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Principles of Marketing - Philip Kotler

The selection of information sources

Ha second step is to determine the type of information of interest to the customer, and the ways of its most effective collection. The researcher can gather secondary or primary data, or both simultaneously.

Secondary data? information that already exists somewhere, before being assembled to other? purposes.

Primary data - information collected for the first time for any particular purpose.

DATA COLLECTION OF SECONDARY. Research usually begin with the collection of secondary data. Fig. 19 lists many of the currently available data sources, including internal (the profit and loss reports salesmen, reports on previous studies) and external (public institutions publications, periodicals, books, business organizations Services) 9. In the case of the firm "Allegheny" the researchers were able to gather on the air travel market, a huge amount of secondary data. For example, in the publications of the US Civil Aviation Committee provides a lot of information about the size, growth rates and market shares of the different airlines. Air Transport Association of America spends a lot of research to study the characteristics, attitudes and behavior of air travelers. Data that can shed light on the reasons for the choice of the people of airlines offer and various travel agencies.

Secondary data are the starting point of the study. They compare favorably with those that are less expensive and more readily available. However, relevant information, the researcher can simply not be any existing data may be outdated, inaccurate, incomplete or unreliable. In this case, the study will have a much greater costs of time and money "to violate the primary data, which are likely to be more relevant and more accurate.

A. Internal sources

Internal sources of information include reports on the company's income statement, balance sheets, sales performance, salesmen reports, invoices, accounting records of inventory, records of previous studies.

B. Publications public institutions

"Statistical Abstract of the USA» (Statistical Abstract of the US) contains aggregated data on demographic, economic, social and other aspects of the US economy and American society.

"Statistical Handbook on cities and districts» (Country and City Data Book) contains statistical data on districts, cities and other geographical units relating to population, education, employment, indicators of the overall and average income, housing, bank deposits, retail trade etc.

"Prospects of American industry» (US Industrial Outlook)? publication contains estimates of industrial activities by industry, as well as data on production and sales volumes, shipments, employment, etc.

"Handbook of marketing information» (Marketing Information Guide) -ezhemesyachnoe edition containing an annotated bibliography of marketing information.

B. Periodicals, books

"Index of business periodicals» (Business Periodicals Index) contains a list of articles about business, appearing in a wide range of business publications.

"Encyclopedia of Associations» (Encyclopedia of Associatoins) contains information on all the major trade and professional associations of the United States.

Among the dedicated marketing magazines? "Marketing Journal» (Journal ofMarketing), «Marketing Research Journal» (Journal of Marketing Research). Useful specialized magazines? "Advertayzing Age", "Sales and Marketing Management".

Useful general economic magazines- "Bizne weekend", "Forchui," "Forbes", "Harvard Business Review".

G. Commercial information

The company "A. K. Nielsen Company "provides data on the sales of conventional and branded goods at retail outlets, on television audiences, print runs of magazines, etc.

The company "Market RESEARCH Corporation of America" ​​provides data on weekly purchases of consumer goods families, families on food consumption, as well as information on the 6 th. Of retail shops, pharmacies, cafes and shops reduced prices in different geographical areas. The firm "Simmons Market RESEARCH Bureau" provides annual surveys on television markets, sales of sporting goods, patented medicines, and so on. E., Broken down by demographic characteristics gender, income level, age, as well as information about the preferences of the public to branded goods. Among other commercial research firms that sell information on subscription? "Bureau of circulation control", "Handbook of advertising media and tariffs", the firm "Starch".

Primary data collection. Most market research involves the collection of primary data. Unfortunately, for some managers, primary data collection is reduced to inventing a few issues and finding a number of persons who can be interviewed. But the data collected in this way, may be useless or? even worse ? misleading. So for primary data collection is best to develop a special plan. Fig. 20 is a plan requiring a preliminary decisions about research methods, research instruments, sampling plan, methods of communication with the audience.

Fig. 20. Plan for the collection of primary data

Research methods. There are three ways of collecting primary data, namely, observation, experiment, survey.

Observation - one of the possible methods of primary data collection, the researcher conducts direct observation of people and the environment. Researchers at the company "Allegheny" can settle in airports, offices of airlines and travel agencies, listening to what people are saying about different airlines, and noticing, as agents cope with Checkout. They can take a flight to the "Allegheny" aircraft and aircraft competitors in order to find out about the quality of service in flight and passengers yslyshat comments. Such observations may run into useful ideas that "Allegheny" could appreciate.

Another method of data collection? experiment. Experimental studies require the selection of a comparable between stakeholder groups, the creation of these groups of different conditions, control of variable components and establish the degree of significance of the observed differences. The purpose of this study? reveal causal relationships by dropout contradictory explanations of the results of observation.

Researchers "Allegheny" can use the experiment to get the answers to these, for example, questions:

? Will the company create a new image to a more positive attitude to the passengers, "Allegheny"?

- How to say a first-class power providing in-flight re-orders for tickets?

? What advertising approach? evidence in favor of the company or sketches from nature? salutary to say "Allegheny" on trade performance?

? To what extent have increased turnover by allowing children traveling with their parents, to fly free?

Let's use the experimental method to get the answer to the second question, and choose three similar with each other highway "Allegheny", 20% of passengers who say they prefer to fly its planes. Suppose that the first route "Allegheny" (similar to other airlines) will feed passengers standard hot meals on the second route will be limited cold sandwiches, and the third will offer specially prepared meals suite. If eating nothing to depend on, we find that on all routes in favor of "Allegheny" expressed all the same 20% of air travelers. We assume that by the end of the experiment on the route with a standard hot meals in favor of "Allegheny" began to speak 20% of passengers on the route with cold sandwiches? 10%, while en route to lunch luxury? thirty%. You can guess that the improved hot meals increases the interest of passengers and the cold reduces her. Nevertheless, it is necessary to inspect and ensure adequate representativeness of the sample and the impossibility of explaining the results obtained by any other assumptions. For example, if the route to the luxury dinner crews are welcome, their hospitality is could affect the satisfaction of passengers is more than food. Then, perhaps, a need to improve the power is not as important as the recruitment and training of more hospitable employees.

With proper control, this method provides the most convincing evidence. Control of marketing can rely on the experimental findings to the extent that it excludes the idea and execution of alternative assumptions, by which one could also explain rezultaty10 obtained. (Another example of an experimental study is in Box 6.)

The survey is somewhere halfway between observation and experiment. Observation is best suited for exploratory research, the experiment? to identify causal relationships, while the survey is most useful when conducting descriptive studies. Companies conduct surveys, to obtain information about knowledge, beliefs and preferences of people about their degree of satisfaction, and the like, as well as for measuring the strength of his position in the eyes of the audience. So, the researchers "Allegheny" are using a survey to find out how much people know about the company, flew its aircraft prefer it to other airlines, etc. We will focus on the method of survey research that will be discussed on the instruments of research, sampling plan and methods of communication with the audience.

Box 6. Why do consumers initially resisted buying instant coffee?

Exemplary market research was carried out by "Mason Hare" in order to find out why the mistress opposed to buy instant coffee, when he first appeared on the market. Women complained that the instant coffee taste different from usual. However, during the test blindly, many of them have failed to grasp the difference between a cup and a cup of instant coffee brewed. This testified to the fact that their resistance is mainly due to psychological causes. Firm "Hare" was two shopping list, differed from each other only by the fact that one was a regular coffee, and in the other? soluble.

Housewives were asked to imagine the social and personal characteristics of the woman, a shopping list which they had seen. Let's performance was almost the same, but with one significant difference. A large percentage who saw the list of instant coffee sostavitelnitsu considered it "a woman lazy, wasteful, bad wife, is incapable of taking care of the family." Describing the fictional housewife, those interviewed expressed their own concerns, their own negative views of the soluble coffee. The research firm? a manufacturer of instant coffee motivated resistance learned and developed an advertising campaign designed to change the image of housewives, served instant coffee.

The tools of the study. When collecting primary data from marketing researchers have a choice of two main tools of research, which are the profiles and mechanical devices.

About - the most common instrument of investigation in the collection of primary data. In a broad sense, this profile? This series of questions for which the respondent has to give answers. About? tool is very flexible in the sense that the issues can be defined in many different ways. About requires careful development, testing and rectification of identified deficiencies prior to its widespread use. In carelessly prepared questionnaire can always find a number of errors (see. Box 7).

During the development of the questionnaire researcher marketing thoughtfully selects questions that should be asked, choose the form of these questions, their wording and sequence.

The most common errors? posing questions that can not be answered, which does not want to answer that do not require a response, and the lack of questions that should certainly get the answers. Each question you need to check with the point of view of the contribution that it makes to the achievement of the research results. Questions, which are just idle interest, should be omitted, since they are delaying the procedure and the respondent on the nerves.

The form of the question may affect the response. Marketing researchers distinguish two types of questions: closed and open. Closed question includes all the possible answers, and the respondent simply selects one of them. Fig. 21 shows some of the most typical of closed questions.

Closed questions

Open questions

Fig. 21 types of questions

An open question gives the respondent the opportunity to respond in their own words. Open questions put in many different ways. The main forms of open questions as shown in Fig. 21. Generally speaking, open-ended questions often give more, as no respondents linked to their answers. Especially useful for open-ended questions in the search phase of the study, when it is necessary to establish what people think, not by measuring how many of them think in some particular way. On the other hand, closed questions give responses that are more easily interpreted and tabulated.

Formulation of questions also requires caution. The researcher must use simple, unambiguous words that do not affect the direction of the answer. Prior to the widespread use of questions should be pre-tested.

Special attention is required and establish the sequence of questions. The first of these should be possible to arouse the interest of respondents. Difficult or personal questions should be asked at the end of the interview, respondents not yet had time to look inward. Questions should be asked in a logical sequence. Questions that classifies respondents into groups, set in the least, because they are more personal and less interesting to meet.

Although the questionnaire is the most common tool for research, marketing surveys are used, and all sorts of mechanical devices. To measure the intensity of interest or? feelings of the interviewee in contact with a specific advertisement or image used galvanometers. Galvanometer detects the slightest perspiration that accompany emotional arousal. The device is called tachistoscope exhibits for the respondent advertised in the range of speeds from less than one hundredth of a second to several seconds. After each show the interviewee tells all that time to see and remember. It is used and a special device for fixation of eye movements, by which it is determined what areas look falls in the first place, how long it lingers in certain areas, etc. An electronic device called audimetr that is connected to the TV in the homes of respondents, captures data on all its inclusions and channels that he nastroen11.

Box 7. The questionnaire raises questions

Suppose that the director of a summer camp has prepared the following questionnaire to interview the parents the opportunity to relax. What do you think about each of the above questions?

1. What are your income, up to hundreds of dollars? People either do not always know the size of their own revenue, up to hundreds of dollars, or do not want to reveal them with such precision. In addition, the profile can not start with these questions of a personal nature.

2. Are you an active or a passive supporter of stay of their children in a summer camp?

What is behind the words "active" and "passive"?

3. How well do your kids behave in a summer camp?

Well no ( ).

"Behave" ? a relative term. In addition, the respondents whether they want to answer this question? Is "yes" or "no"? the best response? And anyway, why ask such a question?

4. How many camps have sent you their collection of advertising in April last year? In April this year? Who is remember them?

5. What are the most prominent and the most defining features have, in your opinion, the summer camp?

What is "outstanding" and "the most defining features"? Do not resort to big words.

6. Is it right, in your opinion, to deprive your child opportunities to grow, gaining life experience at summer camp?

Question with an answer in itself. How can you answer "yes" at this his statement?