November 5, 2013
Business students present at marketing conference
Marketing senior Ashlee Hampton and junior Philip Hill presented their research, along with associate professor of marketing Esther Swilley, at the Society for Marketing Advances conference held in Hilton Head, S.C. Their presentation, "Examining Blog, Pin and Online Review Effects on Advertising Attitudes and Purchase Intentions," discussed the effects of social media on consumers' attitudes toward products, traditional advertisements and ultimately purchase decisions.
Their research findings indicate that consumers use various forms of social media in different ways. Pins from Pinterest are used for product awareness and curiosity, blogs aid in positive attitudes toward advertising, and consumer online reviews are frequently read prior to making a purchase decision.
Many other papers at the conference addressed social media in various ways, as well as other current marketing topics. An abstract of their paper is published in the 2013 Society for Marketing Advances Conference Proceedings.