Developing a Global Vision through Marketing Research Chapter 8 McGraw-Hill/Irwin© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Where we are… u Part I: –Overview and the External Environment F The Economic Environment F Social / Cultural Environment F Political, Legal and Regulatory Environment u Part 2: –Assessing Opportunities F Marketing Research F Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning

Overview u Intro and Scope of Global Marketing Research u Sources of Market Information u Marketing Research Process u Current Issues u Summary u In Class Exercise

Illustration of the importance of Marketing Research  “ Selling Apples in Japan ” –Washington State Apples F Why did the sales of apples decline? –Seasonality –Nationalism –Competition –Apple Computer F Issues –Businesses slow to use PC ’ s as a means of increasing productivity –Philosophical differences

Irwin/McGraw-Hill Marketing Research 1.Defined as the systematic gathering, recording, and analyzing of data to provide information useful in marketing decision making. International Marketing Research Complications 2.Information must be communicated across cultural boundaries. 3.The environments within which the research tools are applied are often different in foreign markets. 8-2

The Scope of Global Research u How is international marketing research different? –Added complexity / diversity –Need to consider priorities and allocation of resources between countries –3 types of different information needs: F Assessment of foreign markets (general information relating to countries) F Industry information (relates to product category) F Specific Market Information (used to develop marketing plan)

International Marketing Research Occurs at Different Levels … Assessment of a foreign market (general information about a country) Economic Social / Cultural Political / Legal Technological Industry Information (relates to product category) Market size Segmentation Competition Consumer Specific market information (used to develop marketing plans) Product Pricing Distribution Promotion

Steps in the Research Process ● Step I: Define the research problem ● Step 2: Developing a research plan ● Step 3: Collecting data ● Step 4: Analysing research data ● Step 5: Presenting the findings Irwin/McGraw-Hill 8-3

Research Process in Detail u 1. Define the problem and establish objectives –Critical step because of unfamiliarity with international markets –Problems can arise when researchers: F Fail to recognize or anticipate the influence of the local culture or fail to identify the SRC effect –Treats the problem as if it exists in the home country F Fail to establish problem limits broad enough to include all relevant data

Collecting Data u Primary Data –When data is not available, and must be obtained through some form of data collection. u Secondary Data –When data exists and is available through a variety of sources (i.e. internet, publications, government records, etc.)

Problems with obtaining relevant data u Secondary Data defined –Data collected by another agency or researcher u Problems with obtaining relevant and accurate Secondary data –1. Availability of Data –2. Reliability of Data –3. Comparability of Data –4. Validating Secondary Data

Validating Secondary Data Who collected the data ? Would there be any reason for purposely misrepresenting the facts ? For what purpose were the data collected ? How were the data collected ? (Methodology) Are the data internally consistent and logical in light of known data sources or market factors ? Irwin/McGraw-Hill 8-5

Primary & Secondary Data Secondary Primary Availability Relevancy Reliability Comparability Ability to communicate Willingness Sampling Plan Language/Comprehension Readily available, used for other purposes Generated first-hand, tailor made research Issues

Gathering Primary Data Quantitative Research Qualitative Research Irwin/McGraw-Hill 8-6

Methods for Developing Primary Data Data Qualitative? Quantitative? Focus Groups Observation Interviews Panels Surveys Experiments

Focus Group Research

Problems of Gathering Primary Data Ability to Communicate Opinions Willingness to Respond Sampling in Field Surveys Language and Comprehension  Back Translation  Parallel Translation  Decentering Irwin/McGraw-Hill 8-7

Uses of Internet in International Research oOn-Line Surveys and Buyer Panels oOn-Line Focus Groups oWeb Visitor Tracking oAdvertising Measurement oCustomer Identification Systems o Marketing Lists oEmbedded Research Copyright©2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Irwin/McGraw-Hill 8-8

Talents Required to Analyze and Interpret Research Information Cultural Understanding Creative Talent for Adapting Research Findings Skeptical Attitudes when Handling Both Primary and Secondary Research Irwin/McGraw-Hill 8-9

Estimating Market Demand Historical Data Local Production Plus Imports Expert Opinion Irwin/McGraw-Hill Analogy 8-10

Five Rules of International Research 1. Apply the WHAT, WHY, WHERE and WHEN of information. 2. Use locally available information first. 3. Identify information sources abroad. 4. Know where to look. 5. Do not assume the information you get is comparable or accurate.

Problems with Multicultural Research u Multicultural research defined: –Conducting research where countries have difference languages, social structures, behavior and attitudes. –Differences need to be considered and used when conducting research –Comparability is difficult

Other important Points –A. Research on the Internet F Fastest growing method of conducting research F Although U.S. hosts 2/3 of the internet usage, international usage is growing at twice the rate over the U.S (examples) – (data published by U.S. government) – (private website that provides market research for 80 countries) –B. Estimating market demand where secondary data is inadequate or not available F 1. Expert opinion F 2. Analogy (demand in one country is similar to demand in another country) –Can be inaccurate and mistakes are likely to occur

Other important Points –C. Communicating with Decision Makers F Needs to be timely and top managers should be knowledgeable about all their markets and customers –D. Problems in Analyzing and Interpreting Research Information F Researcher must have the following to avoid incorrect interpretations of the research data –Be culturally adept and sensitive to differences –Be able to adapt research results appropriately –Be skeptical in handling both primary and secondary data

Other Important Points –D. Who is responsible for conducting Marketing Research F Assigned by company (department or division or agent) F Local analysts (decentralized) F Best approach is to have local researchers with close coordination between local research company and headquarters.