OneBlog (tm) / One Blog Opinion + Analysis

Quantitative Marketing Research

Quantitative marketing research is a social research method that utilizes statistical techniques. It typically involves the construction of questionnaires and scales. Large numbers of people are contacted, usually in a survey. Marketers use the information so obtained to craft strategies and marketing plans.
Scope and requirements

If quantitative marketing research is carried out correctly, both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques can be used to analyse data and draw conclusions. It involves a large number of respondents, tests of a specific hypothesis, and the use of random sampling techniques to enable inference from the sample to the population.

General Procedure

1. Problem audit and problem definition - What is the problem? What are the various aspects of the problem? What information is needed?

2. Conceptualization and operationalization - How exactly do we define the concepts involved? How do we translate these concepts into observable and measurable behaviours?

3. Hypothesis specification - What claim(s) do we want to test?

4. Research design specification - What type of methodology to use? - examples: questionnaire, survey

5. Question specification - What questions to ask? In what order?

6. Scale specification - How will preferences be rated?

7. Sampling design specification - What is the total population? What sample size is necessary for this population? What sampling method to use?- examples: cluster sampling, stratified sampling, simple random sampling, multistage sampling, systematic sampling, nonprobability sampling

8. Data collection - Use mail, telephone, Internet, mall intercepts. May be a custom survey, or added to an omnibus survey

9. Codification and re-specification - Make adjustments to the raw data so it is compatible with statistical techniques and with the objectives of the research - examples: assigning numbers, consistency checks, substitutions, deletions, weighting, dummy variables, scale transformations, scale standardization

10. Statistical analysis - Perform various descriptive and inferential techniques (see below) on the raw data. Make inferences from the sample to the whole population. Test the results for statistical significance.

11. Interpret and integrate findings - What do the results mean? What conclusions can be drawn? How do these findings relate to similar research?

12. Write the research report - Report usually has headings such as: 1) executive summary; 2) objectives; 3) methodology; 4) main findings; 5) detailed charts and diagrams. Present the report to the client in a 10 minute presentation. Be prepared for questions.

via [ OneBlog ]

Qualitative Market Research

Qualitative research methods are used primarily as a prelude to quantitative research. They are used to define a problem, generate hypotheses, identify determinants, and develop quantitative research designs. They are inexpensive and fast. Because of the low number of respondents involved, these exploratory research methods cannot be used to generalize to the whole population. They are however, very valuable for exploring an issue and are used by almost all researchers. They can be better than quantitative research at probing below the surface for affective drives and subconscious motivations.

Approaches

Most qualitative methods use a direct approach: they clearly disclose the purpose of the study and the organization that commissioned it. Questions are direct and to the point. Many other qualitative techniques use an indirect approach. The true intent of the research is disguised, either by claiming a false purpose or by omitting any reference to the study's purpose. Some researchers have ethical misgivings about the deceit involved in this approach. Those researchers that use this approach feel that it provides the more honest and accurate responses. If disguised methods are used, all respondents should, on completion, attend a debriefing session in which the true purpose of the research is given and the reason for the deception explained.

The main types of qualitative research are:

Depth Interviews

• interview is conducted one-on-one, and lasts between 30 and 60 minutes
• best method for in-depth probing of personal opinions, beliefs, and values
• very rich depth of information
• probing is very useful at uncovering hidden issues
• they are unstructured (or loosely structured)- this differentiates them from survey interviews in which the same questions are asked to all respondents
• can be time consuming and responses can be difficult to interpret
• requires skilled interviewers - expensive - interviewer bias can easily be introduced
• there is no social pressure on respondents to conform and no group dynamics
• start with general questions and rapport establishing questions, then proceed to more purposive questions
• laddering is a technique used by depth interviewers in which you start with questions about external objects and external social phenomena, then proceed to internal attitudes and feelings
• hidden issue questioning is a technique used by depth interviewers in which they concentrate on deeply felt personal concerns and pet peeves
• symbolic analysis is a technique used by depth interviewers in which deeper symbolic meanings are probed by asking questions about their opposites

Focus Groups

• an interactive group discussion lead by a moderator
• unstructured (or loosely structured) discussion where the moderator encourages the free flow of ideas
• usually 8 to 12 members in the group
• usually last for 1 to 2 hours
• usually recorded on video
• the room usually has a large window with one-way glass - participants cannot see out, but the researchers can see in
• inexpensive and fast
• can use computer and internet technology for on-line focus groups
• respondents feel a group pressure to conform
• group dynamics is useful in developing new streams of thought and covering an issue thoroughly
• see focus group for a more detailed description

Projective Techniques

• these are unstructured prompts or stimulus that encourage the respondent to project their underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes, or feelings onto an ambiguous situation
• they are all indirect techniques that attempt to disguise the purpose of the research
• examples of projective techniques include:

word association - say the first word that comes to mind after hearing a word - only some of the words in the list are test words that the researcher is interested in, the rest are fillers - is useful in testing brand names - variants include chain word association and controlled word association

sentence completion - respondents are given incomplete sentences and asked to complete them

story completion - respondents are given part of a story and are asked to complete it

cartoon tests - pictures of cartoon characters are shown in a specific situation and with dialogue balloons - one of the dialogue balloons is empty and the respondent is asked to fill it in

thematic apperception tests - respondents are shown a picture (or series of pictures) and asked to make up a story about the picture(s)

role playing - respondents are asked to play the role of someone else - researchers assume that subjects will project their own feelings or behaviours into the role

third-person technique - a verbal or visual representation of an individual and his/her situation is presented to the respondent - the respondent is asked to relate the attitudes or feelings of that person - researchers assume that talking in the third person will minimize the social pressure to give standard or politically correct responses

via [ OneBlog ]