Matching Items (809)
Description
Gacha games, originating in Japan and spreading across the world, are a segment of mobile video games that has experienced significant international growth in the last decade. This thesis explores how the core mechanics commonly found in gacha games and the culture they exist in shape digital marketing choices for gacha game developers. Through case studies of the gacha game industry, this thesis analyzes how emotion based marketing contributes to player engagement and revenue generation. It further examines the implications of these strategies for other markets, as well as considering ethical concerns regarding player spending habits and regulatory scrutiny.
ContributorsWang, Angela (Author) / Pierce, John (Thesis director) / Dong, Xiaodan (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
This thesis explores how building a personal brand through organic, transparent content on Instagram can lead to the successful growth of a digital dropshipping business. Over a four-month period, I launched and tested three different Instagram accounts, each reflecting a different strategy and level of experience. Through this process, I experimented with content styles, engagement techniques, and branding approaches—learning firsthand what it takes to trigger algorithmic growth, build trust, and drive sales. Along the way, I also explored the importance of mindset, investing in yourself, and staying true to your brand. This thesis reflects not only what I learned about digital marketing, but also what it takes to build something real and scalable on social media today.
ContributorsWinslow, Tara (Author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
This thesis provides a comprehensive exploration of data-driven personalization and its effects on consumer behavior. As brands increasingly rely on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and predictive analytics to tailor digital experiences, personalization has evolved from a competitive advantage to a baseline consumer expectation. Through secondary research, this study examines the foundational technologies that enable personalization, including the types of data collected, the machine learning models employed, and the systems through which personalized content, recommendations, and interactions are delivered.
The thesis further investigates how companies operationalize personalization through widely
adopted marketing strategies and explores the technologies that likely support them. Beyond
implementation, the study focuses on personalization’s psychological and behavioral effects,
highlighting its role in increasing engagement, reducing cognitive load, shaping consumer
decisions, and deepening brand loyalty. At the same time, it explores how personalization may
also contribute to effects such as cognitive dissonance, perceived manipulation, and heightened sensitivities around privacy, autonomy, and algorithmic narrowing.
By synthesizing current academic and industry literature with real-world examples, this thesis
offers a broad yet nuanced understanding of data-driven personalization’s role in shaping modern consumer experiences and the ethical tradeoffs that accompany its widespread adoption.
ContributorsHodder, Abigael (Author) / Zhang, Zhongju (John) (Thesis director) / Lisjak, Monika (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
Artificial intelligence is becoming a necessity to keep up in many industries. Research has been collected regarding the applications of AI and its ability to cannibalize smaller jobs, but users are skeptical. The lack of understanding around how to use AI as well as how it works is contributing to the lack of adoption. Through the distribution and data analysis of surveys sent both to supply chain workers and the general public, I found that regardless of age most people are not completely satisfied with their current knowledge of AI. With training and supportive leadership, workers can become more efficient. This would not take away jobs, but create opportunities for more advanced work. Understanding artificial intelligence and how to use it is how we can reduce fear amongst workers.
ContributorsHendricks, Taylor (Author) / Fowler, John (Thesis director) / Duarte, Brett (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
Healing Brews aims to address the growing demand for holistic health solutions by providing a personalized, accessible platform for those seeking natural remedies. With a focus on herbal teas, our website offers customized tea recommendations based on user-inputted symptoms, backed by scientific research and ingredient facts. Healing Brews empowers individuals to take control of their health in a gentle, cost-effective way. We aim to bridge the gap between traditional medicine and modern wellness, offering not only expert advice but also a seamless shopping experience for users to easily purchase their recommended teas.
ContributorsOchoa, Alexia (Author) / Dahdal, Leila (Co-author) / White, Alexis (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / LaRosa, Julia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
Thrive fosters an inclusive and accessible sports community at ASU, encouraging students to prioritize physical health while building meaningful friendships. By transforming casual play into a powerful tool for connection, Thrive helps students feel a deeper sense of belonging. More than just sports, Thrive creates an energized, welcoming environment where students can engage, grow, and thrive together.
ContributorsSteenhard, Lily (Author) / Singer, Haley (Co-author) / Modi, Sahil (Co-author) / Niziolek, Danielle (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor)
Created2025-05
DescriptionMisinformation and disinformation is easy to spread on social media. Better content moderation and enforcement of policies, along with education and greater use of alternative platforms, will help reduce the quantity of hate speech that is spread.
ContributorsGoodman, Alanna (Author) / Benkert, Volker (Thesis director) / Bender, Bryan (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
The beauty industry plays a powerful role in shaping how individuals, particularly women, see themselves and others. For Latina women, who often navigate multiple cultural expectations, the influence of beauty marketing is especially complex. In the age of social media and online shopping, brand imagery and messaging have become more accessible and pervasive than ever, shaping identity and consumer behavior in both overt and subtle ways. This study investigates how Latina women engage with beauty marketing and how their self-perception and identity formation are affected by brand representation, tone, and inclusivity.
To explore this dynamic, I conducted five in-depth interviews with Latina women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four. These conversations focused on how participants first formed their ideas of beauty, the role of culture in their beauty routines, and how they feel when engaging with mainstream beauty brands. Insights from these interviews revealed recurring themes related to authenticity, representation, and personal empowerment. Using these findings, I developed a Qualtrics-based survey that presents participants with two mock beauty brand interfaces. These digital snapshots are modeled after online store or app pages and are designed with different tones, visuals, and levels of cultural inclusivity.
The survey invites participants to respond to questions about brand perception, emotional impact, and likelihood of purchase. Key metrics include whether participants view the brand messaging as performative or genuine, whether they feel seen or excluded, and how likely they are to engage with the product. While full survey results are still forthcoming, the study aims to contribute to ongoing conversations about equity and accountability in beauty marketing. Ultimately, this research highlights the need for brands to create inclusive and empowering experiences that reflect the diverse realities of Latina women.
ContributorsWard, Sandra (Author) / Gray, Nancy (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
This thesis examines how authoritarian and transitional regimes within Eastern Europe and Central Asia construct and sustain national identity through propaganda, surveillance, and ideological otherization, and how individuals within these systems navigate the spectrum between acceptance and resistance. Through a comparative analysis of historical and contemporary contexts, including North Korea, Cold War Romania, modern-day Iran, postwar Germany and Poland, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire, this study explores how regimes manufacture consensus, enforce compliance, and obscure dissent. Drawing on literature, film, archival testimony, and cultural critique, the project interrogates how state narratives are internalized or contested, and how silence, whether through passive complicity or surveillance-induced fear, becomes a political tool. Special attention is given to how outsider perspectives, from foreign soldiers to Western media, often misread authoritarian societies, reinforcing reductive binaries that echo the propaganda they aim to critique. Ultimately, this thesis argues that authoritarian power is never total; it must be constantly rewritten, reinforced, and reenacted, and therefore, it is always vulnerable to fracture, memory, and resistance.
ContributorsSiegerman, Jacob (Author) / Jakubczak, Laura (Thesis director) / Niebuhr, Robert (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
UniRate is a peer-driven digital review platform designed exclusively for college students to share honest, experience-based insights about all aspects of campus life, from housing and dining to academics and social culture. Unlike generalized platforms such as Yelp or Reddit, UniRate creates a trusted, student-verified ecosystem built “for students, by students,” promoting authenticity and relatability. UniRate is more than just a review site, it’s a cultural tool that modernizes how students choose, experience, and influence college life. UniRate aims to give information and access about universities never available before for the benefit of all who want to experience campus life.
ContributorsHasson, Ethan (Author) / Gaitan, Matthew (Co-author) / Burleson, Nicholas (Co-author) / Thorell, Jack (Co-author) / Wilhoit, Evan (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Giles, Bret (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2025-05