limited size and resources, as well as the lack of capital or consumer base that a larger chain like Barnes and Noble can draw upon to invest in emerging technology. With these more limited financial opportunities, independent bookstores must find different ways to not only keep abreast of the technology that consumers are coming to expect from modern businesses, but attract customers.
To gain insight into the state of the industry and current position of independent bookstores, I will first examine the past fifty years of the brick-and-mortar bookstore, followed by a Porter’s Five Forces analysis of the industry threats and a SWOT analysis to compare the strengths and weaknesses of independent bookstores. Next, the patrons of independent bookstores will be discussed with a focus on the two largest consumer groups of Millennials and Baby Boomers, their characteristics, and the opportunities they provide to bookstores. After this there will be an exploration of the competitors to brick-and-mortar bookstores, focusing on Amazon and then touching on some of the other rivals to bookstores’ consumer base. The next section will be an in-depth analysis of a variety of bookstores across the United States, with attention to their successful practices, goals, concerns, and failures. First, there will be a comparison of industry success and failure through case studies of Borders and Powell’s bookstores. Next, there will be a comparison of five beloved independent bookstores across the country to share their varied competitive advantages that are the secret to their success. Finally, there are primary source interviews with the employees of three major Phoenix bookstores, which provide insight into the goals, current projects, attitudes, and inner strengths of these businesses. Finally, the thesis will conclude with a section offering solutions and suggestions for independent bookstores to pursue based on the primary and secondary research discussed above. These recommendations are focused on five key areas:
• Community
• Consumers
• Store Design
• Technology
• Diversification
Ultimately, the information provided by this research and these interviews indicates that while vital business changes are being pursued by independent and chain bookstores across the United States, the independent bookstore shows no signs of disappearing in favor of online vendors or e-readers.

As firms increase the number of channels that they operate and distribute their products and services on, they run into new challenges with branding. One sub-industry where many firms have used multi-channel branding is the specialty apparel segment of retail. Many firms of this kind are using a four-channel approach with physical stores, brand websites, social media pages, and direct mail catalogs to market their products. Yet, there are few specialty apparel retailers that do this well across all four channels. A particular technique used to market products in this way is visual merchandising. Visual merchandising for apparel products pieces together full outfits with multiple clothing items and shows them, in some way, being worn. Beyond just marketing products, however, visual merchandising can provide firms with benefits of branding such as brand expertise, positive consumer attitudes, and increased consumer purchase intent. To do this, firms must develop quality brands using traditional branding practices. To use as guides, J. Crew and Anthropologie's branding and visual merchandising practices were analyzed in case studies. Testing consumer perceptions of these brands and their success, primary research about consumers' behavior relative to specialty apparel retail brands and their visual merchandising displays was an outcome. From this research, it was found that consumers best respond to in-store visual merchandising displays. In showing products, a variety product combination strategy is preferred as it enhances the value consumers perceive in brands and builds brand character. Consumers also feel that visual merchandising impacts their knowledge of the brand and its products as well as personal styling. If brands successfully use visual merchandising to brand themselves, brand consistency, brand expertise, and positive consumer attitudes are an outcome. Recommendations for specialty apparel retail brands have been developed using these findings, and the potential such firms are able to realize in using these will greatly benefit them.