Architecture Program

 

Date of this Version

12-2011

Comments

A THESIS Presented to Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science, Major: Architecture, Under the Supervision of Professor Tom E. Allisma. Lincoln, Nebraska: December, 2011

Copyright (c) 2011 Niccole S. Skomal

Abstract

Past study on Interior Design has been primarily looked at through the lenses of aesthetics and functionality. Only recently have scholars begun to see the influence marketing, in the form of branding, can have on the Interior Design process in targeting specific lifestyle groups. The purpose of this research is to understand the fabric of the postmodern Young Urban Professional lifestyle as a marketing tool for branding and designing services in the form of entertainment and nightlife. With an increasing lack of community and social connectedness in today’s postmodern society, Young Urban Professionals tend to consume entertainment and nightlife as a primary way of defining who they are and how they evaluate others. Being seen at the trendiest and most exclusive restaurants, bars and nightclubs is the primary form of identity, aside from their career focus. In forming relationships with these consumers through lifestyle brands, nightlife venues gain a competitive advantage over surrounding businesses. Raised during a time of modern marketing and the introduction of experiential marketing, experience is everything to the Young Urban Professional. This background research acted as the basis for the following research questions: 1.) what aspects of experiential design are most attractive to the Young Urban Professional lifestyle and their devotion to the brand? And (2) how can interior designers provide a branded nightlife experience that attracts and identifies with their particular lifestyle? To answer these questions, background research on both lifestyle and experiential branding are targeted to the postmodern Young Urban Professional. Meanwhile, field research in the form of “Learning from Las Vegas”, identifies design implications common between various venues in Las Vegas that attract this target market and shows how they can be applied to venues in the Midwest, or more specifically, Omaha, Nebraska.

Adviser: Tom E. Allisma

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