“In God We Trust – All Others
Must Bring Data”
~
Edward Deming
Market Research Data & Statistics
Sunny Kaniyathu
University of Saskatchewan
Gilbert Bede
Today’s Programme
1. Learning to Like Market Research Questions
Environmental Scan
Who Is The User Base
Quantitative Methods Skill Set
A Changing Environment / Opportunities
What are Patrons Typically Looking For?
The Role of the Reference Interview & Selecting the Proper Resources
Fee-based Data
New trends (Quantitative Trending i.e., Google Trends)
2. Small Group Exercise
Market for Energy Drinks in Canada
When Faced with Locating Data &
Statistics for a Marketing Question You
A. Scream like a small child and run away
B. Go into a catatonic state and remain like
that until the patron leaves
C. Quickly look up the contact info for your
business liaison librarian and provide it
to the patron
D. Regain your composure and proceed
with the query
“For years, corporate marketers have walked into
budget meetings like neighborhood junkies. They
couldn’t justify how well they spent past handouts
or what difference it all made. They just want more
money – for flashy TV ads, for big-ticket events, for
you know, getting out the message and building up
the brand. But those days of blind budget increases
are fast being replaced with a new mantra:
measurement and accountability.”
From
-
Marketing metrics: 50+ metrics every executive should masterEnvironmental Scan
Who Are The Potential Users?
3 main user groups coming primarily from
Business, Economics and Communications
disciplines:
Faculty and Researchers (Historical Users seeking
Primary and Secondary data sources)
Graduate Students (Historical Users seeking Primary
and Secondary sources)
Undergraduate Students (Relatively new group seeking
primarily secondary data sources – although they
usually start off by asking for primary data sources)
New users from Management Information Systems &
Business Intelligence programs
Environmental Scan
Undergraduates
The majority of undergraduates taking
marketing courses are now required to take at
least one ‘
quantitative methods
’ course
As a rule these students have limited
backgrounds in:
Mathematics, Statistics and Research Methods
Most went into Marketing because they possessed the
Environmental Scan
Undergraduates
Many students are apprehensive about
taking quantitative methods courses
Often display considerable skepticism
about the value and general applicability
of such techniques to ‘real world
marketing problems’
‘why do we have to take these courses because
we will never use them’
Environmental Scan
So Has It Worked?
“Mathematical fluency and the ability to use and understand marketing metrics are critical proficiencies for marketing
professionals…Unfortunately pedagogical studies show that the development of these analytical skills have not been adequately addressed by undergraduate marketing education curricula”
“Between 2007 and 2009 we completed surveys of undergraduate
business students (n = 922) and qualitative interviews with selected senior marketing practitioners and program graduates (n = 28)…the student
survey showed no significant improvements in numeracy or financial skills between first – and fourth-year students and the qualitative results
strongly validated the need for further development in this area” (Saber 2011)
Environmental Scan
What Are The Professionals Saying?
Professionals in the field have identified what
they term a ‘
under preparedness gap
’ in new
Marketing Grads
They ranked possessing quantitative skills 5
thout
of 11 skills that graduating student need to
possess in order to be successful in the field
Yet they ranked graduating students ability in this
area 10
thout of 11 areas measured
Environmental Scan
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Marketing students tend to prefer to use
secondary statistical data to primary data
They do learn about survey research techniques
They typically look for very granulized data and
statistics
Marketing professionals have historically
exhibited many of the same traits
They tend to outsource such activities to third parties
such as survey search companies
An Emerging Group of
Power Users
S
TUDENTS AND
F
ACULTY
F
ROM
B
USINESS
I
NTELLIGENCE
, M
ARKET
I
NTELLIGENCE OR
C
OMPETITIVE
Chacteristics
Strong knowledge /skills base in Data Mining
Confident and comfortable the use of
quantitative and qualitative research methods
Strong Information Communications
Technology (ICT) skill set
Growing demand for persons with this skill set
in the marketplace
Okanagan School of Business
Okanagan College
New 1-year Diploma Program that will include
a substantial amount of Quantitative Research
Methods as part of its curriculum
One of the groups they plan on targeting are
students coming out of programs where they
have already been exposed to quantitative
research methods
The Market Profession is Addressing
the Lack of Quantitative Skills
There now exists an official professional
designation backed by a curriculum for market
research professionals
CMRP (Certified Marketing Research Professional)
or PARM (Professionnel agréé en recherche
marketing)
issued by
Marketing Research and
Intelligence Association (MRIA)
Big Opportunity
Wixom and Ariyachandra at the
State of
Business Intelligence in Academic 2010, BI
Congress II
, identified that biggest challenge
in Teaching BI was
Access to Data Sets
This feeling was express by 95% of faculty from
173 different institutions that were surveyed
Finding Suitable Case Studies was number 2
Finding Suitable Textbooks was number 3
So What Does The Typical
Marketing Query Look Like?
The Four Ps
Product
Price
Place
Typical 4P Type Questions
Who are the potential customers?
What are their demographics characteristics (income,
educational level, social, etc.) attitudes, concerns?
Referred to in the profession as Segmentation
What products appeal to customers?
Market niches.
What product characteristics appeal to customers?
What changes to existing products are customers seeking?
When Is the best time to sell a product?
Is product’s appeal seasonal in nature?
Is there a day of the week or time of that the product will
be most appealing?
Typical 4P Type Questions
Where do potential customers purchase such
products?
What are the products distribution channels?
Should the product be solid directly to customers,
online, through retail outlets, specialty stores, etc.?
What product promotional channels (outlets)
be used to reach customers?
Typical 4P Type Questions
How do I differentiate my products from
other products in the marketplace?
How to do I create a demand for my product?
How do I measure the impact of my program?
Other Types of Questions/Information
that Relate to 4P Type Questions
Economic
Labour & Wages
Finance & Investment
Transportation
Taxation
Import & Export
Manufacturing
Environmental, Health & Safety
Trade Associations
References
Denny, E. M., Janice, M. P., Reardon, J., & Nathan, D. K. (2007).
Perceptions and reality: Creativity in the marketing classroom.
Journal of Marketing Education, 29(3), 254-261. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204408930?accountid=283 52
Farris, P., Bendle, P. Pfeifer, P. and Reibstein, D. (2006). Marketing metrics: 50+ metrics every executive should master. Wharton School Publishing, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Saber, J. and Foster, M. (2011). The agony and the ecstasy: marketing metrics to undergraduate business students. Marketing
Education Review. 21, 9-20. doi:10.2753/MER 105-8008210102 Wixom, B. H. and Ariyachandra T. (2011). State of business
intelligence in academia 2010. Presented at BI Congress II. Retrieved from
http://www2.commerce.virginia.edu/bic3/content/2010-State-of-BI-Report.pdf
