Module 24 – Long Reports
Appendix 24-P: A Long Report Example
Page 11
“Where do you prefer to buy clothes?”
48%
36%
16%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Home Town The Mall On Campus
Figure 2 Students Prefer Buying Clothes at Home or in the Mall
The two research results seem to contradict each other. One question shows that 75% think Redwood
and Ross’s Campustown location is convenient while only 16% prefer to shop there. A possible explanation is
that men really do prefer to shop in their home towns, but if they need clothes and they cannot go home to buy
them, then Redwood and Ross is easily accessible.
Since service and atmosphere are important when men choose a clothing store, Redwood and Ross can
improve its service by having friendly, helpful salesclerks who are not too pushy. The atmosphere should not
be changed because those people who think the atmosphere is important are satisfied with Redwood and Ross’s
present atmosphere. Location is not an important factor when men choose a clothing store. Most men think
Redwood and Ross is conveniently located even though they may not prefer to shop on campus.
Awareness of Redwood and Ross
Awareness is Redwood and Ross’s most serious problem. The research I have done shows that a
significant majority of U of I men have never heard of Redwood and Ross and are unfamiliar with its products
and characteristics.
Name Recognition
Thirty percent of my respondents had never heard of Redwood and Ross. Freshmen are the least aware
with 67% never having heard of the store; 86% of the seniors have heard about Redwood and Ross which
makes this group the most aware.
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manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
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Module 24 – Long Reports
Appendix 24-Q: A Long Report Example
Page 12
Whether the person has ever heard of Redwood and Ross is also related to fraternity membership.
Eighty-two percent of the fraternity members have heard of it while only 57% of the others know about the
store.
Awareness of Redwood and Ross’s Characteristics
The survey shows that half of the sample has no perception of Redwood and Ross’s product lines,
atmosphere, service, prices, or location.
POTENTIAL MARKETS FOR REDWOOD AND ROSS
The best target market for Redwood and Ross is fraternity members and freshmen.
Fraternity Members
Fraternity members should be Redwood and Ross’s primary target market for several reasons. First,
these men buy clothes more often, and, as I mentioned in a previous section, fraternity members are presently
more aware of Redwood and Ross. Frat members like the atmosphere, product lines, service, location, and
prices at Redwood and Ross more than non-members do.
The research shows that almost half of the frat men buy clothes from one to three times a month,
compared to only 24% of non-members buying that often. This leaves 76% of non-Greeks shopping less than
once a month. If Redwood and Ross could get these frat members to shop at this store, the sales potential
would be greater than if non-members shopped there because Greeks buy more clothing than the others do.
Redwood and Ross would not have to increase the awareness of its store among frat members as much
as it would have to among non-members. This is because most Greeks already know of Redwood and Ross.
Cross tabulations of the research data show that whether the person has heard of Redwood and Ross is
significantly related to fraternity membership. Eighty-two percent of the Greeks have heard of the store,
compared to 57% of non-Greeks.
Fraternity members presently buy more clothes at Redwood and Ross than non-members do. This
means that they are more familiar with the product lines and that they like the product and store qualities.
Thirty-two percent of frat members have bought clothes from Redwood and Ross in the past year, compared to
8% of non-members.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
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Module 24 – Long Reports
Appendix 24-R: A Long Report Example
Page 13
The final reason frat members should be the primary target market is that not only do they shop there
more often, but they also like the products and store qualities more than the others do. The research data
supports this, and it follows from their shopping at Redwood and Ross more often. If they did not like the
products, it is logical to assume that they would not shop there.
The research I have done shows that 70% of fraternity members like the style and quality while 62% of
the others like these features of Redwood and Ross. The biggest difference between fraternity members and
non-members occurs in their perceptions of the prices. Thirty-nine percent of the Greeks perceive the prices as
high, while 80% of non-Greeks think prices are too high.
In conclusion, fraternity members represent a better target market than non-members because they shop
more often, are more aware of Redwood and Ross, and like the present store characteristics.
Freshmen
Freshmen, in contrast to fraternity members, buy fewer clothes and are less aware of Redwood and
Ross. But, if Redwood and Ross could get men’s patronage while they were freshmen, a four–year clientele
relationship could be established. In the long run, Redwood and Ross could benefit from the effort to reach
freshmen.
There are about six thousand freshmen who go to school at the U of I. Almost half, or three thousand,
have shopped in the C-U area for clothing since they came to school. This is a sizable market which has
potential for growth.
Redwood and Ross must somehow increase its awareness among freshmen. Approximately 75% do not
know what product style or quality Redwood and Ross carries. If Redwood and Ross is to successfully make
freshmen a target market, then Redwood and Ross must develop strategies for increasing awareness.
ADVERTISING STRATEGIES FOR REDWOOD AND ROSS
Advertising can serve several purposes for a retail clothing store. First of all, advertising gives people
information about product lines, prices, store hours, and store location. Also, advertising can help a store
create an image. If the ad is sophisticated and portrays a sophisticated image of the store, people will get the
impression that the store is sophisticated. Successful advertising can create any type of image the store
desires.
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manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
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Appendix 24-S: A Long Report Example
Page 14
Advertising makes the audience more aware of products and prices a store offers. People can get an idea
of the quality, style, atmosphere and price available at the clothing store. Advertising, by creating awareness,
can increase sales.
Belden Associates’ research on advertising in Champaign-Urbana shows that the most effective medium
is newspapers. The respondents to the questionnaire were asked to choose the one source of advertising they
relied upon most. As Table 3 shows, newspapers are by far the most popular source with students.
Table 3 Students Rely on Newspapers for Ads
Newspapers 73%
Radio 9%
Circulars 6%
Television 4%
Word-of-mouth 4%
Yellow Pages 2%
Other 2%
Source: Belden Associates, College Newspaper Audience (Champaign, Illini Publishing Company,
1985), p. 10.
Besides being the advertising medium students rely upon most, newspapers offer several other
advantages to Redwood and Ross: newspaper advertising is flexible, gets quick results, and can increase
Redwood and Ross’s prestige.
First, newspaper advertising can be tailored to fit the needs of a certain locality or market. Because the
U of I student market is unique, Redwood and Ross needs the flexibility in content and appearance of the ad.
What works for Redwood and Ross’s other, more mature, markets will not work for the student population.
Newspaper advertising will allow Redwood and Ross to display the products suited to a campus audience.
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manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
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Appendix 24-T: A Long Report Example
Page 15
The third advantage of newspaper ads is that they get quick results. The Bureau of Advertising reported
that “the entire atmosphere of the newspaper is one of speed and action and timeliness. That is why so many
advertisers use newspapers to get sales quickly.”1
In addition, newspaper advertising will allow Redwood and Ross to retain its image. One reason
management now uses this type rather than any other form of advertising is that Redwood and Ross can
enhance its image by manipulating the content and appearance of the ad.
The best newspaper for Redwood and Ross’s ads is The Daily Illini. As Figure 3 shows, an
overwhelming 88% of college students read The Daily Illini at least once a week. None of the other
newspapers comes close to matching The Daily Illini’s following.
88%
37%
13%
6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Daily Illini News-Gazette Chicago
Tribune
Wall Street
Journal
Figure 3 Most Students Read The Daily Illini at Least Once a Week
Source: Belden Associates, College Newspaper Audience (Champaign, Illini Publishing Company,
1985), p. 10.
Ann Guggemos, the business manager of The Daily Illini, says that the Friday edition is the most widely
read for several reasons. Television listings for Thursday through Monday, as well as the Spectrum, a popular
supplement to The Daily Illini, appear in Friday’s paper. People tend to save this edition and refer to it until
Tuesday since no paper is printed on Sunday or Monday, and Saturday’s paper is usually small.
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manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
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Module 24 – Long Reports
Appendix 24-U: A Long Report Example
Page 16
For Redwood and Ross to have maximum exposure, it should advertise in Friday’s The Daily Illini.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
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Module 24 – Long Reports
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
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Module 24 – Long Reports
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
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