Ch 8: Marketing Research: From Customer Insights to Actions

As it relates to information contained in a database, sensitivity analysis would ask which type of question?

"what if"

Which three are examples of using secondary data?

A software company uses U.S. Census data to create customer profiles. A hotel chain purchases syndicated panel data to identify demographic trends. A travel company uses the last five years of its sales invoices to determine package deals.

_______ research tries to determine the extent to which the change in one factor changes another one.

Causal

_______ research generally involves trying to find the frequency with which something occurs or the extent of a relationship between two factors.

Descriptive

_________ research provides ideas about a relatively vague problem or question.

Exploratory

True or false: Because marketing research is an imperfect tool, it does not yield much benefit to business applications.

F

Personal interview survey

High costs per respondent

Which two are characteristics of a dichotomous question on a questionnaire?

It is a type of closed-end or fixed alternative question. A "Yes" or "No" question is an example.

Online survey

Many surveys not delivered to recipients due to "spam blockers"

________ is the process of defining a marketing problem and opportunity, systematically collecting and analyzing data, and recommending actions.

Marketing research

Why are marketing researchers turning to online surveys to collect primary data?

Most consumers now have an Internet connection and an e-mail account.

What is a mechanical method for collecting observational data?

Nielson's "people meter" attached to televisions to measure TV ratings

Why is accurately defining the problem an important task? (Select all that apply)

Research objectives that are too broad may not be researchable. Research objectives that are too narrow may lead to diminished results.

________ are facts and figures that have already been recorded before the project at hand.

Secondary data

A firm has two new product ideas but only has resources to produce one of them. The firm's marketing department must determine which of the two products should be produced. Identify a constraint for the marketing team.

The team must reach a decision in 2 weeks.

What is a disadvantage of using panels for marketing research?

They require continuous and complex recruitment of new individuals to replace drop-outs.

Marketers that are interested in identifying the characteristics and trends among ultimate consumers such as age or ethnic background are likely to start with which source of data?

U.S. Census Bureau reports

Telephone survey

Unhappy respondents can quickly end the interview

Mail survey

Usually generates biased results

What is the best example of an ambiguous survey question?

Was your ice cream order delivered to your table quickly? __ Yes __ No

A constraint in a decision is ______.

a restriction placed on potential solutions to a problem

When two people answer "often" to a survey question but their "often" means different things, then this survey question would be considered to be ______.

ambiguous

Historically, the most common way of collecting questionnaire data was through ______.

an individual interview

Marketing research includes which of the following? (Select all that apply)

analyzing data collecting data recommending action

In setting research objectives, marketers have to ______.

be clear on the purpose of the research

In what three ways are observational data collected?

by mechanical or electronic means by watching people in person through neuromarketing methods

In marketing research, an experiment is designed to test ______.

cause and effect, often between marketing mix elements and sales outcomes

Concepts and methods are key elements to consider when deciding how to ________ for marketing research.

collect data

Marketing researchers may develop a new-product ________, a picture or verbal description of a product or service the firm might offer for sale.

concept

In marketing, ________ are ideas about products and services, and they are a key to deciding how to collect research data.

concepts

Which two are key elements in deciding how to collect data for marketing research?

concepts methods

For Fisher-Price's research on a toy telephone, the ________ were that the decision must be made in 10 weeks and no research budget would be available beyond that for collecting data in its nursery school.

constraints

The second step in the marketing research approach involves developing the research plan. This includes specifying the ________ surrounding the research activity, and identifying the ________ needed for marketing decisions.

constraints; data

Which characteristic is most important in identifying which data to collect for marketing research?

data that is relevant to decisions for marketing actions

Setting the research objectives and identifying possible marketing actions are things that would be completed in which step in the marketing research approach?

define the problem

Select the steps in the marketing research approach. (Select all that apply)

define the problem take marketing actions develop findings

Marketing research begins with ______.

defining a marketing problem

The five-step marketing research approach begins with ________ and ends with ________.

defining the problem; taking marketing actions

In which technique does a researcher ask lengthy, free-flowing questions to probe for underlying ideas and feelings?

depth interview

What are research methods used to generate new ideas? (Select all that apply)

depth interviews focus groups trend hunting

Which of these are part of the development of a marketing research plan? (Select all that apply)

determining how to collect data specifying constraints

Marketing input data relate to ______, while marketing outcome data relate to ______.

effort needed to make sales; results of the marketing efforts

A test market is an example of a(n) ______.

experiment

In marketing research, a(n) ___________involves obtaining data by manipulating factors under tightly controlled conditions to test cause and effect.

experiment

Data can be defined as ______.

facts and figures related to the research problem

Which activity is likely to be a part of causal research?

finding the extent that changing one factor will change another

What two factors are likely to be a part of descriptive research?

finding the frequency with which something occurs finding the extent of a relationship between two factors

An informal session of 6 to 10 customers in which a moderator asks their opinions about a firm's and its competitors' products, how they use these products, and special needs these products don't address is known as a(n) ______.

focus group

What are characteristics of open-ended questions? (Select all that apply)

good for idea generation about product benefits and advertising captures the "voice" of the respondent

The U.S. Census Bureau publishes reports that contain detailed information on American households, and marketers use this data to ______.

identify characteristics and trends of ultimate consumers

A focus group is a(n) ________ method of inquiry, which makes it more effective in uncovering ideas that are difficult to obtain with individual interviews.

informal

All of the computing resources that collect, store, and analyze data are collectively known as ______.

information technology

Organizations may use ________ such as its own detailed sales breakdowns by product line as the starting point for a research project because the potential huge savings in time and cost savings.

internal secondary data

A disadvantage of secondary data is that ______.

it may not be specific enough

You are the owner of a hardware store. You are debating whether to offer a package promotion on lawn sprinklers and garden hoses. What form of internal secondary data would be helpful in making this decision?

looking at past customer sales to see if customers who purchased lawn sprinklers also purchased garden hoses

What are the two main reasons that marketers prefer to obtain secondary data first?

low cost time savings

Criteria or standards used in evaluating proposed solutions to the problem are known as ______.

measures of success

A meter installed on a computer that records Internet user behavior by tracking actual mouse clicks would be what type of method for collecting observational data?

mechanical

Sampling and statistical inference are special ________ vital to marketing research.

methods

The approaches that can be used to collect data to solve all or part of a problem are known as ______.

methods

The two main data collection ________ are observing people and asking them questions.

methods

Which two are examples of personal methods for collecting observational data?

mystery shoppers who check a company's customer service ethnographic studies of consumers in their natural environment

Using brain scanning to analyze the buying processes of consumers and thereby improve Campbell Soup labels is known as ______.

neuromarketing

Research ________ are specific, measurable goals the decision maker seeks to achieve in conducting the marketing research.

objectives

Marketing researchers spend a great deal of time defining a marketing problem precisely. What increases the probability of a successful marketing research effort?

objectives that are neither too broad nor too narrow

Neuromarketing is a form of ________ data.

observational

Because it has the ability to reach wide audiences, the costs are relatively minimal, and the turnaround time from data collection to report presentation is much quicker than other methods, many researchers choose to collect survey data through which method?

online surveys

What type of question allows respondents to express opinions, ideas, or behaviors in their own words?

open-ended question

A(n) ________ is a sample of consumers or stores from which researchers take a series of measurements over time.

panel

When Procter & Gamble researchers watched women do their laundry, clean the floor, and put on makeup, they were using ________ methods of collecting observational data.

personal

Different observers reporting different conclusions when watching the same event may indicate unreliability in what type of data collection?

personal observation

A constraint in a decision is a restriction placed on ______.

potential solutions to the problem at hand

Facts and figures that are newly collected for the project are referred to as ________________________-data. (one word)

primary

Observing people and asking them questions are the two principal ways to collect ________ data for a marketing study.

primary

Researchers collect ________ data by either observing people or asking them questions.

primary

The two main types of data are ______.

primary and secondary

Primary data differ from secondary because ______.

primary data are newly collected while secondary data were previously collected for another purpose

Facts and figures obtained by asking people about their attitudes, awareness, intentions, and behaviors are known as _______ data.

questionnaire

Individual interviews as well as online and mail surveys generate ______ data.

questionnaire

What are the two primary advantages of online surveys?

quick turnaround time from data collection to report relatively minimal cost to conduct

Among research methods vital to marketing are ________, a technique used to select a group of customers, distributors, or the like, and ________, a subsequent generalization of the results from this group to a larger population.

sampling; statistical inference

Internal ________ data may come from a company's own information on sales, while the external form may come from a source like the U.S. Census.

secondary

As it pertains to the marketing research process, what are the two key elements of defining the problem?

setting the research objectives identifying possible marketing actions

Select those items that are considered marketing outcome data. (Select all that apply)

social media posts from consumers sales reports broken down by geographic region accounting records on shipments

Research objectives should be ______. (Select two answers)

specific measurable

In defining a problem, it is important to develop specific measures of success because these ultimately lead to ______.

specific marketing actions to be taken

Marketers can purchase a standard set of ________ data on a regular basis from providers like Nielsen Media Research (for TV ratings) or J.D. Power (for automobile quality and customer satisfaction).

syndicated

Some consumer packaged goods firms that sell to wholesalers may not have the means to gather pertinent data directly from consumers that buy its products, especially over time. A good source of this information is from ______.

syndicated data

The neuromarketing method of marketing research uses _______.

technologies used to study the brain to understand consumers

A manufacturer of vegan burgers has a strong following in the Pacific Northwest. The company is thinking of offering its products nationwide. To gauge interest, it places its product in 3 cities to evaluate consumer reaction. This is known as a ______.

test market

Offering a product in a small geographic area to help evaluate potential marketing action is known as a(n) ______.

test market

Which is a characteristic of using the individual interview to collect data?

the ability to probe with additional questions

The U.S. Census is a great source for demographic data about consumers, but its biggest disadvantage is that ______.

the data may be outdated since it is collected only every 5 or 10 years

What is the goal of effective marketing research studies?

to collect data that will lead to effective marketing actions

Marketing research is typically conducted for which two related reasons?

to improve marketing decisions to reduce risk

Because different observers can report different conclusions when watching the same event, personal observation can be ______.

unreliable

An organization may start a new marketing research study by examining internal secondary data like customer complaints primarily because ______.

using this information can result in time and cost savings

Exploratory research provides ideas about a relatively ________ problem.

vague

Through the use of data ______ marketers are more effective in presenting the results of marketing research analysis.

visualization