What is Marketing Research?
The marketing concept says that marketing managers should meet
the needs of consumers. Yet today, many marketing managers are iso-
lated in company offices – far from potential customers. It is just not
possible for managers to keep up with all of the changes taking place in
their markets.
This means marketing managers have to rely on help from marketing
research – procedures to develop and analyze new information to help
marketing managers make decisions. One of the important jobs of a mar-
keting researcher is to get the “facts” that are not currently available in the
MIS (marketing information system).
Continued improvements in research methods are making marketing
research information more dependable. This has encouraged firms to put
more money and trust in research. Managers in some consumer product
companies don’t make any major decisions without the support – and
150 
sometimes even the official approval – of the marketing research depart-
ment. As a result, some marketing research directors rise to high levels
in the organization.
Most large companies have a separate marketing research department
to plan and carry out research projects. These departments often use
outside specialists – including interviewing and tabulating services – to
handle technical assignments.
Small companies usually don’t have separate marketing research de-
partments. They often depend on their salespeople or managers to con-
duct what research they do.
The basic reason for doing marketing research is to get information
that people can trust in making decisions.
Good marketing research requires much more than just technical
tools. It requires cooperation between researchers and marketing mana-
gers. Good marketing researchers must keep both marketing research and
marketing management in mind to be sure their research focuses on real
problems.
Marketing managers must be involved in marketing research too.
Many marketing research details can be handled by company or out-
side experts. But marketing managers must be able to explain what their
problems are – and what kind of information they need. They should be
able to communicate with specialists in the specialists’ language. Mar-
keting managers may only be “consumers” of research. But they should
be informed consumers – able to explain exactly what they want from
the research. They should also know about some of the basic decisions
made during the research process so they know the limitations of the
findings.
The marketing research process is a five-step application of the sci-
entific method that includes:
1. Defining the problem.
2. Analyzing the situation.
3. Getting problem-specific data.
4. Interpreting the data.
5. Solving the problem.
Defining the problem is the most important – and often the most dif-
ficult – step in the marketing research process. Sometimes it takes over
half the total time spent on a research project. But it’s time well spent if
the objectives of the research are clearly defined. The best research job
on the wrong problem is wasted effort.
When the marketing manager thinks the real problem has begun to
surface, a situation analysis is useful. A situation analysis is an informal
study of what information is already available in the problem area. It can
help define the problem and specify what additional information – if any
is needed.
The situation analysis usually involves informal talks with informed
people. Informed people can be others in the firm, a few good middle-
men who have close contact with customers, or others knowledgeable
about the industry. In industrial markets – where the relations with cus-
tomers are close – researchers may even call the customers themselves.
Their inputs can help to sharpen the problem definition too.
The next step is to plan a formal research project to gather primary
data. There are different methods for collecting primary data. Which ap-
proach to use depends on the nature of the problem and how much time
and money are available.
In most primary data collection, the researcher tries to learn what cus-
tomers think about some topic – or how they behave under some condi-
tions. There are two basic methods of obtaining information about cus-
tomers: questioning and observing. Questioning can range from qualita-
tive to quantitative research. And many kinds of observing is possible.
It’s usually impossible for marketing managers to collect all the infor-
mation they want about everyone in a population – the total group they
are interested in. Marketing researchers typically study only a sample, a
part of the relevant population. How well a sample represents the total
population affects the results. Results from a sample that is not represen-
tative may not give a true picture.
In the problem-solution step, managers use the research results to
make marketing decisions. Some researchers – and some managers –
are fascinated by the interesting tidbits of information that come from
the research process. They are excited if the research reveals something
they didn’t know before. But if research doesn’t have action implica-
tions, it has little value -- and suggests poor planning by the researcher
and the manager.
When the research process is finished, the marketing manager should
be able to apply the findings in marketing strategy planning – the choice
of a target market or the mix of the four Ps. If the research doesn’t pro-
vide information to help guide these decisions, the company has wasted
research time and money.
This step is very important because it is the reason for and logical
conclusion to the whole research process. This final step must be antici-
pated at each of the earlier steps.
Use the above text and say which statements are false and which are
true. Correct the false ones.
1. It is possible for managers to keep up with all the changes taking
place in their markets.
2. Managers in some consumer product companies make any major
decisions without the support of the marketing research department.
3. The basic reason for doing marketing research is to get information
that people can trust in making decision.
4. Many marketing research details can be handled by company or
outside experts.
5. Defining the problem is the most important – and often the easi-
est – step in the marketing research process.
6. The situation analysis usually involves informal talks with consumers.
7. There are two basic methods of obtaining information about cus-
tomers: questioning and observing.
8. Marketing researchers typically study only a sample, a part of the
relevant population.
9. In the situation analysis step, managers use the research results to
make marketing decisions.
10. When the research process is finished, the marketing manager
should be able to apply the findings in the marketing strategy planning.
Text 4
Read the text and get ready to define all the variables in the marketing mix: Product,
Price, Promotion, Place. Give some examples of product decisions marketing managers
make: Place decisions. Promotion decisions. Price decisions.
Date: 2015-12-13; view: 719; Нарушение авторских прав Понравилась страница? Лайкни для друзей: |
|
|