market research report: rim blackberry and the smartphone market
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Blackberry
Research in motion UK Limited
200 Bath Road
Slough
Berkshire
SL1 3XE
Market Research Report
Prepared By: Insight Agency
35 Belleview Way
London
SW6 1AE
Phone: 020 7317 9300
Email: insight@email.co.uk
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We at Insight are committed to bringing you at Blackberry an inspirational service to help facilitate
those innovative ideas, problems and hurdles by bringing them to life within the organisations
constraints. If for any reason you want to discuss anything mentioned in following report feel free to
contact any of us:
MANAGING DIRECTOR
(Emelia Chin-Smith)
FIELD WORK
(Janine Johnson)
QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
(Julie Miles)
QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS
(Charlie Marples)
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Contents Page
Content Page
Front Cover 1 Contact Details 2 Mission Statement and corporate positions 3 Contents Page 4 Executive Summary 5 Background 6 Management Problem 6 Research Problem 6 – 7 Approach and Rationale 7 Research Design 8 Measurement and Scaling 9 - 10 Sampling method 11 – 12 Field work and data collection 13 Ethics 14 Preparing and analysing data 15 – 18 Limitations 19 – 20 Conclusion and future recommendations 21 Appendix 22 – 62 References 63 Bibliography 64 Back Cover 65
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Executive Summary
The dynamic nature of the mobile phone and more specifically the ‘Smartphone’ industry means
that business is a consistent battle to keep ahead of the competition through innovation and
inspiring the consumer. In order to maintain market share Blackberry wish to reposition themselves
amongst the youth student market, those aged 18-24 within the UK. In order to do this we at Insight
have attempted to identify a salient attribute that the youth market value through gauging an
understanding of their values, attitudes and knowledge, behaviour and the environment that
surrounds them. In order to do this a combination of secondary data, descriptive questionnaires –
one that was physically handed out and the other supplied online, and laddering interviews which
are a type of one on one interview where the participant was probed about a topic. The sample used
was a mixture of 18-24 year old students from the Lincolnshire area of wide variety of
demographics. This consisted of:
- Physical questionnaires – 100 participants
- Online – 80 participants
- Laddering Interviews – 20 participants
All data was then analysed using SPSS, a statistical analysis programme, excel and word, which are all
computer based databases. This enabled the identification of the following market characteristics:
- There is no gender difference amongst the student segment in terms of brand choice
- Student markets is price sensitive and place a low value on loyalty where phones are
concerned.
- Their perception of brand positioning (in terms of a league table) varied compared to
the market as a whole suggestive of the variation in lifestyle values.
- They highly valued the idea of having a certain branded phone to achieve a sense of
happiness, social status and self-esteem.
- The idea of third party applications enhancing the phone proved to be popular in
particular the idea of having business application as it suited their lifestyle.
Thus, Insight suggest that Blackberry would benefit from developing a partnership with third party
application suppliers to develop an application such as, a timetabling app, that will be relevant and
appeal to this segments lifestyle. In addition the implementation of a number of advertising
strategies specifically targeted at the student market using a message such as “ Love what you do”
would align the existing corporate brand image with the lifestyles and values of the student market
perhaps making the brand a more salient (popularly) thought of brand. However, it is advisable that
further research is conducted into the area of third party applications on a wider and more specific
scale before any strategies are implemented.
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Background
The mobile phone industry in the UK is constantly growing and is expected to reach 32 million units
being sold in the UK by 2013, according to Datamonitor (2009). Therefore, it is not surprising that
competition is fierce in such an attractive and lucrative market. Blackberry currently competes in the
‘smart phone’ market (phones that offer PC like functionality along with the basic mobile phone
functions). This is a trend that is expected to see significant growth thus, Blackberry need to keep on
top of their market position and continue to innovate forward
Although the threat of new entrants to the mobile phone market is relatively weak, as a result of the
large amount of capital and economies of scale required to compete, the threat of existing
competition is strong with key players such as Apple, Nokia, HTC, Samsung and Sony Ericson all
competing for the opportunity to become the customers mobile of choice. Currently, according to
The Independent (2010) Blackberry controls 19.9% of the ‘Smartphone’ market but, lost “some
share in the fourth quarter to phones with Google’s Android software.” In addition, although Apple
are currently lagging behind in the market with only 14.4% market share their intensive advertising
strategies and widening accessibility in the market by becoming available on most networks may see
this turn around.
Management problem
As a result of the dynamic nature of the mobile phone industry and in particular the ‘Smartphone’
sector it is inevitable that Blackberry need to keep amidst of the competition to sustain and even
increase their position within the market, currently second. Changing consumer behaviour and
developing technology means the mobile sector is a frivolous one where turnover of phones is
relatively high therefore, Blackberry’s position in Gartner (2010) leader board suggests that with
competitors following so closely behind and consistently re-developing their offerings Blackberry
need to find a way to sustain their position through an innovative solution. Insight suggests that
because Blackberry have previously target an older professional market, the technologically lead
nature of the youth student market offers the organisation an attractive opportunity. Therefore,
Blackberry could benefit by repositioning themselves amongst the youth market with an innovative
strategy that appeals to their lifestyle.
Research problem
Blackberry currently target a more professional middle aged mainstream market therefore, in order
to increase market share it would be beneficial to target a younger market as they make up a large
proportion of the mobile phone market. Consequently we propose to identify what would be the
ideal way to appeal to the student youths of today through identifying the following:
Where Blackberry resounds in terms of a leader board for ‘Smartphone’s’ amongst the
students perceptions.
Understand the key attributes that student’s desire from a mobile phone.
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Identify the most common values that they aspire to achieve from their purchase of a
mobile phone.
Understand the most influential factors (affect and cognition, environmental, or marketing
strategies) faced by the youth consumer when purchasing a mobile phone.
Approach and Rationale
Theoretical framework
In order to understand the influences on the student segment when choosing, purchasing and
becoming loyal to a mobile phone it will be beneficial to use the ‘wheel of consumer analysis’
(shown below) to frame the research content in order to gain a comprehensive perspective of the
dynamic nature of the segments buyer behaviour. In addition, we have also used interviews that
were guided by a model called means-end chains to help to identify deep and rich data about how
the consumer links the product
attributes to more abstract
consequences and values which could
not otherwise be identified using
traditional surface approach research
techniques. In addition this type of data
is quite sensitive and intimate
therefore, an individual and
personalised approach is much more
appropriate. Two types of
questionnaires were then used to get a
wide range of attitudes and opinions in
a time and cost efficient manner.
Research Question
Identify a salient attribute that
Blackberry could use to become more
appealing to the student market, those
aged 18-24 years old.
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Research Design
'Insight' have used an 'exploratory research’ design to gain an insight into the characteristics of
Blackberry’s currently untargeted segment, students aged 16-24, in order to help identify a
reasonable means or idea to help solve the marketing problem (Malhorta and Peterson, 2006:72) of
attempting to gain market share amongst this dynamic and opportunist segment. In addition the
research has been conducted based on a cross-sectional study design. This is defined by Shao (2002:
48) as ‘what is occurring at one moment in time’. This method will be most appropriate for this
research as it concentrates on the current trends in consumers’ buying behaviour and attitudes
towards technology that are currently in the market. As a result of the consistently changing nature
of the mobile phone market any other form of design, such as a longitudinal, would not provide the
required date to reflect what exists in the market at a specific point in time.
The core research methods that were used to establish this initial generation of ideas and insight
included a range of techniques from different designs:
Published secondary data
Descriptive Designs
Printed face-to-face questionnaires
Online questionnaires
Exploratory Designs
Laddering interviews
The above methods of data collection were chosen based on the time, funding, facilities and
objectives of the research problem in question. Due to the limited time frame, and available funding
and facilities we decided to conduct a mass of questionnaires in order to gain substantial descriptive
data. Alternatively, although the laddering interviews are slightly more expensive and time
consuming they were used to create a balance between the data that we gathered by providing
richer qualitative data.
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Measurement and Scaling
Questionnaires
Both questionnaires were designed based on a variety of measurement techniques in order to give
the participant variation and to extract specific information. A variety of the techniques used were a
mixture of:
Open ended questions - A blank space given for a personal answer
Closed ended questions - Nominal – Belong to a certain category e.g. multiple choice - Continuous Rating – Likert scale
All of which were chosen based on a number of distinct elements that needed to be identified and
provided the ability to gain a combination of quantitative and qualitative data. Both questionnaires
contained ten questions each in order to keep the process to a minimum period of time to prevent
half hearted and half filled out questionnaires. Initial questions were designed to be basic and non-
invasive to hold the participants interest and prevent feelings of too much probing into personal
data. Further questions required the respondent to think about their answer more and give a more
personal touch to the reply. Such questions included open-ended questions where the participant is
free to write what they choose and continuous rating scales (mainly a likert scale) used to identify
consumers degree of attitude and opinions towards certain topics. The scales ranged from 1 to 5, in
which 1 is 'Not important at all', to 5, which is 'Very important.' The use of five choices was chosen in
order to minimise the risk of participants not willing to choose a degree of opinion and therefore,
‘sitting on the fence.’
All questions were designed to be non-biased and easy to understand through the use of simple
language, non directive questions and substantial options to choose from amongst multiple choice
questions. This was necessary in order to maintain levels of participation, and a greater degree of
validity through attempting to reduce demand characteristics to a minimum and ensure participants
respond as accurately as possible. The majority of the questions had an underlying motive directing
towards one of the segments of the ‘Wheel of consumer analysis’ e.g. affect for certain brands, how
consumers behave in the purchase process of a mobile phone and what factors in the environment
effect the participant when purchasing/ choosing a mobile phone such as the level of service and
who they go shopping with.
The online questionnaire used a similar design in terms of the questions being asked however, it was
established to specifically help to identify specific areas of development rather than consumer
behaviour in this segment. It was designed used a research site call Survey monkey accessed via
www.surveymonkey.com. It is a website designed to create questionnaires and store the results all
on one web page. These questionnaires are sent out to representative members of the target
audience via social networking sites, university e-mail and personal e-mail accounts. The participant
is given a link and then they have to direct themselves to the correct web page.
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Finally, laddering interviews were used to extrapolate much richer qualitative data. As a result of the
significant time consumption of this method they were only used on a small sample of the target
audience, twenty individuals. They were designed to gain the following:
Identify the salient attributes most valued by this segment
Identify the basic ends that a consumer seeks when purchasing a mobile phone
A deep understanding into consumers purchase motivations for a mobile phone
Understand the consumer-product relationship with their mobile
The primary question that was used on all the laddering interviews to keep the topic of conversation
consistent began with:
“If you were in the market for a new mobile phone, what are they main attributes that you look for?”
This was the key topic of conversation. However, in order to probe further and questions then took a
basic form of:
“Of these factors you just mentioned, which are the three most important?”
Due to the nature of interviews and individuality of participants the following questions were then
dependent on the participant’s response. However, the basic form is to probe deeper and deeper
why these factors are important until they cannot give any other reason behind their views. The
result is to discover the true underlining values that are not subconsciously at the top of one’s mind.
The laddering interviews would then be analysed and developed into means-end chains to display
the attributes, consequences and values that the participants collectively valued the most.
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Sampling Method
The sampling method chosen is a non-probability convenience sampling method controlled purely
by judgement of estimated age due to the location of where data collection was conducted. The age
group of 18 to 24 year olds was controlled purely by positioning ourselves on campus of the Lincoln
University to specifically target students at this university. A more detailed description of the
breakdown of the target markets characteristics such as demo and psychographics are shown below:
Physical Questionnaires
Distributed to 100 participants based in the vicinity of Lincoln University. There were fifty males and
fifty female students and the rest of the participants characteristics were purely random based on
the style of conveniently asking anyone who was present at the time of collection.
Survey Monkey Questionnaires
One the other hand, for this questionnaire the characteristics of the participant were more difficult
to control. Although we had hoped to recruit an equal gender difference in responses data collection
was dependent on participant’s willingness to respond therefore, in order to achieve our target of
100 responses this would mean pushing the link to whomever, was willing male or female. However,
Sampling Method
The target audience that Blackberry wish to gain an
insight into are both male and female students aged 18-24
years old from a wide variety of demographics and
psychographics. Shown following is fuller description of
the typical individual who will possess the relevant
information for this research design.
Attitudes towards mobile phones: seen as a necessity,
really tech savvy and used as a status symbol.
Finance: Usually living off student loans or part time job
wages, have limited disposable income
Living: Parents, or shared apartments, houses with friends
Work: Purely university academic work or a part time job
as well.
Leisure: Gym, Clubbing, Socialising
Transport: No car (due to financial status) or quite old 2nd
hand car.
Gadgets: Phone (sometimes more than one), laptop, TV,
games console, MP3 players, netbooks.
Taste/Fashion: highly brand conscious and trend aware,
use fashion and branding as major status symbols within
certain subcultures.
VALS: Strivers & Experiencers.
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we were able to control whether they were students or not through only forwarding the link through
the university contact list, known emails and to participants on social networks where we sure they
were students.
Laddering Interviews
This was also based on a convenience sample of twenty participants who were on campus and were
free at the time of data collection to participate in an interview process. Although, they were all
students there again was less control over the distribution of gender.
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Field work and data collection
Process
Questionnaires
These were distributed by hand on campus to 100 participants, aged 18 – 24 years old, visiting the
University of Lincoln Library between February 8th and February 12th 2010. In order to gain a
representative sample amongst the gender of students, we designated each pair of the field workers
to specifically collect fifty questionnaires on the male gender and the other fifty on the female
gender. Participants were selected on a purely ‘first come, first serve’ basis or opportunistic sample.
Participants were greeted kindly and asked if it would be possible to help with some research into
mobile phones by conducting a short questionnaire. If they were willing to help they were given a
questionnaire and told we would return to collect it in fifteen minutes if that was alright with them.
This gave them sufficient time without any pressure to fill out the questionnaire. On collection they
were told that all data would be kept confidential. All data will be analysed using SPSS.
Survey Monkey
The Online survey distributed via university email accounts, social networking site called Facebook
and through other known email addresses. Although we set out to gain the response of one
hundred participants uptake was slow and therefore, it was decided a cut off point of eighty
participants would be sufficient. The process began by emailing and sending out the following link
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G77ZL37 to a random selection of individuals that had the key
characteristics of being students aged between 18-24 years old. Other than that they would have
mixed gender and socio demographic statuses. Survey monkey records all questionnaires that have
been filled out and logs them on an accessible data site where results are viewable at any given
point in time. All data collected has been analysed using excel.
Hypothetical Laddering Interviews (HLI) & Means end Chains
The process for these interviews was slightly more complex as it required sufficiently more time and
accuracy in the recording of data. Again the twenty participants were selected purely at random
based on convenience. They were conducted in the Tower Bar of Lincoln University between
February 8th and February 12th 2010. This provides a familiar, relaxed atmosphere, where people
would be more willing to participate. They were asked if they had time to participate in an interview
on mobile phones. If they did they were escorted to a private table and briefed that the information
gained will be kept highly confidential and that they could withdraw at any point. They were then
asked a series of questions set out in the research design. All data was recorded by hand in full
sentences as far as was possible. Although this lengthened the process of the interview due to
recording errors it was necessary for reasons of accuracy. A tape recorder would have been more
efficient however, this may have reduced validity due to added demand characteristics to play up to
the recorder and a more surreal and awkward setting. All data was analysed in light of the MECCAS
model.
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Ethics
The field workers were required to act in a professional and courteous manner at all times. They
must be friendly and grateful in order to encourage the motivation of participants to participate in
the research. More importantly they must ensure that the following are abided by:
Gain participant permission
Brief and de-brief participants to prevent any apprehension or dissonance
Ensure that they are aware that they can terminate the process at any time
Ensure that the participant is not under any harm during the process such as offensive or
disturbing questions
Ensure that all data collected abides to the confidentiality and privacy regulations
However, as a variety of research designs were used there were some specific ethics that needed to
be considered for each method.
Survey Monkey
Invasion of privacy due to distribution method, social networking sites used for private use
shouldn’t on an ethical basis be used for distribution of marketing material.
“Green” Method, ecologically considerate, no use of paper etc.
There is a need for anonymity; otherwise consumers can feel pressured about comebacks if
they give negative responses towards the brand or service.
Due to the increase of hackers and malware in computers Insight should ensure the safety of
the program/server is top class to ensure there is no transmission of malware, and also it’s
encrypted so information cannot be illegally shared.
Social exclusion of poorer demographics who couldn’t access the medium of distribution
Physical Questionnaires and Hypothetical Laddering Interviews
Due to the highly descriptive nature of HLI, participants could feel they are giving too much
away and feel invaded.
The act of having to approach people during there every day goings on could be an invasion
of privacy and also a nuisance, they could be running to a lecture, for a train home etc.
According to Jobber, D (2007)“Sugging” may have occurred. This is where you are perceived
as using your research as a sales mechanism. The leading questions used can make the
process feel as though it is being masked as a sales pitch therefore, need to make question
design as objective as possible.
Subliminal messages- using things such as body language and head nods to guide the
respondent to answer in a way you want to tailor your findings to your preferred goal.
Terminology and Validity - using complex marketing terminology to unknowledgeable
respondents could make them scared to ask for help therefore ask the question without
understanding it, clouding the validity of the results.
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Preparing and Analysing Data
In order to analyse our data we used a combination of methods:
Handout Questionnaires – SPSS
Survey Monkey Questionnaires –Excel
Hypothetical Laddering Interviews – Word
However, throughout all our analysis despite the variation in methods we used a consistent
methodology adapted from Malhorta, N.K.(2004):
Preparing prelimiary plan of data anyalsis - Plan of how you are going to analyse the data collected.
Questionnaire Checking (If used this design) - Check for completness, eligability, missing pages etc
Editing - A review of the data with the objective of increasing the accuracy and precision of data by screening out illegible, incomplete, incosistent and ambiguous responses.
Coding - Assign a code to each possible response
Transcribing - Transfer the coded data into a programme e.g. SPSS
Data Cleaning - Check for consistency and missing responses.
Statistically adjust the data
Select a data analysis strategy
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Although we found no significant relationship between the brand choice that participants choose
and:
A number of influential factors (Advertising and Promotion, peer pressure , brand familiarity,
persuasion from in store sales, Parents and other) - See Figure 12
Service given - See Figure 13
Shopping companion - See Figure 13
Trial opportunity - See Figure 13
It is still likely that they have a prominent influence on the consumers’ choice of phone even though
they may not be prominent salient factors. Therefore, these factors must not be neglected in the
strategies an organisation uses to promote a phone but, should be embraced as additional benefits
that may make the consumers experience of purchasing a phone much more valued.
In addition it was found that there was no significant difference between brand choice and gender
therefore; the student market is not likely to be segmented in this way, See Figure 14. However, an
organisation could benefit through targeting the student market through price as data showed that
the majority would only be prepared to pay £0-2 for a third party application See Figure 23. Thus,
favoured the low price and suggested that they would be relatively price sensitive. Results also
showed that the student segment’s behavioural characteristics suggest that it was a rare
circumstance for them to be loyal to a specific brand with 42/80 participants See Figure 19, stating
that they were not loyal to a specific brand. This is then reflected in the ever changing and dynamic
leader board and the nature of the dynamic market that involves according to Datamonitor Industry
Profile (2009) high rivalry as a result of a high penetration of mobile phones being consistently
released into the market thus, a high tendency to switch based on innovative advancements in
design and technology.
Their perception of brands was also very different from the market as a whole in terms of
favourability. According to secondary statistics, Gartner (2010) the leader board is as follows:
Company
4Q08
Sales
Market
Share 4Q08
(%)
4Q07
Sales
Market
Share 4Q07
(%)
4Q07-4Q08
Growth
(%)
Nokia 15,561.7 40.8 18,703.3 50.9 -16.8
Research In Motion 7,442.6 19.5 4,024.7 10.9 84.9
Apple 4,079.4 10.7 1,928.3 5.2 111.6
HTC 1,631.7 4.3 1,361.1 3.7 19.9
Samsung 1,598.2 4.2 671.5 1.8 138.0
Others 7,829.7 20.5 10,077.3 27.4 -22.3
Total 38,143.3 100.0 36,766.1 100.0 3.7
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Whereas, the student market suggest that a
leader board should look something like the
following:
Samsung
Nokia
Blackberry
LG
Ericsson
Iphone
Motorola and Network Brands
HTC
Toshiba
As you can see the choice of brand is relatively dispersed across the market however, it was clear
that for a large proportion of consumers, 42.5 % the importance of the brand was important to
them. This was then clearly supported by the laddering interviews where a key salient attribute was
the brand which was then followed by the two of the top sought after end values as being social
status and self-esteem. Consequently, this suggests the student market place a high value on the
brand in helping them to achieve a place and a sense of belonging in their social environment.
The top sought after end values were:
Happiness 50%
Social status 19.6%
Self esteem 14.2%
As part of a trial research we wanted to discover a growing aspect in the mobile phone industry to
identify an area where Blackberry could find a
key salient factor. One which was identified in
the laddering interviews was applications.
Top 3 attributes:
Applications
Camera
Aesthetics
Ericsson
Motorola
Network Brand
Iphone
LG
Blackberry
Toshiba
HTC
Samsung
Nokia
Brand
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Data then showed that third party applications were highly valued by the student market and even
though in the initial question 45% said they were indifferent about applications enhancing the
functionality of their phone See Figure 21 76.3% actually agreed that there were an enhancement
rather than and unnecessary complication See Figure 24. However, the type of third party application
is likely to be critical in their response to this question as they need to be relevant to the lifestyle of
the type of person purchasing the Blackberry otherwise they may be seen as an unnecessary
complication. Therefore, the idea that 24% See Figure 22 were in favour of a business application
would be suitable to their needs is a promising area of development that Blackberry may benefit
from looking further into.
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Limitations
Although we have tried to control the conditions as much as possible to encourage results to be as a
reliable and valid as possible in terms of the constraints that the organisation faced, the research will
still comes with its limitations. Therefore, although research should not be ignored it should not be
solely depended upon to support any strategies taken. Initially there are some obvious limitations to
the research methods used:
Physical Questionnaires
The sample used was relatively small in proportion to the number of students in the UK
therefore, the responses of 100 participants from the Lincoln area is not sufficient enough to
generalise to other areas.
The wording of the question is critical to the reliability and validity of the data collected. For
instance, the results from questions. For instance, on survey monkey one question asked a
similar concept however, the results proved to be very different. Initially it was asked how
far the participant agreed that third party application were an enhancement. The majority
were indifferent. However, when it was then asked whether they thought they were an
enhancement or complication the majority said they were an enhancement. Therefore,
suggesting the limitations of reliability as a result of the type, order and wording of
questions.
High in demand characteristics. Very often participants try to answer in a way in which they think you want them to answer due to demand characteristics or social desirability where they may change their answers to make themselves/the product in question appear better/worse than they are
Leading questions can affect the reliability of the results, if the participant was lead towards answering a question in a certain way to match the researcher’s hypotheses.
The mixed style of questions we used, both qualitative and quantitative in the same method, meant the data analysis format of SPSS was difficult to get around, due to the mix of scale and nominal response, meaning a standardised analysis method was almost impossible to achieve.
According to Jahoda, et al.(1962) and Walonick, (1993) the fact we as researchers designed the questionnaire ourselves meant our overall objective was skewed from the beginning as we boxed in certain topic areas, giving little or no opportunity for further scope or description from the respondents as to their choice of response.
According to Franzen and Lazersfeld (1945), although this type of distribution isn’t liable to direct interviewer bias, the lack of an interviewer limits the researcher's ability to probe responses.
Survey Monkey Questionnaires
Control is limited as the service provider has the ability to control how, what, when and
where the questionnaire is available. We were limited in the length and type of questions
that could be asked.
It is extremely difficult to control the sample of participants who answer as it is not possible
to identify who actually answered the questionnaire.
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Although the participant experiences much greater anonymity it is still possible for them to
exert demand characteristics.
Financial limitations meant this medium couldn’t be used to its full capacity as in-depth
research analysis on these websites costs money which insight could not afford with the
budget given, therefore research was done by basic graphs and by hand, meaning reliability
of analysis was lowered slightly.
Time of distribution meant there was much higher difficulty in finding willing respondents
due to the clash with university deadlines and submissions, meaning this method was
exceptionally time consuming in terms of information gathering, which therefore had a
knock on effect limiting time for analysis.
Laddering Interviews
Social desirability characteristics are high as the participant may feel pressured to answer
questions in a certain way.
Sample size was extremely small as result of the resources that it requires. Therefore, results
are difficult to generalise.
Qualitative data analysis involves a high amount of decoding such as breaking down highly
colloquial responses and interpreting ambiguously answered questions. Both interpreting
and decoding involves a high level of subjective understanding from the analyst, meaning
validity of the decoded message is fairly low.
The choosing of the top salient beliefs was only based on number of identical responses not
on the relative strength of feeling towards the belief in question. Thus, the validity of the
salient choices is low.
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Conclusions and Future Recommendations
Targeting the student market is clearly going to be a challenging task in terms of developing a
strategy that appeals to them, as the data that we have received has been extremely fragmented
and difficult to gauge any strong and continual results. However, an area which proved to positively
perceived by the youth market is the development of third party applications. Therefore we have
come up with the following suggestions that Blackberry could take into account when targeting the
youth market:
Target both male and females with a similar strategy that is implemented in consideration of
their price sensitivity.
Improve their application diversity, especially though third party collaboration as these applications were commonly mentioned as being a salient attribute that was affectively and cognitively considered during phone choice.
Rather than change or modify the brand continue to use the well known business brand perception to appeal to the youth by promoting the academic benefits of using of the phone during their studies through perhaps the introduction of accompanying applications such as a timetabling application.
Encourage more specific advertising strategies targeted specifically at the student market. For instance, one could use the “Love What You Do” tagline which is shown alongside. This theme could be used to communicate to the student market a Blackberry is designed to help
them love what they study academically. In order to do this Blackberry could develop a communications strategy that is more relatable to this new student market, though promoting a certain lifestyle that they aspire to such as, social acceptance and heavily communicate their strong corporate image on mediums that are capable of reaching
the student market.
In light of the limitations Insight suggest that further research into the suggesting of implementing third party applications is conducted on a much broader market to identify whether it would be positively accepted by a greater majority the student market and to identify a specific application that would be most relevant to the brand and the consumers lifestyle.
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Appendix
Figure 1
Shown following is an example of the physical handout questionnaire that was used:
How important is your Mobile Phone?
1. Gender?
Male
Female
2. Do you own a mobile phone?
Yes
No
3. What brand of phone do you have?
.................................................................................................................................
4. Do you own any other products of the same brand as your phone?
Yes
No
5. If yes what products?
....................................................................................................................................
6. Where do you normally purchase your phone from?
Internet
Network Stores
Manufacturer stores
Supermarkets
7. On a scale of 1-5 how do you rate the importance of a good service when purchasing a mobile?
1 2. 3 4. 5.
Not important at all Very Important
8. Who do you take with you when purchasing a new phone? a) Alone b) Friends c) Family Member
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d) Partner
9. How important is “try before you buy” when shopping in-store, on a scale of 1-5?
1 2. 3 4. 5.
Not important at all Very Important
10. What is the biggest influence on your choice of brand when purchasing a phone? a) Advertising/Promotion b) Peer Pressure c) Brand Familiarity d) Persuasion from in store sales e) Parents f) Other
24
Figure 2
Shown following from figure 2 to figure 11 is the analysis of the physical questionnaire using SPSS
Gender of Participants
Figure 3
Phone Ownership
FemaleMale
Male/Female
50
40
30
20
10
0
Co
un
t
Yes
Yes/No
25
Figure 4
Brand Dispersion
Figure 5
Ownership of other products of the same brand
Ericsson
Motorola
Network Brand
Iphone
LG
Blackberry
Toshiba
HTC
Samsung
Nokia
Brand
NoYes
Yes/No
80
60
40
20
0
Co
un
t
26
Figure 6
What Products of the same brand
Figure 7
Location of Purchase
Digital Camera
Digital Photo Frame
Games Console
Netbook
Multiple Items
MP3 Player
Laptop
Ipod
TV
N/A
Product
SupermarketsManufacturer StoresNetwork StoresInternet
Purchase Place
50
40
30
20
10
0
Co
un
t
27
Figure 8
Importance of service
Figure 9
Purchase Partner
Very ImportantQuite ImportantImportantNot Very ImportantNot Important at All
Importance of Service
40
20
0
Co
un
t
Partner
Family Member(s)
Friends
Alone
Who do you buy your phone with
28
Figure 10
Importance of ‘try before you buy’
Figure 11
Brand Influence
Very ImportantQuite ImportantImportantNot Very ImportantNot Important at All
Try Before you Buy Importance Scale
35
30
25
20
15
10
Co
un
t
Other
Parents
Instore Persuasion
Brand Familiarity
Peer Pressure
Advertising/Promo
INfluence on Brand Choice
29
Figure 12
Relationship between Brand choice and Influences:
Advertising and Promotion
Peer pressure
Brand familiarity
Persuasion from in store sales
Parents
Other
We used a simple regression analysis on SPSS to identify the following:
R square is 0.001 and the predictor variable of influences has explained 0.1% of the variance in the
dependent variable of the brand. Beta value is -0.38 and Sig is O.706 which is > (greater than) 0.05.
Therefore, this indicates that from this data there is no significant relationship between consumers
brand choice and the indicated influences.
The following extract from SPSS shows this data. Circled in red are the figures mentioned above:
30
31
Figure 13
Relationship between Brand choice and:
Level of service
Shopping companion
Trail opportunity
We used a multiple regression analysis on SPSS to identify whether or not there was a relationship
with any of the above.
R square is 0.009. For this sample, the predictor variables of “service”, “shopping companion” and
“trial” have explained 0.9% of the variance in the dependent variable of brand. Beta value for service
is 0.354 and Sig is 0.067; Beta value for shopping companion is 0.290 and Sig is 0.523; Beta value for
trial is 0.082 and Sig is 0.493.
Therefore, none of them have any significant relationship with brand choices.
The following extract from SPSS shows this data. Circled in red are the figures mentioned above:
32
Regression
[DataSet1] H:\SPSS Blackberry.sav
Variables Entered/Removed(b)
Model
Variables
Entered
Variables
Removed Method
1 Try Before
you Buy
Importance
Scale, Who
do you buy
your phone
with,
Importance
of
Service(a)
. Enter
a All requested variables entered.
b Dependent Variable: Brand
Model Summary
Model R R Square
Adjusted R
Square
Std. Error of
the Estimate
1 .095(a) .009 -.022 3.105
a Predictors: (Constant), Try Before you Buy Importance Scale, Who do you buy your phone with, Importance of
Service
ANOVA(b)
Model
Sum of
Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
1 Regression 8.371 3 2.790 .289 .833(a)
Residual 925.819 96 9.644
Total 934.190 99
a Predictors: (Constant), Try Before you Buy Importance Scale, Who do you buy your phone with, Importance of
Service
b Dependent Variable: Brand
Coefficients(a)
Model
Unstandardized
Coefficients
Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig. B Std. Error Beta
1 (Constant) 4.544 1.376 3.303 .001
Importance of Service .024 .008 .354 .947 .067
Who do you buy your
phone with .186 .068 .290 .642 .523
Try Before you Buy
Importance Scale .210 .305 .082 .688 .493
a Dependent Variable: Brand
33
Figure 14
Gender Difference in Brand choice
On SPSS we used a T-Test to identify whether there was any difference between gender (male and
female) and their choice of brand.
F=0.384, Sig=0.537 which is > (greater than) 0.05, this means that the assumption of homogeneity of
variance has not been violated, and the equal variances assumed. If p (less than) < 0.05, t-test
shouldn’t be used because the population variance are not equal. Therefore, the result from the
analysis indicates that there is no significant difference between male and females in terms of their
brand choices. T value =0.584 and Sig=0.561, which is > (greater than) 0.05. Thus, the relationship is
not significant.
The following extract from SPSS shows this data. Circled in red are the figures mentioned above:
34
T-Test
[DataSet1] H:\SPSS Blackberry.sav
Group Statistics
Male/Female N Mean Std. Deviation
Std. Error
Mean
Brand Female 55 5.07 3.185 .429
Male 45 4.71 2.951 .440
Independent Samples Test
Levene's Test for
Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means
F Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed)
Mean
Difference
Std. Error
Difference
95% Confidence Interval
of the Difference
Lower Upper
Brand Equal variances
assumed .384 .537 .584 98 .561 .362 .620 -.868 1.591
Equal variances
not assumed .588 96.447 .558 .362 .615 -.859 1.582
35
Figure 15
Shown following is an example of the online Survey Monkey questionnaire that was used:
1. Gender
Male
Female
2. Do you own a mobile phone?
Yes
No
If no, why?
3. How important is the brand of a phone that you would purchase?
Not
important at all
Not very
Important
Slightly
Important Important
Very
Important
4. Are you loyal to any specific brand of phone?
5. Other than phone calls and texting, What feature of your phone
do you use most often?
6. "3rd party applications enhance the functionality of a mobile phone." How do you agree with this statement?
Strongly
Disagree Disagree Indifferent Agree
Strongly
Agree
7. In terms of 3rd party applications, which type would you find to
be most fitting to your needs?
Shopping Application
Games
"Google Maps"
Instant Messenger
Banking
Business Application (e.g. Email)
36
8. How much would you be willing to pay for a 3rd party
application for your mobile phone
£0-£2
£3-£4
£5-£6
£6+
9. Do you consider 3rd party applications as a unnecessary complication or an enhancement to the use of your phone?
Complication
Enhancement
10. Out of the following "Smartphone" brands, which do you find to be most appealing?
Blackberry
Iphone
HTC
Nokia
Toshiba
37
Figure 16
Shown following from figure 16 to figure 25 is the analysis of the physical questionnaire using excel
Participant Gender
Figure 17
Ownership of a mobile phone
Figure 18
Importance of the Brand
Surveymonkey Participant Gender
Male
Female
How Important Is The Brand Of Phone
That You Purchase?
Not at all
Not very
slightly
Important
Very important
Yes No
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Do You Own A Mobile Phone?
No
Of R
espo
nses
38
Figure 19
Loyalty to Brands
Figure 20
Commonly used features
36 37 38 39 40 41 42
Yes
No
Loyalty to a Brand
Feature Of Phone Used Most Often (other than
calling/texting)
10%
32%
30%
5%
8%
5%4%
6%Music
Internet
Camera
Alarm
E-amil
Calendar/Time/Date
None
Other
39
Figure 21
Attitudes towards third party applications
Figure 22
Suitability of third party applications
Figure 23
Reasonability of the price of third party applications
"3rd Party Application Enhance The
Functionality Of Your Mobile Phone" -
How do you agree with this statement?
0 10 20 30 40
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Indifferent
Agree
Strongly Agree
Resp
on
se
Number of Responses
Series1
Which 3rd Party Application
Would Best Fit Your Needs?
Shopping
Application
10%
Maps 19%
Games
15%
Instant
Messanger
21%
Banking
11%
Business
Application
(e-mail)
24%
How Much Would You Pay For
3rd Party Applications?
48
23
5
4
0 20 40 60
£0 - £2
£2 - £4
£4 - £6
£6 +
Pri
ce
Number of Responses
40
Figure 24
Enhancement versus Complication
Figure 25
Smartphone Brand Dispersion
Are 3rd Party Application An
Unnecessary Complication, Or
An Enhancement To Your
Phone?
61
19
0
20
40
60
80
Unnecessary
Complication
Enhancement
Opinion
Re
sp
on
se
s
Which 'Smartphone' Brand Do You Find Most
Appealing?
10
26
39
4
1
0 10 20 30 40 50
Nokia
BlackBerry
iPhone
HTC
Toshiba
Bra
nd
Of
Sm
art
ph
on
e
Responses
41
Figure 26
Shown following are the laddering interviews that were conducted and their MECCAS Analysis
Female, 20, English Literature St Assume that you are in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone. What are the key features that you look for?
Hmmm well, to be honest I do like to try and do one better than what my friends have got (I'm not
Gonna lie) lol!! But I like to go for something that's not too big, and it has to have loads of cool
things on it, like ma cool blackberry that I've got now, lol!! Oh and another thing that makes
difference is the actually contract that they offer me!!
What are the three most important features out of the ones you just mentioned?
Hmmm the camera has to be decent. Its got to be able to do lots like applications etc and
Errrrrmmm have one better than my friends and not be behind on having a cool phone.
Why is having a decent camera important to you?
Well you never know when you’re going to have to take a picture so, having a decent camera means
You will get a good quality picture.
Why is taking pictures important to you?
Because i love taking pictures to savour the memories.
Why are memories important to you?
Because i like to look back at things that i might have forgotten about as this makes me happy.
Why use a mobile phone for pictures over a digital camera?
Because a phone is practical, i have it with me all the time where as a camera I only take out if I know i’m
going to use it.
Why is it important to have a lot of applications?
It means that I can do a wide range of things on one little device.
Why is it important to be able to do a wide range of things on one device?
On this phone it means I get all of my emails straight to me. I can use msn and access the internet as
Well as adding other applications like tracking so, if you get lost you can find where you are! So, it is
convenient to be able to have all these things at hand.
Why is convenience important to you?
Because I am a very busy person always on the go and need to regularly access things via my phone
while I am walking to university or work etc.
Why is it important to have one better than your friends?
Because I don’t like being jealous because someone has got something better than me.
Why is not being jealous important to you?
Because jealousy makes you unhappy and in this case it is preventable as I can have the better phone.
42
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
Good Camera
Keep Memories with you all the time
Happiness and sentimental values
Lots of applications
Conveinence of having everything to hand and saves time that can be spent on doing more
important things
Happiness and satisfaction
More up-to date than friends
Prevents jealousy and unhappiness
Achieveing a level of social acceptance and enhancing ones ego.
43
Female, 21 Medicine Student
Assume that you are in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone. What are the key features
that you look for?
Something that is stylish, no big grey brick. Definitely a colour screen and camera and video function.
Internet access available so that I can check my Facebook and emails. I’d also want it to be easy to
use and easy to text on. Ermmm I would definitely want it to have lots of cool features included on it
like good games etc.
What are the three most important features to you out of the ones that you just mentioned?
Hmmm look good, easy to use and has a camera and video features because I use my camera all the
time.
Why is having a phone that looks good important to you?
Because I don’t want to look out of fashion. I think I dress in fashion and up-to-date with the latest
styles so I want my phone to match my self image.
Why is having a fashionable self image important to you?
Because it makes me feel better about myself knowing that i look good and fit in with society.
Why is fitting in with society important?
For me I have spent years standing out for all the wrong reasons and it’s nice and makes me happy
to be normal.
Why is ease of use important to you?
Because I am all about quickness. If it’s too complicated I just don’t bother using all the features. Like
my new phone the n97mini is quite easy to use but, there are some things that require reading up to
use them so, I just don’t bother.
So, if you knew how to use the features would you use them?
Yes, but not if it takes ages to learn how to use them and, only if they were good features i probably
would go to a bit more effort to learn more about the important features but, things i don’t really
care much about I wouldn’t bother I don’t think. I only really use it to download games, facebook
and my camera.
Why is having a good camera and video important to you?
Because I always have my phone with me and I love taking pictures of my friends and family. Every
time the dog does something cute I take a picture and when I can’t find my phone when I need to
take a picture I freak! Lol. I take pictures of funny things I see when I am out to show Rory or just to
have because it’s funny or cool. Also, as I work night shifts and get bored I like to make sure I take
loads of pictures so I can look through them when I am bored.
Is sharing memories important to you then?
Yes, i guess it is as it’s something I do everyday
44
Why use a mobile phone for pictures over a digital camera?
Because that would mean carrying unnecessary things. I can’t take my digital camera to work and I
certainly don’t want to look like a tourist everywhere I go. I do have a new digital camera that I take
on nights out and holidays but that is it as using my phone is much more convenient.
Why is convenience important to you?
Because I am a busy woman always on the go and need to be able to have things to hand when i
need them without having to remember 101 things.
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
Appearance Matches my self-
image, looks trendy and up to date ,
Social Acceptance and Happiness
Easy to use Minimises time spent using phone so, more time for other things.
Happiness
Has good camera/video
functions
Convenience, ability to share and keep
memories.
Happiness and Sentimental Value
45
Male 22, Sports Studies Student
Assume that you are in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone. What are the key features
that you look for?
I would want a good camera, a substantial memory for music, looks stylish and unique, number of
applications, games and internet capabilities.
What are the three most important features to you out of the ones that you just mentioned?
Camera, Games and memory for music.
Why is having a good camera important to you?
Errmm just so i don’t have to buy a digital camera as well as it saves me money and is conveniently
in the same things.
Why is having this convenience important to you?
Because It’s just easier to have everything all in one for storage reasons when carrying such devices
around with you every day.
Why are having games on your phone important to you?
Because when I am bored they provide me with good entertainment value.
Why is being entertained important to you?
Because it keeps me busy when I am waiting for things etc and this makes me happy because it
passes time.
Why is having a substantial memory on your phone for music important to you?
Because it enables me to store more songs so I am able to listen to a wide variety of music from one
device without having to keep on updating it.
Why is music important to you?
Because it plays a big role in my life as I enjoy listening to music all the time from when im in the
bath to when im working. As it makes me happy and keeps me motivated.
46
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
Camera Saves money and is
more conveinent Happiness and
satisfaction
Games Have good entertainment
value when in a boring situation
Happiness
Memory
Listen to a wide variety of music all from one device without having to overwrite old music
Happiness and Sentimental value
47
Female, 19 Media Student
Assume that you are in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone. What are the key features
that you look for?
Bluetooth, a big memory, smart looking, reasonably easy to use
What are the three most important features to you out of the ones that you just mentioned?
Just Bluetooth and a big memory
Why is having Bluetooth important to you?
Because I like to be able to send songs
Why is sending songs important to you?
So that I can have up to date music as my ringtone and message tones.
Why is having up to date ringtones important to you?
So you can change them whenever you want and have your own personalised tone.
Is personalisation important to you?
Yes
Why is personalisation important to you?
Because I like to put my own things on it to express my individuality and make it my own especially
considering the ones that come on it are boring.
Why is being individual important?
Yeah because we are all different and I don’t like being like everyone else as that is just the way I am.
Too many people spend their lives following others.
Why is having a big memory important to you?
Because then I can fit more songs, photos and messages onto my phone.
Why is important to be able to keep lots of things on your phone?
I like to be able to have a wide variety of stuff on my phone and I also like to be able to look back at
things like old photos and old hit music which makes me smile.
Why is being able to look back at the past important to you?
Memories are precious things that can cheer you up on a bad day, remind you of happy times, and
keep those close to you who aren’t always around just that little bit closer.
48
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
Bluetooth Have up to date
music as ringtones to express individuality
Social Status and Happiness
Memory
Keep a wide variety of interesting things on one device and have
acces to memories at all times.
Sentimental Value and Happiness
49
Female, 20 English Student
Assume that you are in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone. What are the key features
that you look for?
A sleek stylish look, substantial memory, easy to text off, internet capability, and lots of features.
What are the two most important features to you out of the ones that you just mentioned?
A sleek stylish look and lots of features.
Why is having a phone that is sleek and stylish important to you?
I am quite a trendy person more sophisticated than high street crazes and I like to keep up to date
especially with technology.
Why is being trendy important to you?
I think that appearances can speak volumes especially in today’s society where we are frequently
judged on initial impressions. I like to look smart as I feel it says something about my personality
that I am conscientious kind of thing.
Why is conveying you personality through your style important?
I am not really sure but I think it is so I feel comfortable in myself and people can see and feel what I
am about if that makes sense.
Why are having lots of features important to you?
My turn around with technology is terrible and wasteful. I get bored of my phones easily and tend
to sell it and purchase another in order to satisfy my need. However, if I have a phone that is a lot of
features on it that are useful then I am less likely to get bored. But, there needs to be a balance
between style and features. As if I get bored of the way it looks I will also want to change my phone.
Why is not being bored important to you?
Because when I am bored I tend to look at the negatives of things. I always like to be on the go and
have something to do so, being bored just makes me unhappy.
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
Stylish
Enhances my trendy personality, helps people to encourage impressions of what I am about , and
makes me feel comfortable in myself
Social Status/Acceptance and happiness
Applications
Prevents bordem of a phone and in turn
lengthens lifetime of the phone.
Happiness
50
Internet Browser
Been able to check email on the go
Makes Life easier and more efficent
Touch Screen
Gives an air of professionalism
Enhances ones Ego
Black
Looks sleek and professional
Enhances ones Ego
20 Year Old Male Business Studies Student
If you were in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone what are the key features you would
look for?
Primarily and internet browser, then a touch screen and lastly it would have to be black.
Why are these three features so important to you?
Because of my course i like my phone to look professional and business orientated, these three
features do that
How does the internet add to this professional look?
It allows me to email and check social networking sites on the go. Not so much social networking but
I know checking email on the go would be very important to me when I get a professional job post
graduation.
How does a touch screen add to the professional look?
It is technologically up to date, which in my mind makes you seem professional
Why do you think this?
Because in order to look professional you have got to give people the impression you have money
Why is the focus of professionalism so important to you in terms of your mobile?
Because I want to taken seriously in terms of business and as a student that’s hard to achieve and
anything helps.
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
51
Memory
Can hold photos & music in large
quantitys
Happiness, contentment
Music Player
Eradicates the need for an MP3 Player
Happiness
Camera
No Need for a Digital Camera
Happiness
21 Year Old Female Forensics Student
If you were in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone what are the key features you would
look for?
Lots of memory for music and a good camera
Why are these two features so important to you?
Because I like to keep the amount of things I carry with me to a minimum, music on my phone
eliminates the need for an mp3 player and the camera saves me having to take a camera on a night
out
Why do you like to, let’s say, “Travel light”?
Because I always end up losing stuff from my handbag on nights out or on the way to uni somehow
and the less I carry the less likely I am to lose things because I have fewer things to keep tabs on.
Why do you think you lose things a lot?
Because I’m clumsy and ditzy, not much more to it. (Laughs)
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
52
Loudspeaker
Been able to listen to music on the go
Happiness, contentment
Big Screen
Can watch videos on it
Happiness, Fun
Camera
Recording nights out
Happiness, Fun
18 Year Old Female Nursing Student
If you were in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone what are the key features you would
look for?
It has to have a loudspeaker, good camera and a big screen.
Why are these three features so important to you?
I use my phone primarily for fun, like recording drunken videos of me and my mates i like the good
camera and big screen for playing them back.
What about the loud speaker?
People always seem to phone me at awkward times, like when I’m putting my make up on or getting
ready so it’s important to me that the loudspeaker is good because I need to use it a lot when I’m in
a phone call and multitasking
Why do you think your phone is primarily for fun?
I’m a student, I’m making the most of having a phone for having a laugh with before I need to look
for features such as conference calling and email and all that kind of business stuff.
What do you think dictates this outlook?
Primarily, my age. Plus I can worry about professionalism when I’m studying and graduating any
spare time I have is for me.
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
53
Colourful
Stand out from the crowd
Happiness, peer diversity
Interchangeable Covers
Reduces boredom Fun, Peer diversity
QWERTY
Faster to type texts
Happiness, contentment
21 Year Old Male Drama Student
If you were in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone what are the key features you would
look for?
A good keypad for texting, I prefer QWERTY and I like it to stand out a bit be a bit colourful, like
interchangeable covers etc
Why are these three features so important to you?
Because I’m quite a loud person and into my loud colours and like my phone to match me. And I
text, ALOT, so like it to made as easy as possible.
How does QWERTY help with this?
It makes it much more like typing on my laptop which I’m also very used to what with essays and
MSN etc, so it’s just familiarity that makes it faster and easier for me to use.
Why is efficiency so important to you?
My course is really hectic and I always seem to busy, everything I do I have to do as quickly as
possible; anything that help with it is a godsend.
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
54
Camera
Compactness, Money Saving
Happiness & Fun
Internet
Email on the go, and facebook
Happiness, makes life easier
Games
Passes Boredom Fun, Happiness
21 Year Old Female Criminology MA Student
If you were in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone what are the key features you would
look for?
Firstly an internet browser, fun applications and lastly a good quality Camera.
Why are these three features so important to you?
When I’m at work it’s usually quite dead and I can use my phone behind the desk, so I use the
internet for things such as Facebook and email. The applications are used just for fun and to pass
boredom and I like the camera for nights out.
Why is the “fun” element so important to you?
I’m just a fidgety person and like the fact I can use my phone as like part games console, part phone,
and part camera. I like the compactness of having everything in one.
Why is this?
Because I’d rather have everything in one, then buy loads of separate things it saves me money and
space in my bag.
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
55
Female 19 – Advertising Student
Assuming you are in the market for a new mobile phone, what features do you usually look for when
selecting which one to buy?
It has to be a sliding phone. I like a good camera and the ability to store music. I generally look for a
pink one, and it needs to be small.
Of the features, which would you consider to be the 3 most important to you?
I think it would have to be the camera, the size of the phone and being able to store and listen to
music.
Why is the camera feature important to you?
I like to take pictures and send and receive them
Is having pictures on your phone important to you?
Yeah, I like to have pictures of my family and my friends with me
Why is that?
It makes me feel good, being able to open my phone and have my friends and my family there, I feel
kind of safe
Is feeling safe important to you?
Yes, I like to feel secure, I think everyone does.
Okay, you also said that the size of the phone is another important feature, why is that?
I need it to fit in places, like my pocket and my bag, I don’t usually carry a big bag and so I don’t
want a phone that won’t fit in easily, I like it being convenient
Convenience is important to you?
Yes
What if the phone you liked was too big to fit in the bags you were currently using?
I guess it depended on how much I liked it, but I don’t like to change everything just so for the sake
of my phone
You also mentioned music earlier. Why is that an important feature to you?
I like to have good songs on my phone, I hate those generic brand ringtones that you get built in
with the phone. And I like to use it as my mp3 player when I’m out and about
Why don’t you like the brand ringtones?
Because everyone uses them, the people who aren’t very fashionable do anyway
Being fashionable is important to you?
56
Yeah it is I suppose. I like to think so, anyway, I wouldn’t say that I’m a trend-setter or anything, but I
do like to follow some of the fashions that are out at the minute, which includes the latest songs,
clothes and technology, stuff like that
And your phone is an important part of you being considered fashionable?
Yes it is I guess, I like having a phone that is new, that has new functions and stuff I can experiment
with, and when other people are talking about it, I know what they are talking about
You like to get in to social conversations about your phone?
Yes
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
Camera Take and receive
photos of loved ones Safety and Comfort
Size Conveinence and
means don't have to change formed habits
Personal Well-being
Music Good ringtones which
are recognised as being fashionable and trendy
High self-esteem and social acceptance
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Male, 19 – Photography Student
Assuming you are in the market for a new mobile phone, what features do you usually look for
when selecting which one to buy?
The quality of the camera is something I always look at. The size of the phone, and the colour has to
be nice. The price can be pretty important. The size of the memory and definitely the network
Of the features, which would you consider to be the 3 most important to you?
I guess I'd say the network it was available on, the price and the memory
Why is the network important to you?
I want to have a phone that's on a good network
What makes it a 'good' network?
One that I can get lots of allowances on. You know, like free minutes and texts when you top up, free
internet, stuff like that
Why are those things important to you?
I like to know that I'm getting the best deal for my money, and some networks can be more
expensive than others. I usually like to stick to one network, so I can keep the same number
Is having the same number is important?
Yeah, it's just convenient, I don't have to send my number to everyone when I get a new phone, I
can just keep the same one
You mentioned price again. Why is the price important to you?
I don't want to pay too much, I don't like getting ripped off, but then I don't want to pay too little for
it, something in the middle
Why would you be willing to pay a little more?
I guess I don't trust the cheap ones, think they're not very high quality. Just cheap basics
So the price is important, but quality also comes into it?
Yes. I would never buy a 'home-brand'-type phone. I would rather pay a little extra for a brand I
know is decent. The price needs to reflect what I'm buying it for
What do you mean by 'buying it for'?
The other things that are on the phone, applications and stuff. I guess it's all the other features that
I've mentioned
Okay. When you spoke about the size of the memory, why is that feature important to you?
I like to keep a lot of stuff on my phone, like pictures, music and games. My phone needs to be able
to store all of those things and have enough room for my contacts and stuff
Having personal things stored on your phone is important?
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Very. I want to have all that stuff with me where ever I go. Being able to just open up my phone and
have it all there is kind of nice
Your phone is very personal to you?
Extremely. It's like part of me. That’s why it needs to be good, reliable, and has plenty of room for all
my stuff to go on it
So you use your phone for almost everything?
Yes. I use it for music, pictures, the calendar. And the usual stuff like texts and phone calls
So you make use of the applications that come with your phone?
Yes. I like to explore all the things that come with my phones. I like variety
Variety is important to you?
I don't like things to be simple. I like to experiment. Doesn't everybody like gadgets?
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
Network Keep the same number and
sim card - Conveinience Stress-free and happiness
Higher Price Higher quality moible phone and don't feel like been ripped off.
Longer term satisfaction from
purchase
Large Memory Can store things and use it as an extension
of my peronsality
High self-esteem and social image
59
Male, 22 – Law Student
Assuming you are in the market for a new mobile phone, what features do you usually look for when
selecting which one to buy?
It has to be able to play music. I like a touch screen, plenty of games, easy to use and looks good
Of the features, which would you consider to be the 3 most important to you?
I would say touch screen, easy to use and music capability
Why is having a touch screen important to you?
I loved the idea of them when they first came out. I like using the touch screens; they just feel so
much better than using the buttons on regular phones. You can use your finger, or the little pen that
usually comes with the phone, much better options
So you are a fan of versatility?
Yes, a big fan. I bought my first touch screen a few years ago and had them ever since, it’s just so
attractive
Would you ever go back to using a button phone?
No, I don’t think I would, unless I had to, but I doubt it
When you say it is attractive, what do you mean?
The way that touch screens look. They are much more professional, elegant. I like being seen with it
Why is the way it looks important to you?
I like to have a phone that looks good. It reflects me, I have everything on that phone, it is a part of
me, and I want me to look good
Why is looking good important thing to you?
It’s the way other people see me.
What others think is important?
To me it is, yeah. I want other people to know that I take pride in the way I look
And your phone contributes to that?
Of course. I always have my phone out, using it, talking and texting. It’s the thing that everyone
see’s, and when they see my professional looking phone, they think that of me too.
Okay. You mentioned earlier that the phone needs to be able to play music. Why is that important
to you?
Like I said, I always have it out with me, so when I’m not talking or texting, I want something to do.
What do you do with the music that is on your phone?
I listen to it on my way to and from work, but I like to send and swap with people too. I have a good
collection of songs at the moment. I get songs from friends, colleagues, even strangers on the train
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Do you use your music as a topic of conversations with people?
Yes, sometimes. I can chat to people on the train about what songs are out at the moment that we
both like, and what we don’t like
So you can make friends with people based on the music on your phone?
Yeah
Alright. What about the easy to use aspect. Why do you find that important?
Well it goes without saying really, I want to be able to turn it on and know what to do. I hate having
to get out the instructions manual to find out how to send a message
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
Touch Screen Nicer than buttons, seen as professiona
by others, is 'queerky' Social Acceptance
Ease of Use
Know how to use it and therefore feel as though
one is technologically intelligent
High self-esteem/ pride
Music
Something to listen to anywhere anytime and
can be used to form converstaion and thus
friendships
Pleasure, social status
61
Male, 21 – Psychology Student
Assuming you are in the market for a new mobile phone, what features do you usually look for
when selecting which one to buy?
New models, the networks they are available on, what kind of things you get with them, the look
and shape of the model, there's a lot that I look at
Of the features, which would you consider to be the 3 most important to you?
I would say the network, the look of the phone and how new it is
What do you mean by 'how new it is'?
Whether it is the newest model of that brand of phone
Why is that important to you?
I like to use all the new applications
Why is the network important to you?
I've been on Orange ever since I started buying phones, and I've never changed. They are the best
for me, offer me loads of stuff and I like the service that they give me
So you're brand loyal?
Yeah, when it comes to expensive stuff like that, I am
Why is the way the phone looks important to you?
I like nice, sleek phones, usually black
So it needs to look the way you like? Would you not buy something new and different?
I don't know really, I usually stick to what I know, cause I know that I like it
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
Familiar Network Stay with the same provider and feel
committed Loyalty
Aesthetics/ Appearance Looks the way consumers
desire it and is attractive in their perception
Happiness and control
Newest Model New applications
and feel up-to-date Social status and high self-esteem
62
Female, 20 – English Student
Assuming you are in the market for a new mobile phone, what features do you usually look for when
selecting which one to buy?
I don't really know, I guess I just look for the basics, but it has to be the right network
Of the features, which would you consider to be the 3 most important to you?
The network, the brand and Bluetooth I guess
Why is the network important?
I like to stick to the same number, on the same network. I'm on O2, and I like what I have at the
moment, and don't want to have to change to something new
You like things to stay the same?
Yes, I'm not very fond of change
Okay. Why is the brand important to you?
I like Samsung mobiles, and I think I will always stick with them
Why do you like them so much?
I know how to use them, I know they are reliable and are really durable
Why is the Bluetooth function important to you?
It's another way of getting information and stuff from people other than texting and phoning. It's a
little extra technology whilst still keeping it simple
Features Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages) Valued End State
Same Network Stay with the same provider and feel
committed
Loyalty and Happiness
Familiar Brand Relibale and know
you can trust it Security
Bluetooth
Extra mode of accesing information easily and
is conveinent also allows networking.
Happiness and social status
63
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