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Part 2: Determining the Value Propositions Different Customers Want
Chapter 4
Market Research
I. CHAPTER OVERVIEW
Chapter 4 exposes students to the value of sound marketing research. Through careful planning, collection,
analysis, and implementation, research is an invaluable tool for successful businesses.
Students are introduced to a typical marketing research process; learn the differences between exploratory,
descriptive, and causal research; explore various types of data collection methods and samples; and
understand the growing use of online research. Through all of the processes mentioned, managers are
better able to make good decisions based on solid information.
II. CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
Explain the role of a marketing information system and marketing decision support system in
marketing decision-making.
Understand the concept of customer insights and the role it plays in making good marketing decisions.
● List and explain the steps and key elements of the market research process.
III. CHAPTER OUTLINE
►MARKETING MOMENT INTRODUCTION
Ask for four volunteers to come up to the front of the class. Have them sit in a circle while you ask about
their decision to choose their school. What other schools were they considering? Why did they choose
______ school? Who influenced their decision? What do they like best about their school? What do they
like least? Thank the volunteers and explain to the class that they have just witnessed a mini-focus
group.
p. 93 REAL PEOPLE, REAL CHOICES—HERE’S MY PROBLEM AT
THE CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY
Campbell’s needed to position the millennial-focused platform
differently from existing products sold under the Campbell’s name.
Specifically, most of the ideas overlapped with Campbell’s Slow Kettle
brand. The Slow Kettle brand was created to bring Campbell’s into the
packaged premium soup category. Because consumers more interested
in the rich, complex flavors they enjoy from restaurant soups,
Campbell’s saw an opportunity to bring that experience home. Slow
Kettle was created to bring a “prepared with care” feeling even though
it comes from the supermarket. Clearly Campbell needs to do more
work to figure out the best way to create a new offering that would grab
millennials’ attention, make it clear that this is “not your father’s soup,”
but at the same time avoid confusion with the Slow Kettle brand.
Cindy had three options:
1. Carve out a new space within the soup portfolio for this
millennial-driven soup offering.
2. Reposition an existing brand to be the face of the
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Part 2: Determining the Value Propositions Different Customers Want
millennial portfolio.
3. Don’t take the risk, and stick with our existing solutions.
The vignette ends by asking the student which option he would choose.
Cindy chose option #1.
p. 94 1. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
To make good decisions, marketers must have information that is
accurate, up-to-date, and relevant.
Several aspects of marketing research are fraught with the potential for
ethics breaches. Marketing research ethics refers to taking
an ethical and above-board approach to conducting marketing research
that does no harm to the participant in the process of conducting the
research.
Whenthe organization collects data important issues of privacy and
confidentiality come into play. Marketers must be very clear when they
work with research respondents about how they will use the data and
give them full disclosure on their options for confidentiality and
anonymity. For example, it is unethical to collect data under the guise
of marketing research when your real intent is to develop a database of
potential customers for direct marketing.
A database is an organized collection (often electronic) of data that can
be searched and queried to provide information about contacts,
products, customers, inventory, and more.
►Marketing Moment In-Class Activity
Identify several marketing decision situations such as:
Whether or not to increase the price of a bottle of shampoo
Whether or not to redesign the package for cereal
What new flavors of soda to introduce
Ask students to spend a few minutes in groups listing the information the marketer might want for these
decisions. Then discuss in class.
p. 95 1.1 THE Marketing Information System
Many firms use a marketing information system (MIS)
to collect information. The MIS is a process that first determines what
information marketing managers need. Then it gathers, sorts, analyzes,
stores, and distributes relevant and timely marketing information to
users. The MIS system includes three components:
Four types of data (internal company data, marketing
intelligence, marketing research, and acquired databases)
Computer hardware and software to analyze that data and to
create reports
Output for marketing decision makers
Information to feed the system comes from:
Figure 4.1
Process: The
Marketing
Information
System
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Chapter 4: Market Research
Internal company data
Marketing intelligence
Marketing research
Acquired databases
p. 95
p. 96
1.1.1 Internal Company Data
The internal company data system uses information from within the
company to produce reports on the results of sales and marketing
activities. Internal company data include a firm’s internal records of
sales.
Often, an MIS allows salespeople and sales managers in the field to
access internal records through a company intranet. An intranet is an
internal corporate communications network that uses Internet
technology to link company departments, employees, and databases.
Marketing managers can see daily or weekly sales data by brand or
product line from the internal company data system. They also can see
monthly sales reports to measure progress toward sales goals and
market share objectives.
p. 96 1.1.2 Marketing Intelligence
A second important element of the MIS is the marketing intelligence
system, a method by which marketers get information about everyday
happenings in the marketing environment. Nearly all the information
companies need about their environment—including the competitive
environment—is available by monitoring everyday sources: websites,
industry trade publications, or simple observations of the marketplace.
In addition, because salespeople are the ones “in the trenches” every
day, talking with customers, distributors, and prospective customers,
they too can provide valuable information.
Marketing managers may use marketing intelligence data to predict
fluctuations in sales due to economic conditions, political issues, and
events that heighten consumer awareness, or to forecast the future so
that they will be on top of developing trends.
Reverse engineering is the process of physically deconstructing a
competitor’s product to determine how it’s put together.
p. 96 1.1.3 Market Research
Market research refers to the process of collecting, analyzing, and
interpreting data about customers, competitors, and the business
environment to improve marketing effectiveness. Although companies
collect marketing intelligence data continuously to keep managers
abreast of happenings in the marketplace, marketing research also is
called for when managers need unique information to help them make
specific decisions.
In general, marketing research data available in an MIS include
syndicated research reports and custom research reports. Syndicated
research is general research collected by firms on a regular basis, and
then sold to other firms. In contrast, custom research is research a
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Part 2: Determining the Value Propositions Different Customers Want
single firm conducts to provide answers to specific questions.
Some firms maintain an in-house research department that conducts
studies on its behalf. Many firms, however, hire outside research
companies that specialize in designing and conducting projects based
on the needs of the client.
Website: www.surveysampling.com
Troubleshooting Tip: Before you present Chapter 4 in class, find and peruse a web link for both a
syndicated research firm and a customer research firm. Show these two websites when comparing and
contrasting these two types of marketing research firms.
p. 97 1.1.4 Acquired Databases
A large amount of information that can be useful in marketing
decision-making is available in the form of external databases. Firms
may acquire these databases from any number of sources. In recent
years, the use of such databases for marketing purposes has come under
increased government scrutiny as some consumer advocates protest
against the potential invasion of privacy these may cause.
Exhibit:
MasterCard’s
Conversation
Suite
p. 98 1.2 MArketing Decision Support System
Sometimes reports generated by the firm’s marketing information
system are inadequate. As a result, many firms beef up their MIS with a
marketing decision support system (MDSS). An MDSS includes
analysis and interactive software that allows marketing managers, even
those who are not computer experts, to access MIS data and conduct
their own analyses, often over the company intranet.
Typically, an MDSS includes sophisticated statistical and modeling
software tools. Statistical software allows managers to examine
complex relationships among factors in the marketplace. Modeling
software allows decision makers to examine possible or preconceived
ideas about relationships in the data—to ask “what-if” questions.
Figure 4.2
Process:
The MDDS
Exhibit: Las
Vegas
Table 4.1
Examples of
Questions an MIS
and an MDSS
Might Answer
p. 100 2. CUSTOMER INSIGHTS AND MARKETING
Data are raw, unorganized facts that need to be processed. Data are
then processed, organized, structured, and presented in order to become
useful for decision making. This transformation creates information,
which is interpreted data. Customer insights refer to the collection,
deployment, and interpretation of information that allows a business to
acquire, develop, and retain its customers. Companies maintain experts
whose jobs are to sift through information to support market planning
decisions.
The insights manager integrates feedback from syndicated studies,
marketing research, customer service, loyalty programs, and to paint a
picture the organization can use.
p. 100
p. 101
3. STEPS IN THE MARKETING RESEARCH
PROCESS
Ideally, marketing research is an ongoing process, a series of steps
marketers take repeatedly to learn about the marketplace.
3.1 Step 1: Define the Research Problem Figure 4.3
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Chapter 4: Market Research
The first step in the marketing research process is to clearly understand
what information managers need. We refer to this step as defining the
research problem. Defining the problem has three components:
Specify the research objectives: What questions will the
research attempt to answer?
Identify the consumer population of interest: What are the
characteristics of the consumer group(s) of interest?
Place the problem in an environmental context: What
factors in the firm’s internal and external business environment
might influence the situation?
Providing the right kind of information for each of these pieces of the
problem is not as simple as it seems.
Process: Steps in
the Marketing
Research Process
p. 102 3.2 Step 2: Determine the Research Design
Once marketers isolate specific problems, the second step of the
research process is to decide on a “plan of attack.” This plan is the
research design, which specifies exactly what information marketers
will collect and what type of study they will do.
Research designs fall into two broad categories: secondary research
and primary research.
Figure 4.4
Process:
Marketing
Research Designs
pp.
102-103
3.2.1 Research with Secondary Data
The first question marketers must ask when they determine their
research design is whether the information they require to make a
decision already exists. We call data that have been collected for some
purpose other than the problem at hand secondary data. If secondary
data are available, it saves the firm time and money because the
expense to design and implement a study has already been incurred.
Websites:
Opinion Research Associates(offers numerous industry and trend reports that are useful as
secondary data sources): http://opinionresearchassoc.com
The U.S. Census Bureau: www.census.gov
The American Marketing Association: www.ama.org
Dialog (sorts companies by location, size, and industry): www.dialog.com
LexisNexis (a large database featuring information from sources such as Dun & Bradstreet, the
New York Times, CNN, and National Public Radio transcripts): www.lexisnexis.com
p. 103 3.2.2 Research with Primary Data
Of course, secondary research is not always the answer. When a
company needs to make a specific decision, it often needs to collect
primary data; information it gathers directly from respondents to
specifically address the question at hand.
p. 103 3.2.3 Exploratory (Qualitative) Research
Marketers use exploratory research to come up with ideas for new
strategies and opportunities or perhaps just to get a better handle on a
problem they are currently experiencing with a product. Because the
studies are usually small scale and less costly than other techniques,
marketers may use exploratory research to test their hunches about
what is going on without too much risk. Exploratory studies often
involve in-depth probing of a few consumers who fit the profile of the
“typical” customer.
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Part 2: Determining the Value Propositions Different Customers Want
p. 104
p. 104
p. 104
p. 104
We refer to most exploratory research as qualitative: that is, the results
of the research project tend to be nonnumeric and instead might be
detailed verbal or visual information about consumers’ attitudes,
feelings, and buying behaviors in the form of words rather than in
numbers.
The focus group is the technique that marketing researchers use most
often for collecting exploratory data. Focus groups typically consist of
five to nine consumers who have been recruited because they share
certain characteristics (they all play golf at least twice a month, are
women in their twenties, and so on). These people sit together to
discuss a product, ad, or some other marketing topic a discussion leader
introduces. Typically, the leader records (by videotape or audiotape)
these group discussions, which may be held at special interviewing
facilities that allow for observation by the client who watches from
behind a one-way mirror.
A market research online community (MROC) is a privately
assembled group of people, usually by a market research firm or
department, utilized to gain insight into customer sentiments and
tendencies.
The case study is a comprehensive examination of a particular firm or
organization.
An ethnography is a different kind of in-depth report. It uses a
technique marketers borrow from anthropologists who go to “live with
the natives” for months or even years. Some marketing researchers visit
people’s homes or participate in real-life consumer activities to get a
handle on how they really use products.
►Marketing Moment In-Class Activity
Conduct a “mini” focus group for the class. Have 4-5 students come to the front of the class and sit
around a table or in a circle. Ask open-ended questions such as: What were you looking for in a college?
Why did you choose school name? What other schools did you consider? What do you like best about
school name? What do you like least? etc. Students will have an opportunity to observe the benefits
(quicker than individual interviews, more opportunity for variation in responses than a paper/pencil
instrument) and shortcomings (group think).
►Ethics Check
Find out what other students taking this course would do and why at www.mymktlab.com
As a marketing director, would you sign off an ad that’s so edgy it’s sure to get attention but that some
people are sure to consider offensive?
p. 104 3.2.4 Descriptive Research
The next step in marketing research, then, often is to conduct
descriptive research. This kind of research probes systematically into
the marketing problem and bases its conclusions on a large sample of
participants. Results typically are expressed in quantitative terms—
averages, percentages, or other statistics that result from a large set of
measurements.
Ripped from the
Headlines:
Ethical/
Sustainable
Decisions in the
Real World
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Chapter 4: Market Research
Marketing researchers who employ descriptive techniques most often
use a cross-sectional design. This approach usually involves the
systematic collection of responses to a consumer survey instrument,
such as a questionnaire, from one or more samples of respondents at
one point in time. The data may be collected on more than one occasion
but generally not from the same pool of respondents. In contrast to
these one-time studies, a longitudinal design tracks the responses of
the same sample of respondents over time. Market researchers
sometimes create consumer panels to get information; in this case, a
sample of respondents that are representative of a larger market agrees
to provide information about purchases on a weekly or monthly basis.
p. 105 3.2.5 Causal Research
Causal research attempts to identify cause-and-effect relationships.
Marketers use causal research techniques when they want to know if a
change in something (for example, placing cases of beer next to a
diaper display) is responsible for a change in something else (for
example, a big increase in diaper sales). They call the factors that might
cause such a change independent variables and the outcomes
dependent variables. The independent variable(s) cause some change in
the dependent variable(s).
To rule out alternative explanations, researchers must carefully design
experiments that test predicted relationships among variables in a
controlled environment. Because this approach tries to eliminate
competing explanations for the outcome, researchers may bring
respondents to a laboratory so they can control precisely what the
participants’ experience.
Exhibit:
Male Shopper in
the Diaper Aisle
Photo
Discussion question: Describe in your own words and examples why a controlled environment is crucial
for a marketing research experiment.
p. 106 3.3 Step 3: Choose the Method to Collect Primary Data
When the researcher decides to collect primary data, the next step in the
marketing research process is to figure out just how to collect it. We
broadly describe primary data-collection methods as either survey or
observation.
Neuromarketing or brain research, uses magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI) to measure brain activity to better understand why consumers
make the decisions they do.
p. 107
p. 108
3.3.1 Survey Methods
Survey methods involve some kind of interview or other direct contact
with respondents who answer questions. Questionnaires can be
administered on the phone, in person, through the mail, or over the
Internet.
3.3.2 Questionnaires
Questionnaires differ in their degree of structure. With a very
unstructured questionnaire, the researcher loosely determines the items
in advance. Questions may evolve from the respondent’s answers to
previous questions. At the other extreme, the researcher uses a
completely structured questionnaire. She asks every respondent the
exact same questions and each participant responds to the same set of
Table 4.2
Advantages and
Disadvantages of
Data Collection
Methods
Exhibit:
Virtual stores
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Part 2: Determining the Value Propositions Different Customers Want
p. 109
fixed choices. Moderately structured questionnaires ask each
respondent the same questions, but the respondent is allowed to answer
the questions in her own words.
Mail questionnaires are easy to administer and offer a high degree of
anonymity to respondents. On the downside, because the questionnaire
is printed and mailed, researchers have little flexibility in the types of
questions they can ask and little control over the circumstances under
which the respondent answers them. Mail questionnaires also take a
long time to get back to the company and are likely to have a much
lower response rate than other types of data-collection methods because
people tend to ignore them.
Telephone interviews usually consist of a brief phone conversation in
which an interviewer reads a short list of questions to the respondent.
One problem with this method is that the growth of telemarketing, in
which businesses sell directly to consumers over the phone, has eroded
consumers’ willingness to participate in phone surveys. Increasing
numbers of people use voice mail and caller ID to screen calls, which
further reduces the response rate.
Using face-to-face interviews, a live interviewer asks questions of one
respondent at a time. Typically, today’s face-to-face interviews occur in
a mall intercept study in which researchers recruit shoppers in malls or
other public areas.
Online questionnaires are growing in popularity, but the use of such
questionnaires is not without concerns. Many researchers question the
quality of responses they will receive—particularly because (as with
mail and phone interviews) no one can be sure who is typing in the
responses on the computer. In addition, it is uncertain whether savvy
online consumers are truly representative of the general population. Exhibit: Auto
show models
Discussion question: Which of the type questionnaires do you prefer to complete? Why?
Website: www.donotcall.gov
p. 109 3.3.3 Observational Methods
The second major primary data-collection method is observation. When
researchers use personal observation, they simply watch consumers in
action to understand how they react to marketing activities. When they
suspect that subjects will probably alter their behavior if they know
someone is watching them, researchers may use unobtrusive
measures to record traces of physical evidence that remain after
people have consumed something. Mechanical observation is a
primary-data–collection method that relies on nonhuman devices to
record behavior.
Eye tracking technology is a type of mechanical observation technology
that uses sensors and sophisticated software to track the position and
movement of an individual’s eyes to gain context-specific insights into
how individuals interact with and respond to different visual elements
and stimuli.
Exhibit: Nielsen’s
“People Meter”
Exhibit:
Eye tracking
technology
►Marketing Moment In-Class Activity
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Chapter 4: Market Research
Suppose you were hired to study teenagers and develop a new product that would appeal to the teen
market. Where might you go to observe teenagers? (e.g., school, fast food restaurant, mall). What
challenges might you or another researcher have in conducting this observation? (You may not look like
a teenager and the sample would behave differently.)
p. 110
p. 111
p. 112
3.3.4 Online Research
Many companies find that the web is a superior way to collect data—it
is fast, it is relatively cheap, and it lends itself well to forms of research
from simple questionnaires to online focus groups. There are two major
types of online research. One type is information we gather by tracking
consumers while they are surfing. The second type is information we
gather through questionnaires on websites, through e-mail, or from
focus groups virtual moderators conduct in chat rooms.
Cookies are text files a website sponsor inserts into a user’s hard drive
when the user connects with the site. Cookies remember details of a
visit to a website typically tracking which pages the user visits. This
technology allows websites to customize services, such as when
Amazon.com recommends new books to users based on what books
they have ordered in the past. These surprising connections will happen
more often as e-marketers adopt newer generation of predictive
technology that use shopping patterns of large numbers of people to
determine which products are likely to be purchased if others are. Much
discussion is afoot at all levels of government regarding online privacy
rights. Proponents advocate:
Information about a consumer belongs to the consumer.
Consumers should be made aware of information collection.
Consumers should know how information about them will be
used.
Consumers should be able to refuse to allow information
collection.
Information about a consumer should never be sold or given to
another party without the permission of the consumer.
One potential problem of online research is the representativeness of
the respondents. Although the number of Internet users continues to
grow, many segments of the consumer population, mainly the poor and
elderly, do not have equal access to the Internet. In addition, in many
studies (just as with mail surveys or mall intercepts) there is a
self-selection bias in the sample. That is, because respondents have
agreed to receive invitations to take part in online studies by definition
they tend to be the kind of people who like to participate in surveys. As
with other kinds of research such as live focus groups, it is not unusual
to encounter “professional respondents.” These are people who enjoy
taking part in studies and being paid for it.
Hackers can actually try to influence research results. Competitors can
learn about a firm’s marketing plans, products, advertising, and so forth
when they intercept information from these studies (though this can
occur in offline studies just as easily). Because cheating has become so
rampant, some companies today use fraud-busting software that creates
a digital fingerprint of each computer involved in a survey to identify
respondents who fake responses or professionals who game the
industry by doing as many surveys as possible.
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Part 2: Determining the Value Propositions Different Customers Want
► METRICS MOMENT
Marketing is responsible for the e-commerce aspect of firms’ web strategies. Bounce rate is a marketing
metric for analyzing website traffic. It represents the percentage of visitors who enter the site and
“bounce” (leave the site) rather than viewing other pages. Websites should be attractive, easy to
navigate, and have up-to-date information.
When you bounce off of a website, is it for one of these reasons? Are any of them more important than
others to you?
Apply the Metrics
A rule of thumb for website effectiveness is that great websites should fulfill three basic
criteria: (1) the site should be attractive, (2) the site should be easy to navigate and get
you where you want to go, and (3) the site should have up-to-date information (no old stuff).
Consider the bounce rate metric we describe above. Like any marketing metric, decisions should
not be made based on the bounce rate alone. What other considerations should the marketer use
to evaluate the effectiveness of a website?
p. 113 3.3.5 Data Quality: Garbage In, Garbage Out
All too often, marketers who commission a study assume that because
the researchers give them a massive report full of impressive-looking
numbers and tables, they must be looking at the “truth.” Unfortunately,
there are times when this “truth” is really just one person’s
interpretation of the facts. At other times, the data researchers use to
generate recommendations are flawed. Typically, three factors
influence the quality of research results—validity, reliability, and
representativeness.
Validity is the extent to which the research actually measures what it
was intended to measure. Internal validity is the extent to which the
results of a research study accurately measure what the study intended
to measure by ensuring proper research design, including efforts to
ensure that any potentially confounding factors were not included or
introduced at any point during the execution of the research study.
External validity is the extent to which the results of a research study
can be generalized to the population its sample was intended to
represent.
Reliability is the extent to which the research measurement techniques
are free of errors. Sometimes, for example, the way a researcher asks a
question creates error by biasing people’s responses.
Representativeness is the extent to which consumers in the study are
similar to a larger group in which the organization has an interest. This
criterion for evaluating research underscores the importance of
sampling; the process of selecting respondents for
a study.
The quality of research results is only as good as the poorest
interviewer in the study. When interviews are involved, the researcher
must train and supervise the interviewers.
Figure 4.5
Snapshot:
Completion Test
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Chapter 4: Market Research
Discussion question: Describe in your own words and examples why you think that validity, reliability,
and representativeness are crucial for a marketing research study.
p. 114 3.4 Step 4: Design the Sample
Researchers collect most of their data from a small proportion or
sample of the population of interest. Based on the answers from this
sample, researchers hope to generalize to the larger population.
Whether such inferences are accurate or inaccurate depends on the type
and quality of the study sample. There are two main types of samples:
probability and nonprobability samples.
p. 115 3.4.1 Probability Sampling
In a probability sample, each member of the population has some
known chance of being included. Using a probability sample ensures
that the sample represents the population and that inferences we make
about the population from what members of the sample say or do are
justified.
The most basic type of probability sample is a simple random sample in
which every member of a population has a known and equal chance of
being included in the study.
Sometimes researchers use a systematic sampling procedure to select
members of a population; they select the nth member of a population
after a random start.
Yet, another type of probability sample is a stratified sample, in which
a researcher divides the population into segments that relate to the
study’s topic.
p. 115 3.4.2 Nonprobability Sampling
A nonprobability sample entails the use of personal judgment in
selecting respondents—in some cases they just ask whomever they can
find. With a nonprobability sample, some members of the population
have no chance at all of being included. Thus, there is no way to ensure
that the sample is representative of the population.
A convenience sample is a nonprobability sample composed of
individuals who just happen to be available when and where the data
are being collected. Researchers may also use a quota sample that
includes the same proportion of individuals with certain characteristics
as in the population.
►Marketing Moment In-Class Activity
Suppose you were hired to study groups of people who are difficult to access. If you cannot access the
group directly, how might you be able to sample to learn critical information?
Professional Golfers? Caddies. Brides? Ministers, dress shop owners, wedding planners, etc.
Upper-upper class—maids, butlers, drivers, etc. CEOs and Executives—administrative assistants,
cleaning personnel.
Troubleshooting Tip: conduct a very brief and simple study/survey using both sampling types
(probability vs. nonprobability) and discuss the implications for generalizing the conclusions of both
studies.
p. 116 3.5 Step 5: Collect the Data
p. 116 3.5.2 Challenges to Gathering Data in Foreign Countries
Conducting market research around the world is big business for U.S.
firms. However, market conditions and consumer preferences vary
worldwide, and there are major differences in the sophistication of
market research operations and the amount of data available to global
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Part 2: Determining the Value Propositions Different Customers Want
p. 116
marketers.
Choosing an appropriate data-collection method is difficult. In many
developing countries, infrastructure is an impediment to executing
phone or mail surveys, and lack of online connectivity blocks
web-based research. Local customs can be a problem as well. Cultural
differences also affect responses to survey items. Another problem with
conducting marketing research in global markets is language.
Sometimes translations just do not come out right. In some cases, entire
subcultures within a country might be excluded from the research
sample.
To overcome language difficulties, researchers use a process of
back-translation, which requires two steps. First, a native speaker
translates the questionnaire into the language of the targeted
respondents. Then they translate this new version back into the original
language to ensure that the correct meanings survive the process.
p. 117 3.6 Step 6: Analyze and Interpret the Data
Data need interpretation if the results are going to be useful.
Typically, marketers first tabulate the data as Table 4.3 shows —that is,
they arrange the data in a table or other summary form so they can get a
broad picture of the overall responses. In addition, there may be a
desire to cross-classify or cross tabulate the answers to questions by
other variables. Cross tabulation means that we examine the data we
break down into subgroups to see how results vary between categories.
Table 4.3
Examples of Data
Tabulation and
Cross- Tabulation
Tables
p. 117 3.7 Step 7: Prepare the Research Report
In general, a research report must clearly and concisely tell the readers
—top management, clients, creative departments, and many others—
what they need to know in a way that they can easily understand. A
research report will include these sections: an executive summary that
covers the high points, an understandable description of the research
methodology, a complete discussion of the results of the study,
limitations of the study, and conclusions/recommendations drawn.
Discussion question: Describe your emotions during a marketing research study you have participated in
(or the emotions you might feel if you would participate in a study)—do you feel that the study was
ethical? Why or why not?
Real People, Real Choices: Here’s My Choice at the Campbell
Soup Company
Cindy chose option #1.
Copyright © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
