Marketing Research Kit for Dummies

Design surveys and questionnaires. Identify, obtain, record, and analyze marketing data. Improve existing products and services.

Marketing Research: Learn It, Live It, Love It

Seeing What Marketing Research Can Do for You

What Is Marketing Research?

Comparing Marketing Research to Marketing Information Systems

Using Research for Problem Identifi cation and Problem Solving

Looking at problem-identifi cation research

Becoming familiar with problem-solving research

The Most Appropriate Research at Each Stage of the Product Life Cycle

Making the Big Decision to Do (Or Not to Do) Marketing Research

When you should do marketing research

When you shouldn’t do marketing research

 

Following the Stages of the Marketing Research Process

Working Your Way through the Stages of Research

Stage 1: Identifying the problem

Stage 2: Designing the study

Stage 3: Selecting a sample

Stage 4: Gathering the data

Stage 5: Analyzing the results

Stage 6: Communicating the fi ndings and their implications

Anticipating Outcomes

 

Surveying the Types of Research You May Do

Recognizing the Difference between Basic and Applied Research

Basic: The research you probably don’t care about

Applied: The research you want to do

Exploratory, Descriptive, and Causal Research: Picking Your Approach

Getting started: Exploratory research

Describing your market environment: Descriptive research

Identifying relationships: Causal research

Comparing Longitudinal Research and Cross-Sectional Research

 

Believing In Marketing Research Ethics

A Solid, To-the-Point Ethics Checklist

Keeping in Mind a Researcher’s Obligation to Respondents

Obtaining informed consent

Avoiding deception

Respecting respondent privacy

Avoiding Abuse of Research Clients

Making sure proprietary stuff stays proprietary

Conducting unnecessary research

Performing wrong or irrelevant research

Ignoring errors in ongoing studies

Using unwarranted shortcuts

Recognizing Clients’ Obligations to Researchers

Remembering Clients’ Obligations to Respondents

Recalling that Respondents Have Obligations, Too!

 

Working with Independent Marketing Researchers

Making the Choice to Solicit Outside Expertise

Sources of Inexpensive Research Help

College and university students

College and university research centers

College and university faculty

Small local firms

Qualities to Look for in a Researche

Helpful throughout the process

Proper communication and analytical skills

A focus on partnership

High professional standards

 

Part II: Surveys: A Great Way to Research

Different Types of Surveys You May Use

Conducting Face-to-Face Interviews

Examining the general face-to-face setup

Performing intercept interviews

Conducting Telephone Surveys

Reviewing the contemporary methods for conducting phone interviews 

Reviewing the pros and cons

Noting the problems with telephone directories

Categorizing Self-Administered, Paper-and-Pencil Surveys

Mail surveys

Administered surveys

Publication insert and fax surveys

Opting for Self-Administered, Electronic Surveys

Browser-based surveys

E-mail-based surveys

Interactive kiosks

Internet samples

Logging Behaviors with Diary Panels

Strengths and weaknesses of diary panels

Questions answerable with diary panel data

A sample diary page

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Data-Collection Method

Understanding the Problems with Commercial Lists

 

Recognizing Errors in Survey Research

Respondent-Centric Survey Errors: Reviewing the Components

Random sampling error

Systematic error

Understanding why respondents provide inaccurate information

Tackling Nonresponse Error

Understanding the reasons people become nonrespondents

Encouraging respondent cooperation

Minimizing error by boosting your response rates

Managing Administrative Error

Interviewer cheating

Data processing errors

Looking at Reliability, Validity, Generalizability, and Sensitivity

Recognizing the difference between reliability and validity

Determining reliability and validity

Minimizing variation in responses

Testing for reliability and validity

Valuing study generalizability

Valuing measurement sensitivity

 

Asking People about Their Attitudes

What’s an Attitude?

Recognizing and Using the Three Attitude Components

Reviewing the Classic Hierarchy-of-Effects Model

Developing Sound Attitude Measures

Understanding the importance of theory in measuring attitudes

Identifying your conceptual and operational defi nitions

Becoming Familiar with the Attitude Measurement Process

Strongly Recommended: The Popular Likert Scale

Constructing Likert scales

Structuring Likert-type scales

Semantic Differential (SD) Scales

Reviewing the limitations of SD scales

Limitations of profi le analysis

 

Writing Good Questions.

Comparing Open-Ended and Close-Ended Questions

Looking at open-ended questions

Explaining close-ended questions

Writing Good Questions

Only write questions that address your research problem

Write clear and precise questions

Include only mutually exclusive and exhaustive responses

Use natural and familiar language

Avoid leading questions

Ask one question at a time

Soften the impact of potentially objectionable questions

Generating Reliable and Valid Answers

Consider memory effects

Don’t ask respondents to make unnecessary calculations

Steer clear of impossibly specifi c questions

Control for order bias 

Always provide equal comparisons

State both sides of an attitude scale in question stems (lead lines)

Ask questions as complete sentences

istinguish undecided responses from neutral ones

Formatting a Purchase Intent Scale

Designing Effective Graphic Rating Scales

Working with Comparative Scales

Ranking scales

Paired-comparison scales

Constant-sum scales

Q-sort

Dollar-metric scale

 

Designing Good Questionnaires

What’s in a Good Questionnaire?

Finding qualifi ed respondents with screeners and fi lter questions

Familiarizing yourself with skip patterns

Organizing your questions

Providing clear instructions

Creating an effective layout

Formatting consistently to guide respondents through your questionnaire

Choosing simple answer formats

Reviewing Guidelines for Cover Letters

Using Browser-Based Questionnaires

Understanding the advantages of browser-based questionnaires

Visualizing browser-based questionnaires

Reviewing some common on-screen display options

Creating an Internet survey

Pretesting: Ensuring Your Questionnaire Is a Good One

 

Deciding on a Sample Type

Introducing Basic Sampling Terms

Getting Familiar with Nonprobability and Probability Samples

Examining the different types of nonprobability samples

Describing the different types of probability samples

Balancing probability samples

electing a Sample: The Eight Steps

Choosing either a probability or nonprobability sample

Defi ning your target population

Selecting your sample frame

Identifying sample units

Planning the procedure for selecting sample units

Collecting Samples for Online Research

 

Selecting a Sample Size

Examining the Relationship between Sample Size and Random Sampling Error

Practical Criteria for Determining the Size of a Probability Sample

Approaches for Determining Sample Size

Using Sample Size Formulas and Calculators

 

More Methods to Meet Your Needs

Secondary Data: What Is It and How Do You Use It?

Understanding Uses for Secondary Data

Using secondary data for fact-fi nding

Regression-type model building

Recognizing Internal Secondary Data 

Looking at the advantages 

Noticing the disadvantages 

Improving Effi ciency with External Secondary Data

Examining sources

Noting the advantages

Staying mindful of the disadvantages

Evaluating External Secondary Data

Asking the right questions

Assessing Web sites

Being leery of non-U.S. secondary data

Taking care with percentages and index numbers

 

Using In-Depth Interviews and Focus Groups.

Seeing How Qualitative Methods Can Help You

Conducting In-Depth Interviews

Describing two types of in-depth interviews

Seeing how in-depth interviews should be conducted

Carrying Out Focus Group Interviews

Characterizing focus group interviews

Reviewing the advantages of focus groups over in-depth interviews

Knowing what to include in a recruitment screener

Acting as a focus group moderator

Planning and executing your focus group

Classifying online focus groups

 

Projective Techniques and Observational Methods

Putting Projective Techniques to Work

Exploring the thematic apperception test

Using word association

Understanding attitudes with sentence completion

Assessing participants’ ideas with third-person role-playing

Scrutinizing Behavior with Observational Methods

Classifying observation research

Weighing the pros and cons of observation

Explaining the types of observation

Chapter 16: Conducting Experiments and Test Marketing

Discovering a Proper Approach to Experiment Basics

Establishing causal relationships .

Understanding design fundamentals

Controlling for extraneous variation .

Understanding the differences between laboratory and fi eld experiments

Examining internal validity and its threats

Simple Experiments for You to Consider

Entrepreneur examples

Professional examples

Retailer examples.

Restaurateur examples

Getting a Handle on Test Marketing

Traditional test markets

Simulated test markets.

Controlled test markets

Virtual test markets

 

Collecting, Analyzing, and Reporting Your Data

Collecting and Preparing Your Data

Determining Who Conducts Fieldwork

Using professional fi eldworkers

Monitoring in-house fi eldwork

Taking Care of Data Preparation and Entry

Knowing the basic terms

Beginning with pre-entry preparation

Coding your responses

Creating and cleaning data fi les

Controlling missing responses

Tools for Analyzing Your Data

Working with Descriptive Analysis

Summarizing data with tabulation

Measuring central tendency

Increasing understanding with measures of dispersion

Computing deviation scores

Making Your Data More Useable

Converting with data transformation

Knowing when to recode your data

Considering More Than One Variable: Cross-Tabulation and Banner Tables

Examining the basics of cross-tabulation

Interpreting cross-tabulation tables

Running a chi-square (χ2) test on a cross-tabulation table

Exploring the effect of moderator variables

Avoiding banner tables

Becoming Familiar with Correlation

Understanding the difference between correlation and causation 

Associating between measures with the correlation coeffi cient (rxy)

Setting up a correlation matrix

 

Creating Effective Research Reports

Understanding the Objectives of a Research Report

Crafting Your Research Report

Introducing your research with the prefatory parts

Using the main body to explain your research 

Presenting supplemental information in appendixes

Exploring the Writing Process

Steps to a winning report

Do’s and don’ts of report writing

Preparing Your Presentation

Charts and Graphs: Depicting Your Data

Cutting your info into slices: Pie charts

Showing changes in variables with bar charts

Comparing relationships over time: Multi-line graphs

Plotting many data points with scatterplots

Applying area graphs when bar charts aren’t enough

Depicting data with box and whisker plots

 

Part V: The Part of Tens

Ten Useful Research Tips for Business Operators.

Look to University Help First

Take a Statistics or Research Class

View Research as an Ongoing Process

Avoid Research Method Myopia

Start Researching Only After You Know What You Want to Know

Don’t Ignore Opportunity Costs

Pretest Everything 

Study Your Customers Thoroughly

Make Incentives a Part of Your Research

Share Research Results with Employees

 

Ten Statistical Methods that You (or Your Research Consultant) May Use

Independent Samples T-Test

Paired Samples T-Test

One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) 

Linear Multiple Regression (LMR)

Conjoint Analysis

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA)

Multidimensional Scaling (MDS)

Cluster Analysis

Discriminant Analysis

Logistic Regression