MAN305 Research Methods for

Business and Economics

Asst. Prof. Bengi Kurtuluş

E-mail:
[Link]@[Link]
Marketing Research

!
Marketing research is the systematic and objective
• identification,
• collection,
• analysis,
• dissemination, and
• use of information

for the purpose of improving decision making related to the

• identification and
• solution of problems and opportunities in marketing
 The Role of Marketing Research in Marketing

Uncontrollable Customer Groups

Environmental • Consumers Controllable
Factors • Employees Marketing
•Economy • Channel Members Variables
•Technology • Suppliers
•Competition • Product
•Laws and • Pricing
Regulation • Promotion
•Social and • Distribution
Cultural Factors
•Political Factors Marketing
Research

Assessing Providing
Marketing
Information Decision Making
Information
Needs

Marketing Managers
• Market Segmentation • Marketing Programs
• Target Market Selection • Performance and Control

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 Basic Steps of Marketing Research
Identification of Identifying and
Information Solving Marketing
Needed
Problems

Collection of
Data

Analysis of
Data

Dissemination of
Information

Use of
Information
 Marketing
Research
Problem- Problem-
Identification Solving
Research Research

• Market Potential Research • Segmentation Research

• Market Share Research • Product Research
• Image Research
• Market Characteristics • Pricing Research
Research • Promotion Research
• Forecasting Research
• Business Trends Research • Distribution Research
Problem-Solving Research
SEGMENTATION RESEARCH PRODUCT RESEARCH

• Determine the basis of segmentation • Test concept

• Establish market potential and • Determine optimal product design
responsiveness for various • Package tests
segments
• Product modification
• Select target markets
• Brand positioning and repositioning
• Create lifestyle profiles: demography,
media, and product image characteristics • Test marketing

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Problem-Solving Research (Cont.)
PRICING RESEARCH PROMOTIONAL RESEARCH

• Pricing policies • Optimal promotional budget

• Importance of price in brand selection • Sales promotion relationship
• Product line pricing • Optimal promotional mix
• Price elasticity of demand • Copy decisions
• Initiating and responding to price change • Media decisions
• Creative advertising testing
• Evaluation of advertising effectiveness

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Problem-Solving Research (Cont.)
DISTRIBUTION RESEARCH
Determines…
• Types of distribution
• Attitudes of channel members
• Intensity of wholesale & resale coverage
• Channel margins
• Location of retail and wholesale outlets

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Figure 1.4 The Marketing Research Process
Step 1: Defining the Problem

Step 2: Developing an Approach to the Problem

Step 3: Formulating a Research Design

Step 4: Doing Field Work or Collecting Data

Step 5: Preparing and Analyzing Data

Step 6: Preparing and Presenting the Report

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Marketing Research & Social Media
• All social media share certain common characteristics that make them very
relevant as a domain for conducting marketing research.
• Social media are marked by user-generated content.
• Users are able to rate, rank, comment on, review and respond to the new
world of media.
• People form online communities by combining one-to-one (e.g. email and
instant messaging), one-to-many (web pages and blogs) and many-to-many
(wikis) communication modes.
• Social communities open up new avenues for understanding, explaining,
influencing and predicting the behaviors of consumers in the
marketplace.

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Marketing Research & Social Media (Cont.)
Limitations of Social Media
 While the standard for objectivity is high for journalists, expectations about
objectivity among bloggers and other social media users are lower.
 Social media users may not be representative of the target population in many
marketing research applications.
 Social media as a source of samples suffers from at least two biases: from self-
selection and from advocacy.
 Yet, as long as these limitations are understood, insights from social media analysis
can uncover useful information that can inform marketing decisions.

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Marketing Research & Social Media (Cont.)
Social Media Summary
 We advocate the use of social media as an additional domain in which to conduct
marketing research to supplement and complement, but not to replace, the
traditional ways in which research is conducted.
 Social media research services: Nielsen ([Link]), Cymfony
([Link]), Attensity ([Link]), BrandsEye
([Link]).

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Ethics in Marketing Research
• Marketing research activities affect four stakeholders: (1) the marketing
researcher, (2) the client, (3) the respondent, and (4) the public.
• Ethical issues arise when conflict occurs between these stakeholders (Figure
1.11) and this can happen at each step of the marketing research process.
• In the face of conflict, the behavior of the stakeholders should be guided by
codes of ethics.
• Several organizations, including the Marketing Research Association (MRA)
and the American Marketing Association (AMA), provide codes in the area of
ethical research behavior.

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 Stakeholders in Marketing Research: An Ethical Perspective

Client

Marketing
Public
Researcher

Respondents

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