• Choose a topic that is relatively narrow, but one for which you can find articles in trade publications read by practitioners and also in academic journals. For example, the topic:
o Explores current practices involving the use of data to make marketing decisions.
o Is narrow enough to allow you to dig deeply into the details (the paper should not simply skim the surface of a broader topic). For example, “The Use of Data for Loyalty Programs in the Pest Control Industry” would be acceptable, but “The Use of Data in Loyalty Programs” would be far too broad.
o Allows you to find trade press and academic journal articles you can use as reference material.
• Here are some specific examples:
o Use of sales data by retailers to make marketing decisions (Choose a type of retail chain: grocery, drug store, general merchandise, traditional department store, electronics, clothing, etc.)
o Use of sales data from retailers by manufacturers to make marketing decisions (Choose a manufacturing industry: grocery, personal care product, clothing, toys, electronics, lawn and garden product, etc.)
o Use of data to design and operate a loyalty program (Choose a retailer type, manufacturer, or service provider: grocery retail chain, general merchandise retail chain, traditional department store chain, product manufacturer, restaurant chain, fast food chain, coffee shop chain, hotel chain, car rental firm, airline, movie theatre chain, clothing manufacturer, video game producer, etc.)
o The use of data to optimize B2B lead generation for the industry (Choose an industry: employment agency, insurance, janitorial supply, IT outsourcing, advertising agency, restaurant supply, uniform and linen, automotive fleet sales, truck fleet sales, aircraft sales, construction, contract food service, contract janitorial, etc.)
o The use of data to optimize B2C lead generation for the industry (Choose an industry: insurance, brokerage and financial services, home repair, lawn service, dry cleaning, home remodeling, tour operator, tax preparation, etc.)
o The use of CRM data to strengthen customer relationships in the industry
o The use of data from mobile apps to make marketing decisions in the industry
o A case study of how data use improved marketing at a firm or in an industry.
Important!
• A minimum of two trade publication articles and two academic journal articles should be used as references. These should be real, widely read (in their industry or area of study) publications, not random blogs or websites. Additional credible references (books, general interest business publications, local newspapers, web sites, blogs, etc.) are welcome.
• Sources for both major concepts and direct quotes used in your paper must be cited in the text of the paper, and the source must be in the reference list at the end of the paper. Use APA style for both citations and references.
• Format the paper using APA style for the title page, page layout (line spacing, page numbers, etc.), headings, citations, and references. There is no need to follow additional APA style requirements.
