Answers to End of Chapter Learning Aids
Marketing Digitally
1 Go to the website for the marketing research company Kantar (http://www.kantar.com/). Click
on “Company News,” and click on one of the recent press releases. What types of research
does Kantar conduct, and what types of insights does it develop for its clients?
This exercise provides students with access to the type of research that a company like Kantar conducts
on a regular basis. Kantar is a network of 13 specialist companies working in 100 countries across
2 The epinions.com website (www.epinions.com) is a clearinghouse for consumer reviews
about different products and services. Think of a particular business with which you are
familiar, and then review the ratings and comments for that business on the eopinions
website. Discuss the extent to which this site might be useful to a marketer for that company
who needs to gather market research about the company and its competitors. Identify the type
of research this process involves—secondary or primary.
A consumer review clearinghouse such as eopinions.com provides students with a better understanding
of the type of information available on the Internet, for consumers and marketers alike. Without spending
Student responses will vary. Taco Bell can be used as an example. The ratings and reviews for Taco Bell
could offer another form of market research that informs the company what works or not in terms of its
Marketing Applications
1 A large hardware store collects data about what its customers buy and stores these data in a
data warehouse. If you were the store’s buyer for lawn equipment, what would you want to
know from the data warehouse that would help you be a more successful buyer?
Students should be able to demonstrate their knowledge of data warehouses and data mining and be
1 Identify a nonprofit organization that might use marketing research, and describe one example
of a meaningful research project that it might conduct. Discuss the steps it should undertake
in this project.
Research is beneficial for both for-profit businesses as well as nonprofit businesses. Student answers will
vary. An example of a meaningful research project for a nonprofit organization might involve researching
2 Marketing researchers do not always go through the steps in the marketing research process
in sequential order. Provide an example of a research project that might not follow this
sequence.
This exercise is designed to test students’ knowledge of the marketing research process and their
understanding of how and why that process is not necessarily linear.
3 A sunglasses retailer is trying to determine if there is a significant market for its merchandise
in a specific mall location where it is considering opening a store. It has an active Facebook
page where customers routinely visit to get coupons and comment on the latest sunglasses
offered. How can this retailer use Facebook and Facebook Insights to decide if it should open
the new store?
The sunglasses retailer could use Facebook analytics such as Impressions, Reach, Engaged Users,
Talking about This, New Likes, and Consumption/Consumers to help increase customer engagement and
4 A consumer package goods company (e.g., Pepsi) has just developed a new beverage. The
company needs to estimate the demand for such a new product. What sources of syndicated
data could it explore?
Syndicated data is a type of secondary data that is available for a fee from commercial research firms. If a
firm like Pepsi introduces a new beverage, it might use data from companies like ACNielsen, which tracks
5 A bank manager notices that by the time customers get to the teller, they seem irritated and
impatient. She wants to investigate the problem further, so she hires you to design a research
project to figure out what is bothering the customers. The bank wants three studies: (a)
several focus groups of their customers, (b) observation using a hidden camera, and (c) an
online survey of 500 customers. Which studies are qualitative, and which are quantitative?
The focus group and the hidden camera observation are examples of qualitative studies. Qualitative
research uses broad, open-ended questions to understand the phenomenon of interest. It provides initial
6 Best Buy has an extensive loyalty program, Best Buy Reward Zone, that allows it to track its
customers’ purchasing habits over time. How can Best Buy use such big data to improve
sales?
Best Buy can use this information to communicate more effectively with its customers, “fine tune” its
7 Suppose your university wants to modify its course scheduling procedures to better serve
students. What are some secondary sources of information that might be used to conduct
research into this topic? Describe how these sources might be used. Describe a method you
could use to gather primary research data about the topic. Would you recommend a specific
order in obtaining each of these types of data? Explain your answer.
Every undergraduate student can relate to the scenario of registering for academic courses. Students
need to put the various research concepts together to structure a research project that might improve this
process.
The university could use secondary sources of information such as how the process has been done in the
past, the length of time it takes for the average student to register, the number of complaints received, the
8 Manuel is planning to launch a new gourmet taco truck and is trying to decide where he
should park his truck and what features and prices would entice consumers. He sends a
request for proposal to four marketing research vendors, and three respond, as described in
the ¬table below. Which vendor should Manuel use? Explain your rationale for picking this
vendor over the others.
Vendor A Vendor B Vendor C
The vendor that Manuel has
used in the past estimates it
Manuel’s key competitor has
used this vendor, which
This well-known vendor has
recently started to focus on
Students might believe ethical issues are not at play here and therefore choose a vendor solely on the
basis of the price, timeframe, and response rate of the research methods employed; alternatively, they
Manuel should include ethics as one of his selection criteria, in addition to the cost, timeframe, and
research method. Therefore, he should immediately eliminate Vendor B from consideration, because it is
Quiz Yourself
1 Which of the following is not a disadvantage of using secondary research data?
a. The information may not be timely.
b. The process is costly and time-consuming.
c. The data sources may be biased.
d. The methodologies for collecting the data may not be appropriate.
e. The sources may not be original, and therefore usefulness is an issue.
9 The key difference between scanner and panel research is that scanner research typically focuses on
a particular _____, while panel research typically focuses on a particular _____.
a. product; person or household
b. product; service
c. person; household
d. person; product
e. service; product
Chapter Case Study: Swim, Lift, Play—But Also Donate: Using Market Research
to Redefine the YMCA
1 What kinds of market research has the Y conducted?
The Y conducts quantitative research to gather data to investigate what people perceive when they think
3 Which questions has the Y sought to answer with each different type of market research it has
conducted?
A national survey assessed the Y’s program awareness, why it offered the programs, and customer
2 Who are the main stakeholders that the Y is attempting to reach with the information it has
gained through its market research?
The main stakeholders include: families who utilize the facilities and programs, potential donors to the
4 Are there other types of market research that the Y could conduct in the future to answer other
important questions? Give some examples of both the questions it still faces and the research
methods it could use to answer them
The Y can utilize various secondary and primary research methods:
Secondary data might come from free or very inexpensive external sources such as census data,
information from trade associations, and reports published in magazines. Firms also can purchase more
specific or applicable secondary data from specialized research firms. Finally, secondary sources can be
Additional Teaching Tips
This chapter explores how information systems create greater value for the customer. The research
process is one of the main concepts in this chapter as well as introducing the student to research
vocabulary and concepts.
This chapter is one that quite often students don’t like. They have difficulty in applying the research
vocabulary and understanding the research process. Students can often regurgitate the process but when
asked how it applies they are often confused. A teaching tip on understanding how information systems
can create value is to have students write down a product website they often visit and why they visit it (the
value they find in the website). Have them partner up in class and exchange papers. The partner will then
think of ways (using the book as an aid) that information systems can add value to that website. A
discussion between the partners after this exercise often leads to clarity of how information systems
create greater value to the customer and the instructor can write some of these on the board during
classroom discussion.
Online Tip: This exercise can be easily transferred to a discussion posting in the online forum where
students are partnered up in the same way (or perhaps they can answer anyone’s post that hasn’t had a
reply yet) resulting in a short summary paper addressing how information systems create value.
Some examples of assigned research topics: (1) Will moving the pizza from the back to the front of the
college cafeteria result in more pizza sales? (2) Will offering an additional incentive to students to return
Connect Activities
Activity Type Learning Objectives 10-
01 02 03 04 05
Nike: Understanding Female Customers Case Analysis X X
Superior Razors: The Marketing Research Process Click & Drag X
Nike: Understanding Female Customers
Activity Type: Case Analysis
Learning Objectives: 10-03, 10-04
Difficulty: Medium
Activity Summary: This case describes Nike’s efforts to understand its female customers. Students
are asked questions applying chapter concepts to the case.
Activity
Introduction: Nike is one of the most recognized brands in the world, predominantly for its apparel
and athletic shoe products. In recent years, Nike has failed to cater to the needs of its female
Concept Review: Marketing research consists of a set of techniques and principles for systematically
collecting, recording, analyzing, and interpreting data that can aid decision makers involved in
Follow-Up Activity
Visit the Nike Women YouTube channel and see how Nike has implemented the findings of their research
Superior Razors: The Marketing Research Process
Activity Type: Click & Drag
Learning Objectives: 10-01
Difficulty: Medium
Activity Summary: This case asks the student to classify different steps in a marketing research
project according to the step of the marketing research process each one represents.
Activity
Introduction: The marketing team at Superior Razors, a producer of a national brand of men’s
shaving products, has conducted research to find out how well the company is doing in comparison to
Concept Review: Firms invest billions of dollars in marketing research every year. Why do marketers
find this research valuable? First, it helps to reduce some of the uncertainty under which they
Kraft: Marketing Research Behind Ritz Toasted Chips
Activity Type: Video Case
Learning Objectives: 10-02, 10-03
Difficulty: Medium
Activity Summary: This video case describes a research project that led to the introduction of Ritz
Toasted Chips, a snack product from Kraft. After the video ends, students are asked questions about
the video and related course concepts.
Activity
Introduction: What is the difference between a cracker and a chip? Kraft asked that very question as
it decided to launch Ritz Toasted Chips, an extension of their Ritz cracker brand, originally launched
Concept Review: Because research is both expensive and time consuming, it is important to
establish in advance exactly what information is required to answer specific research questions and
Video: The video is presented to the student below the introductory information. The video plays
Follow-Up Activity
Internet research challenge: Have students find some websites for consulting companies that perform
AutoTrader.com: Using Marketing Research
Activity Type: Case Analysis
Learning Objectives: 10-01, 10-02, 10-03, 10-04
Difficulty: Medium
Activity Summary: This case describes a marketing research project undertaken by Autotrader.com
to understand the influences on consumers shopping for a car. Students answer questions applying
chapter concepts to the case.
Activity
Introduction: Imagine you are responsible for making next year’s media buys for a large automobile
dealership. You have your choice among traditional media, like television and newspaper advertising,
Concept Review: Marketing research consists of a set of techniques and principles for systematically
collecting, recording, analyzing, and interpreting data that can aid decision makers involved in
marketing goods, services, or ideas. Marketing research is a five-step process. First, the research
Follow-Up Activity
Class discussion: Who has recently purchased a car? Do AutoTrader.com’s research findings match
students’ own experiences?
Dunkin’ Donuts: Marketing Research and Bakery Sandwiches
Activity Type: Video Case
Learning Objectives: 10-01, 10-02, 10-03
Difficulty: Medium
Activity Summary: Dunkin’ Donuts decided to expand its offerings by developing a line of bakery
sandwiches. This video case describes their development process. After the video ends, students are
asked questions about the video and related course concepts.
Activity
Introduction: Dunkin’ Donuts saw an opportunity to expand its product mix beyond traditional
Video: The video is presented to the student below the introductory information. The video plays
embedded on the page, after which questions are presented.
Follow-Up Activity
The first phase of marketing research for Dunkin’ Donuts was to learn about when people wanted to
Students sometimes have trouble understanding how experiments work. As a class, design a simple
Using Market Research to Redefine the YMCA
Activity Type: Case Analysis
Learning Objectives: 10-01, 10-02, 10-03, 10-04
Difficulty: Medium
Activity Summary: This case describes marketing research conducted by the YMCA as a first step in
Activity
Introduction: The YMCA conducted marketing research to gain a better understanding of how its
ISeeIt Video Case: Market Research Process
Activity Type: Video Case
Learning Objectives: 10-01, 10-02, 10-03
Difficulty: Easy
Activity Summary: This video case explores how marketing research could be used to help to make
decisions about programs at a coffee shop.
Activity
Introduction: Marketing research is a detailed process by which marketers can improve decision
making by using formal, structured approaches and information. By asking the right questions of the
right people, marketers can gain insights into the wants and needs of customers and take the
necessary actions to grow their businesses. This holds true for Martha at the Coffee Collective. She is
Video: The video is presented to the student below the introductory information. The video plays