Marketing research principles and methods

¶ … high tech global economy, market researchers are facing all new challenges and this case provided an insight into one of the major dilemmas. This case focused on the fact that marketers have been trying to get in touch with our current teen population. The objective of the case was to help differentiate between basic and applied research methods and to evaluate how ethical marketing approaches are being used by research companies. These teens are more culturally diverse and as a group out number their predecessor groups such as the baby boomers. As noted, teens have become one of the fastest growing segments of the population and they are expected to continue to grow. But, to differentiate this group from any other, these teens live in a world of X-Box, high definition satellite TV, internet ready personal computers, palms, cell phones and ATM's full of cash. In other words, they may have the desire and, more importantly, the financial resources to out spend any other teenaged group in history. So, as potential consumers, market researcher see this current generation as a gold mine -- that is, if they can get into the teen's heads to see what they buy and why they buy it. To say the least, the pressure is on marketing researchers. They realize that they had better discover what is relevant to the new teen or they could miss out on those long-lasting relationships that could yield a sizable return on investment. As a result, marketing research companies are using new techniques to get in touch with the new teen.

In their attempt to gather information on teens that will help guide the marketing decisions of corporate America, market researchers are pulling out all the stops. From surveys, bribes and video documentaries, market research is desperately trying to get an in about the teen psyche. This case required knowing the difference between basic and applied marketing research to clearly define how research companies were getting that in. Basic market research attempts to expand the limits of the researcher's knowledge and sometimes has practical applications such as when canned music is pumped into fast food restaurants. Applied market research, on the other hand, is more of a methodology that addresses real life or practical problems.

Although each of the companies in the case use various approaches, they were attempting to expand their own knowledge regarding the buying habits of teens and that means they were using basic marketing research. In other words, when Proctor & Gamble hired teens and paid them with cash and concert tickets and Bugle Boy sent out the video journalists, they were trying to expand the limits of their own knowledge regarding teens. In the case of Bugle Boy, it could be construed that they were using video cameras as an applied problem solving technique, but the end result is the same. The company was just reading a different kind of survey.