Strategic Research
Research: The Quest for Intelligence and Insight
• Market research
– Compiles information about the product, product category, and other details of the marketing situation
• Consumer research
– Used to identify people who are in the market for the product
Research: The Quest for Intelligence and Insight
• Advertising research
– Focuses on all the elements of advertising
• IMC research
– Used to assemble information in planning the use of a variety of marketing communication tools
• Strategic research
– Uncovers critical information that becomes the basis for strategic planning decisions
Types of Research
• Secondary Research
• Primary Research
• Quantitative and Qualitative Research
• Background research that uses available published information about a topic
Types of Research
• Secondary Research
• Primary Research
• Quantitative and Qualitative Research
• Information that is collected for the first time from original sources
• Primary research suppliers
Types of Research
• Secondary Research
• Primary Research
• Quantitative and Qualitative Research
• Quantitative research
– Delivers numerical data
• Qualitative research
– Provides insight
Uses of Research
• Research departments collect and disseminate secondary research data and conduct primary research
• There is an increased need for research-based information in advertising planning
Uses for Research
• Market information
• Consumer insight research
• Media research
• Message development
• Evaluation research
Uses of Research
• Market information
• Consumer insight research
• Media research
• Message development and evaluation
• Research used to gather information about a particular market
• Includes consumer perceptions of the brand, product category, and competitors’ brands
Uses of Research
• Market information
• Consumer insight research
• Media research
• Message development and evaluation
• The creative team and media planners need to know as much as they can, in as much depth and detail as possible, about the people they are trying to reach
Uses of Research
• Market information
• Consumer insight research
• Media research
• Message development and evaluation
• Gathers information about all the possible media and marketing communication tools that might be used to deliver a message
• Researchers match that information to what is known about the target audience
Uses of Research
• Market information
• Consumer insight research
• Media research
• Message development and evaluation
• Concept testing
– Used in the development of the message strategy to evaluate the relative power of various creative ideas
• Copy testing
– Used to evaluate the relative effectiveness of various approaches to the sales message
Research Methods
• Background research
– Used to familiarize advertising planners with the market situation
• The brand experience
• Competitive analysis
• An advertising audit
• Content analysis
• Semiotic analysis
Research Methods
• Consumer research
– Used to better understand how users, prospects, and nonusers of a brand think and behave
– Uses both qualitative and quantitative methods
Ways of Contact
• In person
• Telephone
• The Internet
• Cable TV
• Computer kiosk in a mall or store
Consumer Research (continued)
Survey Research
• Quantitative method that uses structured interviews to ask large numbers of people the same set of questions
In-depth Interviews
• Qualitative method conducted one-on-one using open-ended questions that require respondents to generate their own answers
Consumer Research (continued)
Focus Groups
• A group of users or potential users who gather together to discuss a topic
• Useful in testing ideas or exploring various alternatives in message strategy development
Observation Research
• Takes researchers into natural settings where they note the behavior of consumers
Consumer Research (continued)
Ethnographic Research
• Involves the researcher in living the lives of the people being studied
• Has the advantage of or revealing what people actually do, not what they say they do
Diaries
• Consumers record their activities
• They tell media planners what programs and ads the consumers watched
Consumer Research (concluded)
Qualitative methods
• Imaginative ways qualitative researchers get insights
• Researchers try to uncover the mental processes that guide consumer behavior
Choosing a Research Method
• Validity
– The research actually measures what it says it measures
• Reliability
– Researchers can run the same test again and get the same answer