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Integrated Marketing

Communication

Research & Analysis

+Role of Research

Means of providing accurate, impartial information to marketing

decision makers

Identifies consumer needs

Monitors marketing performance

Helps risk reduction

Improves understanding of marketing as a process

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+The Use of Research in IMC

Helps to evaluate the:

1. Efficiency,

2. Effectiveness and

3. Economy

of each element within the marketing communications mix (4 Ps)

+Personnel in Market Research

Client company

Marketing research manager

Product/brand manager

Market research agency

Communications agency

+Outline of a Typical Research

Proposal

1) Project title

2) Statement of marketing problem

3) Purpose and scope of project

4) Data sources and research methodology

5) Estimate of time and personnel requirements

6) Cost estimates

+7 Stages of Market Research

1 Problem formulation.

2 Determine research design.

3 Data collection method design.

4 Sample design.

5 Data collection.

6 Analysis and interpretation of data.

7 Prepare research report.

+Types of Market Research

+Types of Market Research

Primary Secondary

Information is gathered first hand Information gathered from existing

sources

Various methods of collection Can be free or purchased from specialist

companies

Both exploratory and/or conclusive Internal and external sources

Qualitative Quantitative ✓ Saves time and money

✓ Aims to find out

what relevant

others think

✓ Measurement as

main aim

✓ Helps define objectives

✗ Only feasible on

small samples

✓ Highly

structured

✓ Suggests possible avenues for

research design

✗ No intention to

measure anything

✗ Difficult to

measure people’s

views

✗ No way of checking accuracy

✗ Data is fairly old

+Sampling Methods

+Issues with Sampling Methods

Probability Sampling Non-Probability Sampling

✗ Expensive ✗ No intention of creating

statistical validity

✗ Time consuming ✓ Easy to gather sample group

✗ Selected respondents cannot be

substituted easily

Seldom used in market research

+Sampling Error

The extent to which the average situation in a sample varies

from the actual average situation in the population of

interest

Nothing can be done to eliminate this error

+Non-sampling Error

Things that can go wrong or can vary when carrying out a

survey

Interviewer may be biased

Non-responses

+Market Monitoring

An ongoing process of market analysis

Data is obtained from a variety of sources

Continuous research and syndicated surveys

Develop strategies based on the understanding of consumers

to launch or sustain products

+Market Monitoring

Audits

Companies pay a subscription and receives the latest data at regular intervals

Permits analysis of the market i.e. sales value and volume

Allow progress of individual companies, products, product variations and prices to be monitored over time

Constant source of reference

Helps locate gaps in the market for possibilities of new products

+Segmentation of Data

Geodemographic data

Classifies small geographical areas according to the

characteristics of their inhabitants

Psychographic data

Differentiates and aggregates consumers in terms of

psychological dimensions

+Types of Market Research

+Market Monitoring

Syndicated Research Omnibus Surveys

Brief and basic mixture of secondary

and primary data

Unique products of certain agencies

Hundreds of firms can have access to

the same data

A fresh sample is recruited every time

✓ Tend to fill gaps in the regular data

provision

✓ Can ask specific questions when

the need arises

✓ Low cost ✓ Cost effective compared to ad-hoc

research

✗ Respondent fatigue and viewing

order effect

+Media Measurement

Message research

Used for pretesting and post-testing all aspects of creative

messages

Conducted through ad hoc methods

Media research

Looks at effectiveness of different media as vehicles for the

message

Can be bought commercially

+Test Marketing

A controlled experiment in which one or more proposed

marketing actions are trialed in a limited section of the market

place

✓ Assess the viability of a new product before its’ launch

✗ Exposes the product to competitors

+Perceptual Mapping

Drawing of spatial maps based on views of consumers on

different dimensions of the product, couched in comparative

terms