Honors Projects

Abstract

A traditional image of a couple getting married includes one man, one woman, who are young, white, and do not have children. Yet, demographics of prospective couples have become more diverse in terms of age, race-ethnicity, sexual orientation, and family composition. This project examines the extent to which these changes toward diversity in prospective couples are reflected in wedding photographers’ marketing strategies, using content analysis of photographs (N = 960) from photographers' Wedding Wire profiles, personal photography websites, and professional Facebook pages. Eight photographers were chosen from the Midwest (Chicago and Indianapolis) and the West Coast (Los Angeles and San Francisco). Photographers were found on WeddingWire.com using the highest and lowest average ratings received, and a minimum of 20-50 ratings. The results suggest that photographers are still adhering to the traditional image of couples. The largest non-traditional representation is shown with non-white couples, with older couples being the least likely to be represented. Unexpectedly, Indianapolis shows more diversity in age and family structure than the other cities. For sexual orientation, as expected, Indianapolis had low representation, and surprisingly, Chicago had the lowest. Based off the findings from the content analysis, I created a marketing campaign for a hypothetical photography company to propose an example that is inclusive of diversity, while still showing the traditional image as well. The marketing campaign includes a Facebook photography page, a billboard, a commercial storyboard, and the home page for the photography company’s professional website.

Major

Marketing

First Advisor

Dr. Kei Nomaguchi

First Advisor Department

Sociology

Second Advisor

Dr. Doug Ewing

Second Advisor Department

Marketing

Publication Date

Spring 5-2-2016

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