Suppose you are developing a research program for a new bookstore serving your college or university. What kind of exploratory research would you recommend? Would you propose both qualitative and quantitative studies? Why or why not? Discuss what specific steps would you take.
6-2. Bottled water is an outgrowth of the health-and-fitness trend. It has recently moved into second place in the beverage industry behind wine and spirits, beating out beer and coffee. The latest twist on bottled water is the “enhanced” category, with designer waters that include such things as extra oxygen, vitamins, or caffeine. You have a client with a product that fits this new category. Go online and find secondary data about this market. Discuss how you would use this information to design a branding program for this product.
6-3. Distinguish between marketing research and market research. Why is it important to understand the difference?
6-4. Discuss the difference between primary and secondary research.
6-5. What types of information are obtained from quantitative, qualitative, and experimental research designs? How are those three categories of research different?
6-6. What is survey research, and how is it conducted? How do in-depth interviews differ from surveys?
6-7. Discuss when each of the following research methods might be used: focus group, in-depth interviews, observational research, ethnographic research, panels, and diaries.
6-8. Explain the difference between validity and reliabilty and explain how these concepts affect brand communication research.
6-9. Consult the MRI data reproduced in Figure 6.3 and do the following analysis. Look first at the four Index columns to find the highest viewing category of late evening weekend news and compare that with the highest viewers of early evening weekend news. If you were advertising a new hybrid car, which category and time slot would deliver the greatest percentage of viewers who might be in the market? Now analyze the size of the category to determine which of the high viewing categories delivers the greatest number of viewers.
6-10. You have been hired to develop and conduct a research study for a new upscale restaurant chain coming into your community. Your client wants to know how people in the community see the competition and what they think of the restaurant’s offerings. It uses an unusual concept that focuses on fowl, such as duck, squab, pheasant, and other elegant meals in the poultry category. Given this specialty category, the restaurant would be somewhat like a seafood restaurant. One of your colleagues says that the best way to do this study is with a carefully designed survey. Another colleague says that what the client really needs is insight into the market; she believes that the best way to help the client with its advertising strategy is to use qualitative research. Review the strengths of the various research tools and match them to this new product launch. Be prepared to present your recommendations in a class discussion.
Instructions: After reading chapter 6, review question 6-10 at the end of the chapter for background. Create a Consumer Research Questionnaire to conduct research for the new upscale restaurant described in question 6-10. You do NOT need to answer the questions posed in the textbook. You will only need to create and submit a Consumer Research Questionnaire based on the information provided in question 6-10. Use the concepts in Ch.6 to guide you in how to create the questionnaire and what to include.