2. Learning Objectives
1. To Understand the Importance of Consumer
Research for Firms and Their Brands, as Well as
Consumers.
2. To Understand the Steps in the Consumer
Research Process.
3. To Understand the Importance of Establishing
Specific Research Objectives as the First Step in
the Design of a Consumer Research Project.
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 2
Chapter Two Slide
3. Learning Objectives (continued)
4. To Understand the Purposes and Types of Secondary
Consumer Research That Is Available for Making
Decisions or Planning Future Consumer Research.
5. To Understand Specific Features and Applications of
Different Research Methods to Be Carried Out in
Consumer Research Studies.
6. To Understand Where Data Analysis and Reporting of
Findings Fit in the Research Process.
7. To Understand How Each Element of the Consumer
Research Process Adds to the Overall Outcome of the
Research Study.
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Chapter Two Slide
4. Why Do Marketers Regularly Test Print Ads Like
This One Before They Are Placed in the Media?
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Chapter Two Slide
5. To Test the Impact of the Message Before
Spending Large Amounts of Money
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Chapter Two Slide
6. The Importance of the Consumer
Research Process
• Marketers must understand customers
to design effective:
– marketing strategies
– products
– promotional messages
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Chapter Two Slide
7. The Consumer Research Process
Figure 2.2
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Chapter Two Slide
8. The Consumer Research Process
• Secondary research
• Primary research
– Qualitative
– Quantitative
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Chapter Two Slide
9. Developing Research Objectives
• Defining purposes and objectives helps ensure
an appropriate research design.
• A written statement of objectives helps to
define the type and level of information
needed.
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9
Chapter Two Slide
10. Discussion Questions
• Assume you are planning to open a new pizza
restaurant near your campus.
– What might be three objectives of a research plan
for your new business?
– How could you gather these data?
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Chapter Two Slide
11. Secondary Data
• Data that has been
collected for reasons
other than the specific
research project at hand
• Includes internal and
external data
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Chapter Two Slide
12. Types of Secondary Data
Internal Data
• Data generated in-house
• May include analysis of
customer files
• Useful for calculating
customer lifetime value
External Data
• Data collected by an outside
organization
• Includes federal
government, periodicals,
newspapers, books, search
engines
• Commercial data is also
available from market
research firms
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 12
Chapter Two Slide
13. Discussion Questions
Personal Privacy
• Many people do not like the fact that their
personal data are used for marketing.
• How can marketers justify their need for data?
• How can they acquire data and maintain
customer privacy?
13
Chapter Two Slide
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14. Designing Primary Research
Qualitative
Research
• Depth Interviews
• Focus Groups
• Projective Techniques
• Metaphor Analysis
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Chapter Two Slide
15. Qualitative Collection Method
Depth Interview
• Also called one-on-one interview
• Usually 20 minutes to 1 hour
• Nonstructured
• Interviewer will often probe to get more
feedback (see following slide for probing)
• Session is usually recorded
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Chapter Two Slide
16. Probing Options for Interviews
Figure 2.3
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Chapter Two Slide
17. Qualitative Collection Method
Focus Group
• 8-10 participants
• Respondents are recruited through a screener
questionnaire
• Lasts about 2 hours
• Always taped or videotaped to assist analysis
• Often held in front of two-way mirrors
• Online focus groups are growing
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 17
Chapter Two Slide
18. Discussion Guides for Research
• Step-by-step outline
for depth interviews
and focus groups
• Interviewers will
often “improvise”
and go beyond the
discussion guide
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Chapter Two Slide
19. Focus Group Discussion Guide - Figure 2.4
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Chapter Two Slide
20. Qualitative Collection Method
Projective Techniques
• Research procedures designed to identify
consumers’ subconscious feelings and
underlying motivations
• Consist of a variety of disguised “tests”
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 20
Chapter Two Slide
21. Common Projective Exercises
Table 2.1 (excerpt)
Description
Word
Associations
The researcher has a list of words, some of them to be studied and some
just as “filler.” The researcher asks the respondent(s) to react, one-at-a
time, to each word by stating or (in a focus group setting) writing on a
pad the first word that comes to mind, and to explain the link.
Sentence
Completion
The researcher has a series of incomplete sentences that the
respondent(s) needs to complete with a word or phrase.
Photo/Visual
for
Storytelling
The researcher creates/selects a series of photos of consumers, different
brands or products, range of print ads, etc., to serve as stimuli. The
respondents are asked to discuss or tell a story based on their response
to a photo or some other visual stimulus.
Role Playing Is quite similar to storytelling; however, instead of telling a story, the
participant(s) will be given a situation and asked to “act out” the role(s),
often with regard to a product or brand, or particular selling situation.
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Chapter Two Slide
22. Qualitative Collection Method
Metaphor Analysis
• Based on belief that metaphors are the most
basic method of thought and communication
• Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique
(ZMET) combines collage research and
metaphor analysis to bring to the surface the
mental models and the major themes or
constructs that drive consumer thinking and
behavior.
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Chapter Two Slide
23. Qualitative Collection Method
“Looking-In”
• Look at information from threads and postings
on social media, including blogs and
discussion forums
• Methodology to capture consumers’
experiences, opinions, forecasts, needs, and
interests
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 23
Chapter Two Slide
25. Data Collection Methods
Observational Research
• Helps marketers gain an in-depth
understanding of the relationship between
people and products by watching them buying
and using products
• Helps researchers gain a better understanding
of what the product symbolizes
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 25
Chapter Two Slide
26. Data Collection Methods
Mechanical Observational Research
• Uses mechanical or electronic device to record
consumer behavior or response
• Consumers’ increased use of highly
convenient technologies will create more
records for marketers
• Audits are a type of mechanical observation
which monitor sales
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 26
Chapter Two Slide
27. Data Collection Methods
Experimentation
• Can be used to test the relative sales appeal of
many types of variables
• An experiment is usually controlled with only
some variables manipulated at a time while
the others are constant
• Test markets are conducted on a single market
area
• Experimentation can be conducted in
laboratories or in the field
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 27
Chapter Two Slide
28. Discussion Questions
• What might direct marketers test in
experiments?
• How can they use the results?
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 28
Chapter Two Slide
29. Data Collection Methods
Table 2.2
Mail Telephone Personal
Interview
Online
Cost Low Moderate High Low
Speed Slow Immediate Slow Fast
Response rate Low Moderate High Self-selected
Geographic
flexibility
Excellent Good Difficult Excellent
Interviewer
bias
N/A Moderate Problematic N/A
Interviewer
Supervision
N/A Easy Difficult N/A
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 29
Chapter Two Slide
30. Validity and Reliability
• If a study has validity, it collects the
appropriate data for the study.
• A study has reliability if the same questions,
asked of a similar sample, produce the same
findings.
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 30
Chapter Two Slide
31. Attitude Scales
31
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• Asked to agree or disagree with a statement
• Easy to prepare & interpret
• Simple for consumers
Likert scales
• Includes bipolar adjectives
• Relatively easy to construct and administer
Semantic
differential scales
• Measures likelihood consumers will act a certain way
• Easy to construct and administer
Behavior
intention scales
• Items ranked in order of preference in terms of some
criteria
Rank-order scales
Chapter Two Slide
32. Customer Satisfaction Measurement
• Customer
Satisfaction
Surveys
– Analysis of
Expectations
versus Experience
• Mystery Shoppers
• Customer
Complaint Analysis
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Chapter Two Slide
33. Sampling and Data Collection
• Samples are a subset of the population used
to estimate characteristics of the entire
population.
• A sampling plan addresses:
– Whom to survey
– How many to survey
– How to select them
• Researcher must choose probability or
nonprobabililty sample.
Chapter Two Slide
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 33
34. Data Analysis and Reporting Findings
• Open-ended questions are coded and
quantified.
• All responses are tabulated and analyzed.
• Final report includes executive summary,
body, tables, and graphs.
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 34
Chapter Two Slide
