1. Marketing Research Process
It’s all about the …
Information Need!

2. Harley Davidson – Dilemma in
2005!
(www.harleydavidson.com)
 To invest in new facilities or not!
 What is the problem being addressed?
 Inadequate problem definition is a
leading cause of failure of MR projects.

3. Defining the Problem &
Developing an Approach
 Understand the background of the
problem by analyzing the environmental
context.
 Tasks involved in problem definition:
 Discussions with decision makers
 Interviews with industry experts
 Analysis of secondary data

4. Steps in Marketing Research
Process
 Problem Definition
 Development of an approach to the
Problem
 Research Design Formulation
 Fieldwork/Data Collection
 Data Preparation & Analysis
 Report Preparation & Presentation

5. Management Decision
Problem
 Asks what the decision maker needs to
do
 Action oriented
 Focuses on symptoms

6. Marketing Research Problem
 Asks what information is needed & how
it should be obtained
 Information oriented
 Focuses on the underlying causes

7. MDP vs. MRP
MDP: Should a new product be introduced
MRP: to determine consumer preferences & purchase
intentions for the proposed new product
MDP: Should the advertising campaign be
changed?
MRP: to determine the effectiveness of the current
advertising campaign
MDP: Should the price of the brand be
increased?
MRP: to determine the price elasticity of demand & the impact
on sales & profits of various level of price changes

8. Research Design
3-broad classifications:
 Exploratory Research
 Descriptive Research
 Causal Research

9. Exploratory Research
 Clarifying thoughts
 Forming opinions
 Crystallizing the problem

10. Descriptive Research
2-types:
 Longitudinal Studies
(respondents studied over a period of time)
 Cross-sectional Design
(1-shot research study at a given point of time,
consists of a sample/cross-section of the
population)

11. Causal Research Design
 Seeks to establish causation
 Whether or not Y is affected by X?
 Does X cause Y?

12. Designing the Research
Methodology
5-major parts:
 Research method (Secondary/Primary)
 Sampling Plan
 Questionnaire Design
 Field work plan
 Analysis plan

13. Primary Data Collection Methods
 Surveys
 Observation
 Experimentation
 Qualitative Techniques
(word association/focus group/projective techniques)
 Specialized Techniques
(consumer panel/retail audit/TV audience
measurements)