Download Marketing Research

Dr. Close
MARKETING RESEARCH
Role of Research
 Defined as:
 “the planning, collecting, and analyzing information to improve
marketing decisions.”
 A decision Support System (DSS)
 Keep isolated marketing managers in touch with markets.
 What’s hot? What’s not?
 DSS: Interactive, flexible, discovery-oriented & accessible
 Create customer profiles via database marketing
Marketing Research
 Scientific Method:
 Is the objective and orderly process for testing ideas about
relationships between variable(s).
 Hypothesis is an educated guess about relationship
between variables (if a, then b).
 Is this the best way to understand consumers?
Marketing Research Steps
1. Identify the problems (or opportunity)
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Is the most difficult and important (Cingular
wireless: product failures: cast about reasons:
lack of image; $300 million BBDO)
Book: often outside specialists must understand
situation.
Budget constraints an issue.
Marketing Research Steps
2. Plan Research Design & Collect Data
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Quick and cost effective (eliminates need)
Secondary data (Vans: law; skatepark)
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Information already collected and or published
Study information already available
End: decide if information is still needed
If so, conduct a new, original (primary) research
study
Market research is what I do almost every day!
Secondary Research
Some Syndicated Data Providers
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More Secondary Mkt. Research
Sources
Some Syndicated Data Providers (Continued)
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Marketing Research Steps
Plan to gather data: surveys
2b. If primary data, have to collect data yourself
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Questioning: survey (Scales)
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Set of questions to collect information directly
from subjects (open or closed ended)
Self administer or in person (at events, malls)
Problem: low response rates 10% is good, 36%
diss)
Problem (from low response): representative
Online surveys
(zoomerang.com.surveymonkey.com)
Marketing Research
Marketing Research Process
Plan to gather data: novel methods
2b. Depth interviews
 Observing “you can observe a lot, just be looking”
 Advantage: natural inquiry (kids), and gather information without
influencing customers.
• What about disadvantages??
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“Mystery shoppers” (what are examples??)
Scanner data: collect buying information (unlimited use)
Netnography/ethnography
Online/focus groups/
Marketing Research
Plan to gather data: experiments
2b. Data
 Experimenting
 Two similar groups
 Differ on one item of importance
 Hold all else constant
 Advantage: causation (Eckerd; 20 stores; POP; Atkins
death)
 Disadvantage: naturalism (is it so fake?) LeSportsac vs
K-Mart
 Look on the back of a prescription drug print ad….that
is an experiment
Marketing Research Methods: +/A Comparison of Data Collection Methods Used in Marketing
Research
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Marketing Research Methods: +/-, 2
A Comparison of Data Collection Methods Used in Marketing
Research (Continued)
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Marketing Research Steps
5. Analyse/Interpret data
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Solve with statistics
Issues:
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Reliability: consistency (same result in repeated
trials; scale for weight)
Validity: measure what you intend to (accurate
standardized tests
Statistical software assists you
SPSS vs. SAS
Marketing Research Steps
5. Analyze the data (not just interesting)
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Run cross-tabs
Hypothesis testing
Association Measures
Regression Analysis
Structural Equation Models
Marketing Research
6. Prepare/Present Report or Manuscript
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Solve objectives clearly
Search for the “better question” (ask about food quality
in dining hall; everyone talks about price or location)
Tailor to audience (executive or expert scholars
7. Follow up
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How could your improve?
Was a decision made based on your study?
Build a relationship
Conducting Research
Eight Criteria for Evaluating Marketing Research Reports
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Research Limitations
 Test market areas are not fully representative of the
market
 Sample size and design have been formulated
incorrectly due to budget constraints
 Pretest measurements of competitive brand sales
have been not made or are inaccurate
 Test scores do not give complete support to the study
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Research Limitations
 Test market products are advertised or promoted
beyond a profitable level for the market in general
 Researchers ignore the effects of factors that influence
sales
 Test-market period is too short to determine whether
the product will be repurchased
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Ethical Responsibilities
 Responsibilities to respondents
 Preserving respondent anonymity
 Avoiding mental stress for respondents
 Avoiding questions detrimental to respondents
 Avoiding the use of dangerous equipment or techniques
 Avoiding deception of respondents
 Avoiding coercion of respondents
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Ethical Responsibilities
 Responsibilities to clients
 Providing confidentiality
 Providing technical integrity
 Providing administrative integrity
 Providing guidance on research usage
 Responsibilities to subordinate employees
 Creating an ethical work environment
 Avoiding opportunities for unethical behavior
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Marketing Information Systems (MIS)
 Coordinated collection of data, tools, and techniques
involving both computer hardware and software
 Requires three types of software:
 Database management software – For sorting and
retrieving data from internal and external sources
 Model base management software – Contains routines
for manipulating data
 Dialog system – Allows for exploration of data and uses
models to produce information for decision making
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Marketing Information Systems (MIS)
 Internal information includes such things as sales
records
 Investigates efficiency and effectiveness of various
marketing strategies
 External information concerns changes in environment
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Marketing Information Systems
Some Information Sources for Marketing Information Systems
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Marketing Information Systems (MIS)
Some Information Sources for Marketing Information Systems
(Continued)
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