Marketing Research

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marketing concept

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a business philosophy based on consumer orientation, goal orientation, and systems orientation.

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consumer orientation

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the identification of and focus on the people or firms most likely to buy a product and the production of a good or service that will meet their needs most effectively.

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goal orientation

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a focus on the accomplishment of corporate goals; a limit set on consumer orientation.

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system orientation

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the creation of systems to monitor the external environment and deliver the desired marketing mix to the target market.

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marketing mix

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the unique blend of product/service, pricing, promotion, and distribution strategies designed to meet the needs of a specific target market.

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marketing research

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the planning, collection, and analysis of data relevant to marketing decision making and the communication of the results of this analysis to management.

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descriptive function

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the gathering and presentation of statements of fact.

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diagnostic function

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the explanation of data or actions.

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predictive function

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specification of how to use descriptive and diagnostic research to predict the results of a planned marketing decision.

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return on quality

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a management objective based on the principles that (1) the quality being delivered is at a level desired by the target market and (2) that level of quality must have a positive impact on profitability.

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marketing strategy

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a plan to guide the long-term use of a firm's resources based on it existing and projected internal capabilities and on projected changes in the external environment.

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applied research

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research aimed at solving a specific, pragmatic problem-such as better understanding of the marketplace, determination of why a strategy or tactic failed, or reduction of uncertainty in management decision making.

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basic, or pure, research

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research aimed at expanding the frontiers of knowledge rather than solving a specific, pragmatic problem.

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programmatic research

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research conducted to develop marketing options through market segmentation, market opportunity analyses, or consumer attitude and product usage studies.

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selective research

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research used to test decision alternatives.

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evaluative research

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research done to assess program performance.

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opportunity identification

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using marketing research to find and evaluate new opportunities.

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situation analysis

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studying the decision making environment within which marketing research will take place.

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exploratory research

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preliminary research conducted to increase understanding of a concept, to clarify the exact nature of the problem to be solved, or to identify important variables to be studied.

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pilot studies

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surveys using a limited number of respondents and often employing less rigorous sampling techniques than are employed in large, quantitative studies.

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experience surveys

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discussions with knowledgeable individuals, both inside and outside an organization, who may provide insights into the problem.

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case analysis

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reviewing information from situations that are similar to the current one.

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marketing research problem

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a statement specifying the type of information needed by the decision maker to help solve the management decision problem and how that information can be obtained efficiently and effectively.

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marketing research objective

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a goal statement, defining the specific information needed to solve the marketing research problem.

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management decision problem

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a statement specifying the type of managerial action required to solve the problem.

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hypothesis

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a conjectural statement about a relationship between two or more variables that can be tested with empirical data.

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research design

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the plan to be followed to answer the marketing research objectives.

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descriptive studies

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research studies that answer the questions who, what, when, where, and how.

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variable

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a symbol or concept expected to be explained or influenced by the independent variable.

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independent variable

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a symbol or concept over which the researcher has some control and that is hypothesized to cause or influence the dependent variable.

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temporal sequence

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an appropriate causal order of events.

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concomitant variation

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the degree to which a presumed cause and a presumed effect occur or vary together.

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spurious association

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a relationship between a presumed cause and a presumed effect that occurs as a result of an unexamined variable or set of variables.

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survey research

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research in which an interviewer (except in mail and internet surveys) interacts with respondents to obtain facts, opinions, and attitudes.

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observation research

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typically, descriptive research that monitors respondents' actions without direct interaction.

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experiments

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research to measure causality, in which the researcher changes one or more independent variables and observes the effect of the changes on the dependent variable.

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probability sample

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a subset of a population where every element in the population has a know nonzero chance of being selected.

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nonprobability sample

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a subset of a population in which the chances of selection for the various elements in the population are unknown.

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research request

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an internal document used by large organizations that describes a potential research project, its benefits to the organization, and estimated costs; it must be formally approved before a research project can begin.

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request for proposal

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a solicitation sent to marketing research suppliers inviting them to submit a formal proposal, including a bid.

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research proposal

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a document developed, usually in response to an RFP, that states the research objectives, research design, timeline, and cost.

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secondary data

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data that have been previously gathered.

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primary data

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new data gathered to help solve the problem under investigation.

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internal database

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a collection of related information developed from data within the organization.

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database marketing

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marketing that relies on the creation of a large computerized file of customers' and potential customers' profiles and purchase patterns to create a targeted marketing mix.

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neural network

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a computer program that mimics the processes of the human brain and thus is capable of learning from examples to find pattern in data.

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data mining

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the use of statistical and other advanced software to discover nonobvious patterns hidden in a database.

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behavioral targeting

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the use of online and offline data to understand a consumer's habits, demographics, and social networks in order to increase the effectiveness of online advertising.

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marketing research aggregator

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a company that acquires, catalogs, reformats, segments, and resells reports already published by large and small marketing research firms.

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decision support system

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an interactive, personalized information management system, designed to be initiated and controlled by individual decision makers.

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qualitative research

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research whose findings are not subject to quantification or quantitative analysis.

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quantitative research

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research that uses mathematical analysis

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focus group

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a group of 8 to 12 people who are led by a moderator in an in-depth discussion on one particular topic or concept.

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group dynamics

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interaction among people in a group.

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focus group facility

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a research facility consisting of a conference room or living room setting and a separate observation room with a one-way mirror or live audio-visual feed.

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focus group moderator

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a person hired by a client to lead the focus group; this person should have a background in psychology or sociology or, at least, marketing.

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discussion guide

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a written outline of topics to be covered during a focus group discussion.

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instant analysis

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moderator debriefing, offering a forum for brainstorming by the moderator and client observers.

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individual depth interviews

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one-on-one interviews that probe and elicit detailed answers to questions, often using nondirective techniques to uncover hidden motivations.

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hermeneutic research

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research that focuses on interpretation through conversations.

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delphi method

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rounds of individual data collection from knowledgeable people. Results are summarized and returned to the participants for further refinement.

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projective test

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a technique for tapping respondents' deepest feeling by having them project those feelings into an unstructured situation.

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word association test

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projective test in which the interviewer says a word and the respondent must mention the first thing that comes to mind.

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analogy

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comparison of two items based on similarities.

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personification

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drawing a comparison between a product and a person.

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sentence and story completion test

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a projective test in which respondents complete sentences or stories in their own words.

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cartoon test

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a projective test in which the respondent fills in the dialogue of one of two characters in a cartoon.

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photo sort

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a projective technique in which a respondent sorts photos of different types of people, identifying those people who she or he feels would use the specified product or service.

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consumer drawings

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a projective technique in which respondents draw what they are feeling or how they perceive an object.

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storytelling

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a projective technique in which respondents are required to tell stories about their experiences, with a company or product, for example; also known as the metaphor technique.

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third-person technique

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a projective technique in which the interviewer learns about respondents' feelings by asking them to answer for a third party, such as "your neighbor" or "most people".

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random error, or random sampling error

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error that results from chance variation.

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chance variation

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difference between the sample value and the true value of the population mean.

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systematic error, or bias

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error that results from problems or flaws in the execution of the research design; sometimes called non-sampling error.

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sample design error

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systematic error that results from an error in the sample design or sampling procedures.

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sampling frame

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list of population elements or members from which units to be sampled are selected.

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frame error

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error resulting from an inaccurate or incomplete sampling frame.

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population specification error

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error that results from incorrectly defining the population or universe from which a sample is chosen.

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selection error

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error that results from incomplete or improper sample selection procedures or not following appropriate procedures.

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measurement error

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systematic error that results from a variation between the information being sought and what is actually obtained by the measurement process.

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surrogate information error

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error that results from a discrepancy between the information needed to solve a problem and that sought by the researcher.

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interviewer error, or interviewer bias

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error that results from the interviewer's influencing-consciously or unconsciously-the respondent.

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measurement instrument bias

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error that results from the design of the questionnaire or measurement instrument; also known as questionnaire bias.

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processing error

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error that results from the incorrect transfer of information from a survey document to a computer.

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nonresponse bias

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error that results from a systematic difference between those who do and those who do not respond to a measurement instrument.

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refusal rate

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the percentage of persons contacted who refused to participate in a survey.

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response bias

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error that results from the tendency of people to answer a question incorrectly through either deliberate falsification or unconscious misrepresentation.

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door-to-door interviews

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interviews conducted face to face with consumers in their homes.

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executive interviews

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the industrial equivalent of door to door interviewing.

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mall-intercept interviews

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interviews conducted by intercepting mall shoppers (or shoppers in other high-traffic locations) and interviewing them face-to-face.

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call center telephone interviews

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interviews conducted by calling respondents from a centrally located marketing research facility.

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computer-assisted telephone interviews

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call center telephone interviews in which interviewers enter respondents' answers directly into a computer.

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self-administered questionnaires

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questionnaires filled out by respondents with no interviewer present.

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ad hoc mail surveys

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questionnaires sent to selected names and addresses without prior contact by the researcher; sometimes called one-shot mail surveys.

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mail panels

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precontacted and prescreened participants who are periodically sent questionnaires.

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longitudinal study

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a study in which the same respondents are resampled over time.