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With the increasing pressure of the American way of life, increased tension and anxieties of our fast civilization, and increased pressure of the advertisements of the liquor industry on billboards, magazines, radio, and newspapers, the alcohol problem has been steadily increasing. It is estimated that two-thirds of the alcoholics begin their drinking while in high school. It would appear then that the high school is the proper place in which to prepare the future citizens to solve their problems in an intelligent and unbiased manner.

Emotional appeals are frequently employed in strategic messaging by nonprofit organizations. In this study, I identify instances of emotional appeals in select print adverts of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the American Cancer Society, and use rhetorical analysis to explore how each organization’s tactics are strategic in their appeal to target audiences’ emotions. In doing so, I identify several reoccurring emotional themes—including hope, love, and unity—that engage their target audiences and persuade them to respond to diverse calls-to-action. In order to make these appeals to audience emotion, the adverts employ rhetorical devices such as personification, metaphor, repetition, and imagery. Rhetorical analysis of the two organizations’ strategic messaging suggests that their calls-to-action, at least in print adverts, rely heavily on appeals to audience emotion. Taken together, the data suggest that previous efforts made by these nonprofits have been proven successful.

Advertising often employs metaphor because of its rhetorical utility. By drawing on analogous imagery and language, metaphor has the potential to elicit emotional responses. As the digital age is increasingly saturated with commercial messaging, advertising experts leverage the persuasive power of metaphor and emotion to produce creative, compelling, and memorable commercials. German automobile company Audi employs metaphorical language and imagery in their video advertisements to arouse consumer emotions. In this study, I conduct rhetorical analyses of Audi’s online video commercials in order to: identify instances in their ads that employ metaphorical language and imagery; investigate how those metaphors function rhetorically; and discuss the complex rhetorical interplay between metaphor and emotion. My findings suggest that Audi leverages the power of metaphor to build audiences’ emotional investment in the brand, and therefore, be more likely to purchase Audi vehicles.

The restaurant industry is the second largest employer in the United States; however, only 33% of restaurants are successful during the first 3 years of operation. The purpose of this exploratory multiple case study was to determine what marketing strategies small independent restaurant owners need for profitability. Aaker's brand equity model was the conceptual framework used to ground this study. Using a purposeful criterion sampling technique and semistructured interviews, 12 individuals (2 managers and 2 employees from 3 restaurants in Philadelphia) participated in the study. Data collected from interviews and archival business records were analyzed to generate themes, also allowing for triangulation. Five marketing strategy themes emerged from this study: word of mouth and social media marketing, limited financial resources, product differentiation and atmosphere, blogging and using the point of sale (POS) system, and employee engagement and upselling. Participants stated that word of mouth and social media marketing were powerful strategies that small independent restaurant owners should use to retain customers and gain new customers. Participants noted that product differentiation and atmosphere are unique characteristics that guide marketing strategies, brand positioning, and influence competitive advantage and profitability. Implications for positive social change include business development opportunities, opening resource centers for training programs, and free webinars associated with marketing and brand equity strategies. Communities, organizations, and new entrepreneurs will benefit from positive social change from the increase of social resources, community economic growth, employment opportunities, and sustainability.

Franchised small businesses will not survive their first 5 years if they cannot implement marketing strategies that appeal to their customers. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the marketing strategies that successful franchise small business leaders used to retain customers. The population comprised 4 business leaders at franchise small businesses in North Carolina. Competitive advantage theory and blue ocean theory grounded this study. Data were collected using semistructured face-to-face interviews and review of company marketing materials. Data were thematically analyzed, and 6 themes emerged: personalization of customer service, market segmentation, innovative advertising, networking, brand identity, and loyalty programs. Market segmentation and innovative advertising are fundamental strategies for retaining customers within the target market, whereas personalization of customer service can help build positive relationships with customers. These findings could improve customer loyalty and customer satisfaction, which might increase the number of successful small businesses in the United States. The implications for positive social change include the potential for business leaders to develop effective marketing strategies to retain customers, which may benefit customers through an increase in job opportunities in the local business community.

Small business owners who fail to apply effective Internet marketing strategies could negatively affect customers' purchasing decisions, and business profitability and sustainability. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore effective Internet marketing strategies online fashion jewelry business owners used to maintain or increase profit levels. Competitive advantage theory was the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected via semistructured interviews with 3 online fashion jewelry business owners located in the northeastern region of the United States who were in the same business for more than 5 years and generated at least $100,000 in annual revenue. Additionally, data were collected with a review of company documents pertaining to the profit levels of the businesses. Data were analyzed using word frequency and coding to determine themes. Six key themes emerged from the data: (a) Internet marketing strategies, (b) social media marketing strategies, (c) market research and retargeting strategies, (d) brand building strategies, (e) e-mail marketing strategies, and (f) marketing strategies for customer relationship management. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential to create jobs and economic growth. The findings of this study could increase the quality of life for stay-at-home parents or assist disadvantaged individuals who host online businesses by offering proven Internet marketing strategies to increase their business longevity, profitability, and potentially lead to stronger and safer communities.

During the 2009 economic recession, United States business leaders cut marketing expenditures between 33% and 50% more than they did for any other business expenditure to mitigate financial loss because business leaders often regard marketing as an expense and not an investment. Since there is not a widely applied marketing measurement standard, this multiple-case study focused on finding key performance indicators that healthcare and sales small business leaders in eastern United States with less than 500 employees, and marketing evaluation practices in place, used to evaluate the effectiveness of their marketing. Institutional theory was used as the conceptual framework to explore the key drivers behind marketing measurement practices. The focus of this study was on the experiences of 4 small business leaders in Atlanta, Georgia, and Baltimore, Maryland, who have developed financial and nonfinancial strategies to measure their marketing performance. Data collected for this study included 20-minute interviews with each participant, strategic plans, and field notes. A modified van Kaam and triangulation approach was used for data analysis to identify themes, which included the need to tie marketing measurement to the product or service offering and drive revenue or traffic to their business. The results of the study may benefit practitioners who work on social change strategies because the conclusions clarify effective marketing practices and increase well-being of customers. Further, this study provides recommendations for successful marketing measurement strategies that may help businesses meet the needs of community members.

Small business enterprise (SBE) managers often lack resources, expertise, and impact when selling in an online environment. SBEs can overcome increased competition by adopting customer relationship management (CRM) into their business model for survival and longevity. Using the conceptual framework technology, organization, environment (TOE), this multiple case study explored effective marketing strategies that small store retail managers use to successfully sell apparel and accessories in online markets. The study population included leaders from independent small online retail enterprises with brick-and-mortar stores located in the Central, Tri-Cities, or Southside areas in Virginia. The data collection process included semistructured, on-site interviews of 4 SBE owners or managers and reviewing organizational documents and online postings from those 4 organizations. Using topic coding, the data were organized into nodes grounded in the context of TOE. The thematic analysis yielded 5 themes: social media engagement, price congruency, organizational knowledge benefit, customer satisfaction, and customer engagement. The study findings revealed that a significant strategy for SBEs operating in online markets was social CRM, an inexpensive and critical tool for CRM. Further, CRM tools such as social media required consistent monitoring and the devotion of financial and human resources to deliver constant customer engagement. The implication for social change includes the potential to improve the life cycle of SBEs in smaller communities, which improves community entrepreneurial and startup success. Entrepreneurship contributes to community vitality and economic prosperity by providing employment, skill development, and job training.