Account Planning & ResearchNikki McClaranWeek 5 Creativ.docx

Account Planning & Research
Nikki McClaran
Week 5: Creative Briefs
Notes:
2McClaran, ADV342, SM19
•Our last face-to-face week
•Next week:
• Upload final presentation by August 13
• No longer than 12 minutes
• Ask one question on one person’s presentation by August 15
• Be required to answer any questions given
• I will make sure to ask a question on your posts
Notes:
•Report 1 reminder
•Extra points granted
•Quiz 2, question 10
•Quiz 3: 100%
•Quiz 4: question 7
•Extra Credit

Final Presentations
•Introduction + client history (1-2 minutes)
•Research problem (1 minute)
•Research method (1-2 minutes)
•Research results (2 minutes)
•Creative strategy (2 minutes)
• Too much text
• Too much background info
• Reading off paper/slides
• Using data vs. visuals
Common Mistakes
•The ”blueprint” of your entire project
•Communicate
•What to say
•How to say it
Creative Briefs

“… include broad thoughts on how to reach the
target market as well as what message will best
motivate the target market”
- Pg. 172
Creative Briefs
Creative Briefs
•Art = Science?
•Science = Art?
•Executives
•Creative time
•Digital team
•Media team
•PR team
Creative Briefs

1. What is the problem?
• Marketing problem is not the same as a
consumer problem
• What does this mean?
Aspects of a Creative Briefs
2. Whom are we marketing to?
• Who is your target audience?
• Be vivid
• Go beyond demographics and into
psychographics
3. What do they currently think and do?
• This is where you can bring in some of the
research you conducted
• What have you found?

4. What do we want them to think and do?
• What are your intended outcomes?
• Sometimes thought of as the “big picture”
5. What is the idea that will get them to think
that way?
• Here’s your big idea!
• What’s your strategy?
• What is your key message?
6. What are the best ways to connect the
idea to the consumer?
• What channels?
• What messages?
7. What tone do we want?

6. How will we measure success?
• How will you show your employer that
your campaign worked?
7. What are the mandatories and key
milestones?
Your turn. Create a creative brief

KFC’s “Hot and Spicy” campaign in Hong Kong
Provide aspects of a creative brief you may think was in the
original creative
brief. Turn in document at end of class
• Ideal for presenting exact numbers
• Includes:
• Descriptive title
• Columns are clearly labeled
• Number or respondents in each group is shown
• Numbers are reasonably rounded
• Columns add to appropriate total
• Fonts are consistent and not distracting
Numeric Tables
• Ideal for comparing groups
Bar Charts
• Ideal only when looking at one
point in time, but you want to
show the share or a segment
compared to the whole

Pie Charts
• Ideal for displaying trends,
especially over time
• Remember, no causation
Line Charts
http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations
Nikki McClaran
Week 4: Quantitative Research
Recap:
•Last week = qualitative research
•Important notes:
• Questions meant to be open-ended
• Looking for answers, not confirming them
• Differences between focus groups and individual interviews
• Ethnographies

Refresh: What is Quantitative Research?
•Research conducted to examine relationships
between variables using statistics
• Relationships can be
• Correlational or descriptive
• Causal or cause-and-effect
• No relationship
The type of relationship you seek to test influences the type of
method you need
• Correlation: surveys, observational
• Can be positive (move in same direction) or negative (move in
opposite direction)
• Causation: experiments
• Some also say longitudinal surveys
• This is when an independent variable and dependent variable
become
relevant
Variable Relationships
Example positive relationship:

Example negative relationship
Variable Relationships
Two important concepts when thinking
about quantitative research include:
•Sampling
•Validity and reliability
Important Concepts
Sampling
Sampling
• Population: a group of people or objects that
are the main focus of scientific query
• You, as the researcher, define the population
• Can be as big or small as you define (e.g.,
humans, MSU students, females, etc.)
Sample: a subset of the population that is

intended to represent the population as a whole
POPULATION
SAMPLE
Sampling Error
SAMPLE
• Anytime you conduct a sample, you have to be aware of how
accurately your sample actually reflects
your population.
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
Population

m m m m Sample
Is my sample accurate? Why or why not?
Types of Sampling
•Two main types of sampling
• Probability or “random” sampling: every person in
the population has an equal chance of being
selected
• Only kind of sampling that is “generalizable”
• Non-probability or “non-random” sampling:
everyone does not have an equal chance
Non-probability sampling
Four main methods of non-probability sampling:
• Convenience: sample from those easiest to sample
• Purposive (judgement): sample from a target population of
interest
• Quota: sample of a particular subset of people
• An extension of purposive sampling, in which you are trying
to
make sure a certain demographic or characteristic is measured
• Snowball: you recruit people, who then recruit others
• Typically used for hard-to-reach, hard-to-find, groups of

people
Can you easily reach your population?
Yes No
Snowball sampling
Trying to reach a certain target audience?
Yes No
Convenience sampling
Trying to fulfill certain frequency
of characteristics? (50% female;
50% male)
Yes No
Purposive samplingQuota sampling
Why does sampling matter?

Random Sampling
Learn more here:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-
tank/2017/05/12/methods-101-random-
sampling/
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/05/12/methods-
101-random-sampling/
Validity: did you measure what you intended
to measure?
•Internal: is your data factually sound?
•External: is your data
representative/generalizable?
Validity and Reliability
Reliability: is your data stable and
consistent?
Validity and Reliability
1. Develop research questions/hypotheses
2. Construct measurement tool
3. Sample population

4. Conduct research
5. Analyze results
6. Present results
Conducting Quantitative Research
At the most broad level, there are open and
closed questions
At a more specific level, there are different
levels of measurement
Constructing questionnaires
Levels of
Measurement
Nominal:
Ordinal:
Interval:
Ratio:

Beyond the typical multiple choice and T/F
questions, there are also
•Likert scales
•Semantic differential scales
•These are interval/ratio level questions
Types of questions
Types of questions
Likert Scale:
Semantic differential
Dictates the type of statistics you can conduct:
•Nominal and ordinal: descriptive statistics
•Mean, mode, frequencies, etc.
•Interval and ratio: inferential statistics
•Important when making claims about
relationships between variables
Why does this matter?

Answer the following three questions using the following scale:
1. Wouldn’t you agree that because Starbucks has
higher quality coffee, it is a good coffee chain?
2. I go to MSU and am a big Spartan fan.
3. I’ve used my phone for at least one hour every
day, for the past month.
In-Class Activity
• Provide explicit instructions
• Use simple, clear, and active language
• Don’t use “jargon”
• DON’T: Of the following, what are things that you may care
for while you go on a shopping experience that is typical?”
• DO: Please select what matters to you during a typical
shopping experience:
Constructing “Good” Questions
• Avoid Bias:
• Leading questions: suggesting a “correct” answer

• DON’T: How dumb is it that Pitaya doesn’t have a Facebook?
• DO: Indicate your views on Pitaya’s social media presence?
• Loaded questions: forcing a certain answer
• DON’T: Where do you enjoy drinking beer?
• DO: Do you drink beer? Where do you enjoy drinking beer?
• Avoid Bias:
• Double-barreled questions: asking two questions in
one
• DON’T: How supportive are you of the government and
U.S. foreign policy?
• DO: How supportive are you of the government? How
supportive are you of the U.S. foreign policy?
• Use reasonable time frames
• Make them mutually exclusive, meaning someone
shouldn’t be able to choose more than one of your
answers
• DON’T: What is the weather currently like: sun, rain, snow, or

fog.
• DO: What is the weather currently like (select all that apply):
sun,
rain, show, or fog
Constructing “Good” Answers
• Be exhaustive, meaning all available options are
provided
• DON’T: How many times do you eat out per month? 1-5
times; 6-10 times; more than 10 times
• DO: How many times do you eat out per month? 1-5 times; 6-
10 times; more than 10 times, I do not eat out
Constructing “Good” Answers
• http://msu.qualtrics.com
Let’s practice how to make questions
and analyze the results
http://msu.qualtrics.com/

•Considerations:
• Should complement or enhance your written/verbal
report
• Don’t do it just because you can
• Keep them simple
• Make sure it is integrated
A note on tables/figures
• Ideal for presenting exact numbers
• Includes:
• Descriptive title
• Columns are clearly labeled
• Number or respondents in each group is shown
• Numbers are reasonably rounded
• Columns add to appropriate total
• Fonts are consistent and not distracting
Numeric Tables
• Ideal for comparing groups
Bar Charts

• Ideal only when looking at one
point in time, but you want to
show the share or a segment
compared to the whole
Pie Charts
• Ideal for displaying trends,
especially over time
• Remember, no causation
Pie Charts
http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations
Focus Group Research
Research Approach:
Our overall research approach for our focus group was to gather
individuals that fit in our
target age range that we knew were avid shoppers. We
conducted this research to gain better
insight about consumer opinions of the East Lansing Pitaya
clothing store as well as shopping
behavior and preferences. As a part of our moderator guide, we

split the session into two parts —
“General Shopping Questions” and “Pitaya Specific Questions”.
The moderator guide can be
found in Appendix A.
Rationale:
Our goal was to discover and better understand the feelings
college-aged women (18-22
years old) have about Pitaya as a place to shop for women’s
clothing in East Lansing. We also
aimed to gain an understanding of consumer preferences,
shopping behavior and purchasing
intentions for stores such as Pitaya and its competitors, such as
Urban Outfitters and Forever 21.
Recruiting Plan:
Our plan for recruiting was for each member of our team to
recruit 2 - 3 participants by
sending a general message to friends or acquaintances about our
focus group (group
members included our screener questions in the message).
Focus Group Details: We conducted one focus group with 10
total participants. The
focus group introductions lasted approximately 15 minutes
while the questioning portion

lasted about 25 minutes, totaling approximately 40 minutes. The
focus group was
conducted in a quiet study room at one of our researcher’s
apartment complex on 300 W
Grand River Ave. The focus group took place on October 19,
2018, at 1:00pm.
Participant profile: Our participants were aged between 18 and
22 years old. They were
college students, avid shoppers, and buyers of boutique clothing
with average-to-above-
average knowledge about the industry and Pitaya.
Screeners: First, we asked if potential participants have ever
shopped in Pitaya. We
wanted individuals who knew of the brand and have been inside
the store before. Our
next screener question we asked potential participants was,
“How often do you shop in a
typical month?” We then screened out participants that shopped
less than five times a
month. This allowed us to distinguish if participants would
have enough shopping
experience and store awareness in East Lansing to provide

critical and valuable feedback.
Participant Incentives: Our group provided participants with
pizza, donuts, cookies, and
water as an incentive for participation.
Key Findings:
One of the major key findings we gained from the focus group
was that the East Lansing
Pitaya is usually not a first choice for college women in this
area to go shopping. All of our
participants noted that the store lacks advertising, and the only
way they were aware of the
clothing store was from friends they knew who shop there. They
claimed that the store was
convenient, but not necessarily easy to get to location-wise with
parking. For example, one of
our participants informed us that their most preferred time to go
shopping is, “Right before the
weekend, because I want to find an outfit to wear to go out.”
All of our participants generally had different shopping styles.
Whether it was “taking a
lap first” or “grabbing as many things to try on as possible,”
shopping behavior responses
varied by participant. Our participants also brought to our

attention that when shopping, they are
more likely to make a purchase while shopping alone rather than
if they are shopping with a
friend(s). When asked why, they explained that they feel less
pressured for time and less guilty
about searching and trying on different clothing pieces in-stores
when they are alone. They find
themselves going shopping more often alone when they have an
event or occasion to shop for,
rather than when they are looking for a something to do — they
tend to go with friends to
leisurely shop and get opinions from friends on clothing
selections.
The group seemed to prefer Urban Outfitters and Forever 21 due
to the aesthetic, clothing
variety, organization of the stores, and pricing (pricing was
relevant and favorable particularly at
Forever 21). One participant made a point of saying, “Nobody
goes to Pitaya to just shop
around for fun.” After asking for further elaboration, the subject
noted that girls shopping at
Pitaya are typically looking for a specific item, and then leave
immediately if the item is not

found, leading to short store visits. In comparison to Urban
Outfitters, the group explained that
they prefer the “vibe” of Urban (music, layout, appearance), and
that they would enjoy simply
“hanging out” there. One participant also noted that Pitaya is
seemingly a “last resort” option
they visit AFTER they have checked stores such as Urban
Outfitters or Forever 21. They claimed
to have better luck finding what they are looking for at other
competitor stores versus Pitaya, due
to its small layout and lack of clothing variety.
Another general consensus among the group was that Pitaya’s
Instagram page was not up
to par with competitors’ aesthetics and promotional materials on
social media. It was found that
Pitaya’s page had outfits laid out on the ground and not on
models. One subject claimed,
“Urban’s Instagram page is more professionally done with all
clothing on models.” When
asked about social media influencers, our group particularly
appreciate looking through
influencer pages to get ideas about how to pair clothing
together, and where to find certain

clothing.
One eye-opening question we asked was, “What factors are most
important to you in
your overall shopping experience and why?” One notable quote
we received from this question
was, “Price. I think to myself — am I going to wear this once,
or get my money's worth out of
it?” This helped us better understand that this particular group
of college-aged girls may be even
more price sensitive than we initially predicted. They expect
great value and quality in their
purchases — especially if it is only a one-time-wear type of
clothing item.
Focus Group Research Analysis:
Overall, our focus group led us to believe that college-aged
females in the East Lansing
area (typically aged 18-22), prefer to shop at Pitaya’s
competitors due to the lack of aesthetic and
overall shopping experience in Pitaya. The lack of
professionalism displayed in their social
media pages was also a noted drawback to the Pitaya brand.
Moreover, it appears that individuals

may be more likely to spend time shopping when they are alone,
which could mean a greater
chance of purchase. Their overall purchasing intentions when
going to stores such as Pitaya and
their competitors seems to be for event and occasion shopping
— this was quite a common
theme of our college participants.
Nikki McClaran
Week 2: Secondary Research & Segmentation
Agenda
•Secondary research
•Segmentation/finding your target audience
•Final project work time
Secondary Research
• Searching and synthesizing of information that

already exists
• Differs from primary research
Markers of secondary research:
• You did not plan and conduct the research
• The info was not meant for your research needs
Primary and secondary sources
•Secondary research is comprised of primary
and secondary sources
• Primary: Originated information
• Secondary: Re-packages the information
•Always consult primary sources if possible
Why?
•Completeness/Accuracy
•Bias
•Quality
Techniques for guiding secondary research

•SWOT analysis
•The 4 P’s of Marketing
The 4 P’s
• Product: what is your client selling?
• Price: for how much is your client selling their
product? How does it compare?
• Place: where is your client selling their product?
• Promotion: how is your client selling their product?
The 4 P’s: In Class Exercise
• Client: Blue Owl Coffee in Lansing/East Lansing
• Determine the client’s 4 P’s
• Product
• Price
• Place
• Promotion
SWOT Analysis
A commonly used technique to help synthesize

secondary information in order to identify your
client’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
and threats.
SWOT Analysis
•Strengths and Weaknesses = internal
•Opportunities and Threats= external
•Tip: Start with S/W and then move to O/T
SWOT Analysis
SWOT Analysis
• Strengths:
• Company’s finances
• Market share
• Advertising
• Weaknesses:
• Resources
• Consumer barriers

• Opportunities:
• Market trends
• New markets
• Threats:
• Competition
• Market trends
• Distribution channels
SWOT Analysis Example
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR9eICQJL
XA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR9eICQJLXA
Secondary Resources
•http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/advertising
http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/advertising
Company Profiles: Marketline
http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://advantage.marketline.co
m/
•Provides company profiles and industry profiles
•SWOT analysis

•Company history
•Revenue Analysis
•Number of employees
•Major products & services
http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://advantage.marketline.co
m/
Company Profiles: PrivCO
• https://www-privco-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/academic-access
•Must create an account with your MSU email
•Only for private companies
•Market deals
•Market investors
•Revenue over 5 years
https://www-privco-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/academic-access
Company Profiles: Mergent Int.
Http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/c.php?g=210557
•Company profiles
•Industry details
•Competitors
•Annual Reports
•Company Family Trees
http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/c.php?g=210557

Industry Profiles: Mintel
• http://academic.mintel.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/homepages/de
fault/
•Does not give company profiles, but industry
reports
•Demographic profiles
•Consumer spending and buying patterns
•Marketing and attitudes
http://academic.mintel.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/homepages/defau
lt/
Industry Profiles: Others
• IBIS World: http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/c.php?g=210017
• Ex: “coffee store franchises in the U.S.
• eMarketer:
http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=https://totalaccess.emarketer.c
om/Ex
tranet.aspx?michiganstateuniversity
• Media usage and the industry; can be company specific
• Ex: mobile coupons for athletic stores
• Statista:
http://ezproxy.msu.edu:2047/login?url=http://www.statista.com
• Statistics for over 80,000 topics
• How much consumers spend on coffee per week

http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/c.php?g=210017
http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=https://totalaccess.emarketer.c
om/Extranet.aspx?michiganstateuniversity
http://ezproxy.msu.edu:2047/login?url=http://www.statista.com
Advertising: RedBooks
https://www-redbooks-
com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/dotCMS/subscriberDashboard;jsessionid
=99780493DEE51477
013381EDBF4E679D
• Provides advertising expenditures for companies
• Background/competitors
• Media Spend
• Example Creative Ads
• Social Media Profile
https://www-redbooks-
com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/dotCMS/subscriberDashboard;jsessionid
=99780493DEE51477013381EDBF4E679D
Segmentation
•Process of breaking down population into smaller
groups
•Members have shared commonalities
•Typically you segment because commonality is
linked to your desired outcome

For example…
Why segment?
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FfA_fiDKWk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FfA_fiDKWk
What to segment on?
•A variable: any concept that varies
•Four broad categories
• Demographics
• Geographic
• Psychographics
• Behavioral
Demographic Variables
•Traditional
segmentation variable
•Easy to obtain
•May not be very

insightful
Geographic Variables
•Can give insight on
how people behavior
based on their location
•Easy to segment
•High variability
Psychographic Variables
•Based on individual’s
attitudes, values,
motivations, and lifestyle
•Very effective
•Costly to obtain
Behavioral Variables
•Most commonly used
•Specific to brand/client
•Most effective
•Very difficult to segment

Behavioral Variables
• Non-users: those who do not buy category product at all
• Drop-offs: used to buy, but stopped
• Price loyalists: look for the best value, are not loyal to a
brand
• Competitive loyalists: buy the category, but not currently
our brand
• Brand loyalists: loyal to OUR brand
Segmentation -> Target Audience
•Determining segments can then lead to profiles
of consumers, which become your target
audience
• Your target audience is who you want to see
your message
• Trying to target everyone will lead to
unsuccessful outcomes

Segmentation
•Your profile may include all, some, or only
one of the potential segment categories
•Demographic, geographic, psychographic,
and behavioral
Assignments
•Quiz #2 via D2L
•Project proposal via D2L (work on in class)
• Please respond to this thread with your project proposal,
specifically
answering the following questions:
• Who will be your client? Provide a brief description.
• Why is this client relevant to college students?
Nikki McClaran
Week 3: Qualitative Research

Before you begin:
2
McClaran, ADV342, SM19
Many things are due this week! Since we aren’t meeting in
class, you should take this time to make sure everything get’s
done in time.
Remember: Report #1 is due this Sunday before midnight
This is a significant portion of your grade, so please reach out if
you have any questions
2
Refresh: What is Qualitative Research?
3
Research that uses text, images, and audio in order to gain a
deep understanding from individuals’ perspectives.
Mostly for explorative research- you are not trying to test
hypotheses, but gain an in-depth understanding
3
Goal of Qualitative Research
4
To understand why individuals act as they do, rather than gain a
numeric description of what people do and think (quantitative
research)

Finding the nature and motivation of behavior, not the
frequency of attitudes or behaviors
4
When do you need it?
5
Little is currently known about your problem/opportunity
You want to hear your target audience’s perception of you
client using their own words
5
Pros and Cons
6
Pros:
Provides “rich data”
Gives people ability to use their own words
Helps in exploratory research goals
Flexible
Cons:
Requires a lot of time and resources (e.g., man power)
Findings cannot generalize (be said to be reflective) of the
population as a whole
Interpretation of results is subject (and could have error)

6
Qualitative Research Methods
7
Most common qualitative research methods are:
In-depth interviews
Focus groups
Observational research
Content analysis
7
In-Depth Interviews
8
Definition: structured (yet flexible) conversations between a
participant and a trained interviewer
Typically, in-depth interviews:
Last between 30-90 minutes
Are private, face-to-face conversations
Include approximately 5-15 interviews for a single study
8
Focus Groups
9

Definition: structured (yet flexible) conversations between a
group of participants and a trained interviewer (called a
moderator)
Typically, in-depth interviews:
Lasts between 60-120 minutes (varies greatly)
Held in professional, yet comfortable, environment
Groups of 7-12 individuals
9
Focus Groups
10
Typically done when you want to:
Explore reactions to messages/products
Gain collective responses that can build off one another
10
Example Focus Group
11
11

Interview vs. Focus Group?
12
How do you choose whether you need a focus group or conduct
individual interviews?
Typically, focus groups are preferred as they save time being
able to conduct one session with 5 individuals at a time, instead
of 5 separate interviews.
12
Interview vs. Focus Group?
13
HOWEVER, you would want to do interviews if:
Your participants are geographically dispersed (thus, making it
hard to have all your participants meet in a central location)
If your topic is sensitive where people may not feel comfortable
talking about it in a group
You don’t want respondent’s perceptions to be influenced by
others
13
How to conduct focus groups/interviews
14

The procedure for both techniques are the same:
Identify research question
Identify sample inclusion criteria
Create moderator guide (focus group) or interview guide
(interviews)
Select and train moderator/interviewer
Recruit participants
Set up location
Conduct focus group/interview
14
Step 1: Identify RQ(s)
15
Questions to ask yourself:
What are you trying to find from your focus group?
What do you expect to learn?
In answering these questions, you should have at least one
research question to answer from your data
Doing this step also helps you figure out what concepts/topics
need to be on your question guide
15
Step 2: Identify your sample criteria
16

Your participants should be homogeneous, which means, they
should all be similar in some aspect (think back on last week’s
lecture about segmentation- what variable are you focusing on?)
EX: if you are conducting a focus group on Bird scooters, you
could have two focus groups:
The first focus group may consist of all people who have
previously used Birds
The second focus group may consist of all people who have
NOT previously used Bird
The key is that you do not mix these participants into one focus
group
16
Step 3: Create Question Guide
17
This guide is called a moderator guide for focus groups and an
interview guide for in-depth interviews
This the roadmap of conversation.
You should make sure to ask all questions on your guide, but
also be flexible to new avenues of conversation. It’s okay to
deviate from the questions, just make sure it’s still relevant to
your client
17

18
Your questions should be:
Open-ended (no yes/no questions!)
Go from broad to narrow in focus
Short and precise
Be asked one at a time
Not be biased (don’t lead them to answer a certain way, EX:
“Don’t you think that this is true?”)
Use “why” questions sparingly. Instead, try different tactics
such as “Could you elaborate on that?” “What makes your say
that” etc.
18
19
Your questions should be:
Open-ended (no yes/no questions!)
Go from broad to narrow in focus
Short and precise
Be asked one at a time
Not be biased (don’t lead them to answer a certain way, EX:
“Don’t you think that this is true?”)
19

20
In addition to the questions on your guide, the
moderator/interviewer should also ask probing questions.
These are questions meant to have participants elaborate or
clarify their or other’s statements
These should occur naturally/organically, not asked just to ask
20
21
Example probing questions:
Can you tell me more?
Does anyone else view it that way as well?
Does anyone have a different perspective?
Could you phrase what you said another way to help clarify?
Can you elaborate a little on that thought?
DO NOT ask “why?”– people do not give very thorough
responses when just asked “why”
21
Step 4: Train Moderator/Interviewer
22
The moderator/interviewer (M/I) sets the tone and plays a very
important role
Participants should feel comfortable and free to express their

opinions
The moderator should:
Engage in active listening
Be nonjudgmental
Build rapport
22
23
Engage in active listening
Be active in the conversation (ask probing questions)
Shows that you are interested and that their responses are
important
Be nonjudgmental
Always take a neutral stance
Do not let own opinion be known
Do not evaluate other’s opinions (I like that, I agree, I disagree,
etc.)
Body language matters!
Build rapport
Make people feel comfortable talking to you
23
24

Example of good moderator
24
Step 5: Recruit Participants
25
Typically, there are professional participant recruiters that you
would use
Recruiters use screeners (based on sampling criteria) to weed
out people
Incentives are large part of recruitment
Should always incentivize participants
Typically money, but can be other things such as food and
drinks
25
Step 6: Set Up Facility
26
Select a place that is professional yet comfortable
Conference room, library room, etc.
Can be in a naturalistic setting but should be private (no one
should interrupt it)
Set up the room in a way that’s conducive for conversation
Everyone should be able to see each other
There should be name tags

26
Step 7: Conduct Research!
27
You should also record, in some manner, the session. This can
be through audio or visual, but make sure that your participants
know it is happening
You also want to take notes regarding things that can’t be seen
(if not video filming), such as:
Body language
Non-verbals
Participant profiles
27
In case you still feel unclear:
28
28
How to Analyze Qualitative Data
29

There is no single “right” way to analyze data, but there are
guide lines
When analyzing the data
Keep an open mind (don’t just confirm)
Try to understand underlying attitudes and behaviors
Understand more than just the actions/words
View respondent, not individual responses
29
How to Analyze Qualitative Data
30
To ensure you looked through the lecture, please respond to this
survey (to get attendance points)
30
Themes
31
Qualitative data often looks for themes
‘a consistent and recurring idea found either explicitly or
implicitly in the data” p. 179
You find themes by coding the data
Codes are shorthand notes to label, separate, compile, and
organize data

31
For example:
32
Code may then be:
Popular show
Positive view
Not strong opinion
Watches on habit
A response may have been: “You know, The Office is a
television classic, but does it compare to the UK version? I
don’t know… maybe? All I know is that when I get home at
night, it’s the show I automatically put on
32
Synthesize Responses
33
You then want to synthesize the responses (bring them all
together)
Look for what’s being repeated
How are the responses similar
How are the responses different
Are there conflicting themes?

33
34
When reporting, your data should not read like your “raw” data.
It shouldn’t be written like:
“I asked them how they liked The Office. One person said X.
Another person said Z. Two people agreed. A last person said
Y.
34
35
Instead, it should sound more like:
“Overall, it appeared that people had a positive view of the
office. The majority generally viewed it as a popular and well-
loved show that they frequently watched. For example, one
participant said “… when I get home at night, it’s the show I
automatically put on”
Summary your report based on the themes, and then support
those themes with your data.
35

Helpful Documents
36
I have uploaded an example moderator guide and focus group
report from a previous class.
If you choose to do an interview, you would rewrite the
questions to be singular, but consistent in all other aspects
36
This week’s activity
37
Create a thread on the discussion post responding to one of the
following scenarios:
You have been hired to conduct qualitative research for Strange
Matter Coffee, a local coffeehouse in Lansing, MI. They have
hired you because they buying a new building and want insight
on what kind of atmosphere would encourage more business.
You have been hired to conduct qualitative research for Under
Armour. Recently, they’ve noticed that women’s apparel has
been declining in sales. They’ve tasked you with discovering
why this may be the case, and what they can do to regain sales.
37
This week’s activity
38

In your post, include:
Your research question
What qualitative research method you would choose
Who you would recruit
Two example questions that would be in your guide
In addition to your own post, please respond to at least one
other classmate’s post to receive full credit
38
Nikki McClaran
Week 1: Introduction to Course & Research
Busy first day…
• Overview of syllabus and course
• Intro to account planning
• Intro to research
• Research ethics

Syllabus and Group Project
•Posted on D2L
Account Planning
• Early history of account planning
Finance
Traffic
Research
Media
Account Management
Account Planning
CLIENT ACCOUNT MANAGER RESEARCH
Account Manager vs. Researchers?
•Misinterpretation
•Conflict of objectivity

•Satisfying client vs. creative direction
Account Planning
Finance
Traffic
Research
Media
Account Management
Account Planning
“Presents the consumer’s
point of view in the
marketing and advertising
process”
Roles of Account Planning
• Identify potential problems or opportunities
• Analyzing and interpreting past information and reports
• Keeping up-to-date with user trends, views, and attitudes
• Commissioning research
• Analyzing and interpreting research results
• Making presentations to clients and agency staff
• Providing creative strategies (creative brief)

• Evaluating campaign success
Why do we need research?
•Inform
•Design
•Evaluate
•Based on empirical knowledge
Why do we need research?
Different types of knowledge
1. Intuitive:
• Based on emotion, your ”gut,” and instinct
• Ex: “I just knew it was the right decision”
2. Authoritative:
• Based on information from a trusted source
• This can be credible (teachers) or not (friends)
• Ex: “An article I read said…”

Different types of knowledge
3. Logical:
• Also called “rationale logic”
• Based on reasoning or logical assumptions
• Ex: “I smile when I see dogs, so I must like dogs”
4. Empirical:
• Based on demonstrable, objective facts
• Ex: ”We surveyed college students and found a
relationship between sleep and GPA”
Types of Advertising Research
Four main areas:
•The Market
•The Consumer
•The Creative
•The Media
The Market
“What domain are you selling your product in”
•Large issues, such as the current environment
and trends
Example market research:
•Key trends
•Competitive environment

•New technologies
The Consumer
“Who is buying your product?”
Example consumer research questions:
•Who is buying the product?
•Who is using the product?
•What do people think of your product?
The Creative
“How are you going to sell your product?”
Example creative research:
•Determine best strategies
•Measure campaign success
•Maintain legality
The Media
“Where are you distributing your message?”
Example media research:
•How much to spend
•When to broadcast your ads

•What type of media
The Process
MARKET
CONSUMER
CREATIVE
MEDIA
REPORT TACTICS EVALUATION
Problem Definition
Before collecting data,

you need to create a
problem definition
Problem Definition
•States your identified problem and/or
opportunity
•Provides justification for research
•Provides research questions/hypotheses
How do you determine this? Research!
• Typically secondary research
Types of Research
• Primary vs. Secondary
• Primary is further divided into: Quantitative vs.
Qualitative
• How do you know what to choose?
Primary vs. Secondary
•Secondary research: research based on
information you did not plan and collect for
your research aim

•Primary research: research based on
information you did plan and collect for your
research aim
When is Secondary enough?
•If it answers your problem definition,
however this is typically not the case
because the info is either
•Non-existent
•Unreliably/invalid
•Unavailable
Primary vs. Secondary
•All good research begins with secondary
research
•Most good research ends with primary research
• Secondary is often not enough to resolve problem
definition
So, you decide to conduct primary
research…
•Now you have to choose either
quantitative or qualitative data

•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYmL
E8UqCXU
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S2EiPD4-
W0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYmLE8UqCXU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S2EiPD4-W0
Recap:
Qualitative Quantitative
Purpose: Deep understanding from individual’s
perspective, discover ideas
Determining widespread perceptions, test
hypothesis/research questions
Assumes: Dynamic reality Fixed reality
Approach: Observe & interpret (subjective) Measure & test
(objective)
Types of questions: Open-ended Closed-ended
Measures: Text Numbers
Methods: In-depth interviews (IDI), focus groups,
observational, content analysis
Surveys, experiments, observational, content

analysis
Analysis: Thematic analysis Statistical analysis
Sample: Small sample sizes Large sample sizes
If conducting both, which comes first?
•Depends on who you ask
•I personally recommend starting with
qualitative.
• Why?
Your research questions should be in line
with your proposed method
•Quantitative: mostly hypotheses,
sometimes research questions
•Test, support, compare
•Qualitative: research questions only
• Explore, find, understand
When conducting research…
•You must greatly consider research ethics

Research Ethics
Research Ethics
• Due to ethical violations in research (e.g., Stanford
prison experiment), research now subscribes to the
Belmont Report
• This is not law, but it is the ethical standard enforced in
most disciplines
Research Ethics
Belmont Report has 3 principles:
• Respect for persons
• Autonomy: should be able to make informed consent
• Beneficence
• Maximize possible benefits and minimize harms
• Nonmaleficence: do no harm
• Justice

• No systematic disadvantages to people
In Class Exercise: Is this ethical?
You’ve been asked to conduct an anonymous survey to
determine how people feel about
your client, but you also want to impress your boss with a new
advertising strategy. The
software you use tracks the responses… you come up with the
idea that you could target
the people who have a favorable opinion of your client with
future advertisements.
You’re conducting a focus group, and a person says something
that you really, really
disagree with. You can tell other people also don’t agree, so you
ask them their opinion
on the statement. You choose not to state your own beliefs.
You need to conduct a focus group that will likely last an hour,
but you know that’s
probably too long of a time to get people to actually do it. One
option is to tell people it’s
only suppose to last 30 minutes… People could leave if they
want, but maybe some will
go ahead and stick around
Assignments
•Quiz #1 via D2L
•Intro slideshow due via D2L

•Both due Sunday before midnight

Account Planning & ResearchNikki McClaranWeek 5 Creativ.docx

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