MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 1

Marketing Research

Primary vs. secondary data Advantages and

disadvantages of each

Marketing research tools

MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 2

Marketing Research

An “investment” to reduce uncertaintyCan help guide decisions on Whether to enter Product

characteristics Promotional

strategy Positioning

Must weigh costs and benefits of research Money Time spent

No perfect method—tradeoffs between methods

MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 3

Two Research Methods

Secondary: use of existing research already done Government Consulting firms Newspaper and

magazine articles

Primary: creation of specific studies to answer specific questions

MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 4

Some Sources of Secondary Data

U.S. Governent http://StatUSA.gov Government

Department web sites Government

periodicals in libraries E.g., Statistical

Abstracts

Books, periodicals, newspapers

Trade organizationsConsultants

E.g., Information Resources International (IRI), Nielsen

Be weary of web sites Company sites are

glorified advertisements!

Anyone can publish a web site.

MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 5

Primary Research Methods

SurveysExperimentationObservationFocus groupsIn-depth interviewsProjective techniquesPhysiological Measures

MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 6

Surveys

Planned questions Open-ended Closed-ended

Need large sample sizes for precise conclusionsForms

Mail Telephone Mall Intercept Computer/Internet

Problem questions

Leading Ambiguous Unanswerable Two questions in one Non-exhaustive

question Non-mutually

exclusive answers

MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 7

The Pentagon Declares War on Rush Limbaugh: Misleading Research

Survey found that only 4.8% of listeners to the Armed Forces Radio Network wanted to listen to “the biggest hawk there is.”How could a survey be made to get these results?Being on the watch for misleading surveys.

MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 8

Experimentation

Subjects in different groups treated differently

E.g., for some, “target” product is given better shelf space

E.g., some get coupon

Can help isolate causesSubject is biased by questions—does not know how others are treated

MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 9

My Simulated Store…

A shopper in the everyday low price condition…

MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 10

Observation

Looking at consumes in the field—e.g., Searching for product

category area Number of products

inspected and time spent on each

Involvement of others Behavior under limiting

circumstances (e.g., time constraints)

MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 11

Focus Groups

Groups of 8-12 consumers assembledStart out talking generally about context of productGradually focus in on actual product

MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 12

In-depth interviews

Structured vs. unstructured interviewsGeneralizing to other consumersBiases

MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 13

Projective Techniques

Measurement of attitudes consumers are unwilling to expressConsumer discusses what other consumer might think, feel, or do

MKTG 370 MARKETING RESEARCH Lars Perner, Instructor 14

Scanner Data

“Household Panel” members agree to present card at purchase to link demographics and media exposurePossible to correlate conditions with purchases made:

Demographics Exposure to advertising; number of

exposures Sales promotion, premium, special

display, special conditions for competing brand

Past purchasing behavior