Book: Social Marketing Philip Kotler & Nancy Lee Summary of Ch 4, for Ahram Canadian University, Faculty of Mass Com.

1. Social Marketing
Research Needs & Options
Dr. Samir Al-Alfy
Senior Communication Advisor
JHU/CCP
March 2010
samiralfy@yahoo.com

2. Research Needs & Options
“Research is the foundation for the design and
implementation of effective social marketing
programs, but that isn’t enough. You must check in
the target audience to monitor changes in
perception and behavior over time. Customers are
not static or formulaic. Their knowledge, attitudees,
and behavior are susceptible to change over time
and marketing programs must evolve with them.”
(Gregory R. Niblett, AED Director)

3. Research Needs & Options
Marketing Research:
Is the systematic design, collection, analysis, and
reporting of data and findings relevant to a specific
marketing situation facing the organization.

4. STEPS OF SOCIAL MARKETING PLAN
Marketing Research

5. Research Needs & Options
Characters of research
• Research Objectives
• Planning Process
• Source of Information
• Collecting Primary Data
• Technique

6. Research Needs & Options
Research Objectives
• Exploratory: define problems & suggest hypotheses
• Descriptive: understand problems, situation, or markets
• Causal: cause-and-effect relationships

7. Research Needs & Options
Planning Process
• Formative: select target markets & marketing mix strategy.
Qualitative OR Quantitative Primary OR Secondary data
• Pretest: evaluate short list of alternative strategies and
tactics. Pretest marketing mix strategies (qualitative)
• Monitoring: ongoing measurement of program outputs & outcomes
• Evaluation: to measure campaign effort (single final assessment,
compare with baseline study)

8. Research Needs & Options
Source of information
• Secondary data: information that already exists
somewhere, in the agency prior to the campaign, or
researches conducted by someone else (peers &
colleagues) in similar organizations.
• Primary data: information collected for the specific
purpose for the first time.

9. Research Needs & Options
Collecting Primary Data
1. Key Informant interviews: with decision makers,
community leaders, technical experts, .. (questionnaire)
2. Focus Group: information about thoughts, feelings,
recommendations (qualitative). (table 4.2)
3. Surveys: mail, telephone, online, intercept, self
administered surveys (knowledge, attitudes,
preferences, behaviors). (qualitative)
- Sampling unit: who is to be surveyed?
- Sample size: how many people should be surveyed?
- Sampling procedure: how the people will be chosen?

10. Research Needs & Options
Collecting Primary Data
4. Experimental: measure cause-and-effect relationships,
matched groups, expose to alternative marketing strategies,
controlling related factors, differences in group responses (Pilot).
5. Observation: observe relevant people, actions, situations
6. Ethnographic: observation and face-to-face interviews
7. Mystery Shoppers: pose as customers & report on storage
or weak points experienced in the buying process.

11. Research Needs & Options
Technique
‫اﻟﺒﺤﻮث اﻟﻜﯿﻔﯿﺔ‬
• Qualitative: measure current knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors of target markets.
• Focus groups discussion (FGD)
• Personal interviews
• Observation
• Ethnographic studies
‫اﻟﺒﺤﻮث اﻟﻜﻤﯿﺔ‬
• Quantitative:

12. Research Needs & Options
Technique
‫اﻟﺒﺤﻮث اﻟﻜﻤﯿﺔ‬
• Quantitative: to reliably profile markets, predict cause and effect,
and project findings.
Characters of quantitative surveys:
• Large sample sizes
• Rigorous sampling procedures
• Controlled & organized environment

13. Research Needs & Options
• Quantitative:
4 belief variables affecting behavior change:
• Perceived susceptibility
• Perceived severity
• Perceived response efficacy
• Perceived self-efficacy
(examine the psychological, social, cultural,
and structural bases of these beliefs)

14. Steps in Developing Research Plan
1. Purpose
2. Informational objectives
3. Audience
4. Technique
5. Sample size, source, and selection
6. Pretest and fielding
7. Analysis
8. Report