REVIEW QUESTIONS
6-4. Distinguish between marketing research and market research. Why is it
important to understand the difference?
Formal research used by the marketing department for strategic planning is called
marketing research. It includes surveys, in-depth interviews, observational methods,
focus groups, and all types of primary and secondary data used to develop a
6-5. Discuss the difference between primary and secondary research.
Information that is collected for the first time from original sources is called primary
research. To obtain it, companies and their agencies do their own tracking and
monitoring of their customers’ behavior. Primary research suppliers (the firms that
clients hire) specialize in interviewing, observing, recording, and analyzing the
6-6. What types of information are obtained from quantitative, qualitative and
experimental research designs? How are those three categories of research
different?
Quantitative research delivers numerical data such as number of users and purchases,
their attitudes and knowledge, their exposure to ads, and other market-related
information. It also provides information on reactions to advertising and motivation to
Qualitative methods are used early in the process of developing a brand
communication plan or message strategy for generating insights, as well as questions
Experimental research is designed using formal hypothesis testing techniques that
compare different message treatments and how people react to them. The idea is to
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6-7. What is survey research and how is it conducted? How do in-depth
interviews differ from surveys?
Survey research is a quantitative method that uses structured interviews to ask large
numbers of people the same set of questions. In-depth interviews are conducted
6-8. Use a current advertising campaign to discuss the seven ways research is
used in brand communication.
In their response to this question, students should discuss each of the seven ways
research can be used in brand communication.
Market Information
Consumer Insight Research
6-9. Discus when to use the following research methods: focus group, in-depth
interviews, observational research, ethnographic research, panels, and diaries.
A focus group should be used when researchers wish to probe for patterns of
In-depth interviews should be used when researchers wish to ask broader,
Observational research should be used when researchers wish to study the actual
Ethnographic research should be used when researchers wish to live the lives of
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Panelsare an ongoing group of carefully selected people interested in a topic or
product category. A standing panel can be maintained over time by a marketer as
Diaries should be used when researchers are interested in the daily activities and
6-10. Explain the difference between validity and reliability, and explain how
these concepts affect brand communication research.
Validity means that the research actually measures what it says it measures.
Reliability means that you can run the same test again and get the same answer.
Quantitative researchers, particularly those doing experiments and surveys, are
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
6-11.Consult the MRI data found in this chapter to conduct the following analysis:
Look first at the four Index columns and find the highest viewing category of late
evening weekend news and compare that with the highest viewers of early evening
weekend news. If you were advertising a new hybrid car, which category and time
slot would deliver the greatest percentage of viewers who might be in the market?
Now analyze the size of the category to determine which of the high viewing
categories delivers the greatest number of viewers.
The MRI data in the text book breaks down the 18-34 age market into four market
segments and describes the television viewing habits of each. A review of this data shows
that when considering the entire age category, late evening network weekend news
delivers the highest indices and early evening network news delivers the greatest volume.
However, if the automaker wants to reach the greatest number of viewers within the
general population, adverting in professional football specials, professional basketball
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6-12. You have been hired to develop and conduct a research study for a new upscale
restaurant chain coming into your community. Your client wants to know how people in
the community see the competition and what they think of the restaurant’s offerings. It
uses an unusual concept that focuses on fowl—duck, squab, pheasant and other elegant
meals in the poultry category. A specialty category, this would be somewhat like a
seafood restaurant. One of your colleagues says the best way to do this study is with a
carefully designed survey and a representative sample. Another colleague says, no, what
the client really needs is insight into the market; she believes the best way to help the
client with its advertising strategy is to use qualitative research.Review the strengths of
the various research tools and match them to this new product launch. Be prepared to
present your recommendations in a class discussion.
Here is one possible answer:
Quantitative research delivers numerical data such as number of users and
purchases, their attitudes and knowledge, their exposure to ads, and other
Qualitative research is also preferable here because it is used early in the process of
TAKE-HOME PROJECTS
6-13. Portfolio Project: Assume you are working for Gerber baby foods. Your
assignment is to identify the relevant trends that are forecast for U.S. birth rates
between 2008 and 2012. Identify Internet sources that would provide that
Two reliable sources of birth rate information on the Internet are the Center for Disease
Control (cdc.gov) and Pew Research (pewsocialtrends.org).
6.14. Mini-Case Analysis: What were the key research findings that led to the Dominos
rebranding campaign? You have just been assigned to the Dominosteam for the next year
of the campaign. What research would you want to do before planning the next year’s
efforts? Identify a list of key research questions that have to be answered before the
campaign can move forward.
Key insights that Dominos learned through its research were that: 1) speed of delivery
was no longer as important to customers as it used to be, 2) consumers cared primarily
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Now that its successful turnaround has been completed, the brand must make sure that
sales growth continues, consumer attitudes toward the brand continue to improve, and
TRACE NORTH AMERICA CASE
Read the TRACE Case in the Appendix before coming to class.
6-15. How did the “Hard to Explain, Easy to Experience” team use research to better
understand the problem they were trying to solve?
6-16.How did the“Hard to Explain, Easy to Experience” team use research to inspire
a creative solution to the Nissan marketing challenge?
6-17. What other methodologies would you recommend to the team to better
understand the success of its program in the market?
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
WEB REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What are the four types of research used in planning advertising and marketing
communication strategy? Give an example of each one.
The four various types of research used in planning advertising and marketing
communication strategies are:
Market research compiles information about the product, the product category, and
other details of the marketing situation that will impact on the development of
advertising strategy. Consumer research is used to identify people who are in the
market for the product in terms of their characteristics, attitudes, interests, and
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2. How does a marketing communication professional conduct secondary research,
and where does one go to get started?
When advertising people get new accounts or new assignments, they start by reading
everything they can find on the product, company, industry, and competition: sales
There are also many industry-related sites for marketing that report on research,
essays, and best practices. They include:
BrandEra: www.brandera.com
MarketPerceptions: www.marketperceptions.com
3. Define media research and explain how the process works.
Media research gathers information about all the possible media and marketing
4. Discuss the various ways in which advertising is evaluated.
Concept testing is the first level of evaluation. After an advertisement or any other
type of marketing communication message has been developed and produced, it can
be evaluated for its effectiveness both before and after it runs as part of a campaign.
Evaluative research is done during a campaign and afterward. If it is used during a
campaign, the objective is diagnostic: to adjust the brand messages to make them
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5. Discuss the relationship between a population and a sample in survey research.
What are the most important considerations in sampling?
In a survey research project, the people interviewed can be from an entire group, or
population, or they can be a representative sample of a much larger group, a subset of
the population that is representative of the entire population. For survey research to be
6. What new challenges are marketing communication researchers facing?
With the increasing use of new media and the Internet, research experts are struggling to
find ways to find samples that are representative. Also, global researchers are challenged
to learn how to manage and communicate global brands in widely different localities and
ASSIGNMENTS
Individual Assignments
1. Through an interview with a professor on your campus, explore the differences
between qualitative and quantitative research. What are the main uses, strengths and
weaknesses of each approach for advertisers? Write a 750-word report summarizing
your findings.
2. Conduct secondary research on one of your favorite products or services. Start with
the Internet and your university library. What can you find that is positive, negative or
useful about the product, the brand or its company? Synthesize your findings and
share them in a brief report to the class.
Think-Pair-Share
1. Pair off with a classmate and construct a five-item survey to find out which cellular
provider their classmates prefer and why. Pilot the surveys in class, allowing
everyone to try them and examine their strengths and weaknesses. How might each
survey be improved?
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2. Choose any product. Then, conduct background research on the brand experience by
buying and using that product a few times. What did you learn that would be
impossible to gather in a survey or interview? Conversely, what are the limitations of
this form of research? Write a 500-word report detailing your findings.
OUTSIDE EXAMPLES
1. Visit the website for MarketPerceptions, a research company that specializes in health
care research, at www.marketperceptions.com. Then address the following issues: 1)
How is focus group research particularly useful for advertising campaigns in health
2. The U.S. Census Bureau contains a wealth of demographic information for
communities in every region of the United States. Visit them online at
www.census.gov and explore the website. Once you have taken a look around, use the
web tools to locate information on your community and create a demographic profile
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