SEM1 2.06 A – Marketing Information

Management

PE - Understand data-collection methods

PI – Explain sources of primary SEM information

Review – Primary & Secondary MIM

Primary Data: Data obtained for the first time. Used by the researcher Used for a specific study or issue

Secondary Data: Data that has already been collected. Collected by someone else Used by many different researchers

Companies should check secondary data first Use Primary data for more specific research

Primary Data Collection Types

Survey MethodsObservation MethodsExperimental Methods

Primary Data: Surveys

•Info gathered through questionnaires and interviews.

•Info gathered from those who used or experienced a product.

•Provides direct feedback.

•Samples: survey only a portion of the entire group•Difficult to survey everyone involved

Types of Surveys Personal interview – questioning people face-

to-face. Adv: People are likely to respond. Disadv: Costly

Focus groups: small group of people who are brought together to evaluate a product. directed by a skilled moderator

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcj7QT0Abk8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv-GSv9aZgo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFMCTbl1ZoQ

Types of Surveys

Telephone Survey: Adv: relatively inexpensive. Disadv: people are unwilling to participate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRh1CMC3OVw

Mail Survey: Adv: Respondents are generally honest Disadv: return rate for mail surveys is less

than 10%.

Internet Survey: Adv: Many Varieties, inexpensive, privacy Disadv: Many people ignore

Primary Data:Observation

The actions of people are watched and recorded either by cameras or observers.

Adv: Monitor Consumer or Group ReactionsDisadv: Are people being honest?

Mystery shopper – a researcher who poses as a customer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfdW6mgBEG0

Focus groups are often observed from a window

Primary Data:Experimental

Observe the results of: changing one or more marketing variables keeping other variables constant

Often used to test new package designs, media usage, and new promotions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NK_jGglELI

Adv: Honest and natural reactionsDisadv: difficult to interpret data

The Survey

Why? Use data to make marketing decisions. Survey must provide the necessary

information to assist in the decision-making process.

Survey must have: Reliability – identical results in repeated

trials.  Validity- when the questions measure what

was intended to be measured

Surveys:Types of questions

Open-ended: Respondents give an opinion and an

explanation

Ex: “How can we serve you better?”

Forced-choice questions ask respondents to choose answers from possibilities given. Simple to write. Easy to tabulate.

Ex: “Which color do you like more: Red, Blue, or Green?”

Forced-choice Yes/No Questions: Only gives two options

Multiple-choice Questions: Several choices include many possible responses Usually includes an “other” option.

Rating Scale Questions: very satisfied to very dissatisfied excellent to poor

Level of Agreement Questions: Assess attitudes or opinions.

Ex: strongly agree (SA), agree (A), neutral (N), disagree (D), and strongly disagree (SD).

Guidelines for writing questions:

Written clearly Brief as possible No leading questions (suggest a correct

answer) Avoid bias Avoid questions that might cause a

respondent to guess at the meaning of your question.

Pretest – allows for correction of any misleading questions, directions, or problems

Formatting Surveys Visual appearance/Design appeal to

respondents. Use dark ink on light paper (Contrast) Use type that is easy to read Shade sections for contrast Use arrows to lead the reader Use section headers Directions for completion must be clear Use a variety of question types) Group demographic questions at the end.