The paper treats the problem of âbuilding successful brandsâ from the perspective of a simple yet comprehensive theory of consumer markets. It is practical, using case study material from projects for Premier Biscuits and other clients, to demonstrate how the theory and its associated techniques add objectivity and direction to strategic and tactical market planning. The model and systems which are described were originally developed by Marcos Ltd. and are marketed by Taylor Nelson under the brand name Optima. Premier Biscuits are well known for their biscuit products which are sold internationally under the Cadbury's brand name. To adopt a truly holistic approach to developing and managing successful brands demands a viable understanding of how markets work. This means that it is necessary to get below the observed behaviour of the purchasers to the underlying physics, if we may use the word, of the dynamic systems which we call markets. The Marcos consumer choice model, based essentially on the assumption that purchasers choose the brands which suit them best at the time, fits real markets accurately and consistently. It tells us why those brands which have a clearly defined meaning and a relevant relationship with the consumer are best positioned for successâ and what other elements are necessary. A brief practical account of the model is given, followed by an illustration of how it is Possible to model consumer panel data using it. The example is used to throw important light on the relative roles of brand positioning and brand enhancement in advertising and to discuss how markets evolve. The application of the model to the problem of managing a brand portfolio is described. An example is given of the way in which the model can be used to identify the gaps in a manufacturerâs brand portfolio and to describe in detail the brands which would fill them. This illustrates some of the many uses of the techniques and model in ad hoc consumer studies. A technique for predicting the sales of new products by analogy with existing products using ranking methods is described. This leads into a discussion of the processes involved in the establishment of a new brand within a market, focusing in particular on the roles played by advertising and the use of sampling to force trial. Finally spotlight analysis is used to identify the meaningful options available for advertising a particular brand. This leads into further discussion of brand positioning and brand enhancement.
The Government has now enunciated its alternative; its present policy is to depend increasingly on 'community care'. The primary objective of the Department's policy on the care of the elderly is to enable old people to maintain independent lives in the community for as long as possible. To this end, high priority is being given to the development of domiciliary provision and the encouragement of other measures designed to prevent or postpone the need for long-term care in hospital or residential homes.This then is the background of the survey carried out in April and May 1977 on behalf of Age Concern, a voluntary organisation, with funds provided by a private foundation. The questionnaire sought to discover what are the circumstances of the present non-institutional elderly population, what are their needs, how far and to what extent are they met, what use do they currently make of community care (as described above) and finally, to what extent does community care provide them with what they themselves regard as a satisfying life?
This paper sets out firstly to describe the historic development of market segmentation in tourism research, through a review of ESOMAR and other published sources. We then reconsider the fundamental methods and objectives of market segmentation and their application to the tourism market. Finally, we discuss some European experimental research of our own and examine two questions: 1. How reliable a predictor is such segmentation? and 2. How actionable is it?
The project discussed in this paper set out to investigate the potential of non-metric multi-dimensional scaling techniques in studying the basis of competition between stores. The intention was to experiment to provide guidance for further projects which would investigate inter-store competition in greater depth. The study concerned itself with seven stores each of which sell a range of ladies clothing. The stores are contained within a newly developed shopping centre at Amstelveen on the outskirts of Amsterdamand are only a short walking distance from each other.
If someone asks for a recommendation on interview technique the consumer researcher will probably mention personal, postal and telephone in that order. If someone ask specifically about telephone interviewing the researcher will probably say "quick and cheap but, since ownership is so low and biased toward upper income households, its use is invalidated". Consequently the aim of this paper is to demonstrate that the telephone has greater potential as a tool for consumer research. The paper comprises a note on the development of the telephone, then a review of relevant literature followed by consideration of the benefits and disadvantages of the telephone as a tool for communication. Representativeness and sampling procedures are next briefly considered and finally three practical cases are discussed.
This paper is directed at the numerate non-statistician. Its aim is to put the subject of weighting into perspective, to bring out the very real dangers and pitfalls of excessive weighting, to show how the effect of weighting can be assessed and to draw your attention in passing to some sampling techniques which can sometimes be used to minimise or totally eliminate the need for weighting surveys. My approach is via case studies rather than through some sophisticated general theory of weighting.
This paper has sought to show that the sampling problems could be overcome efficiently and economically. The identification problems could also be solved if the naive idea that one was after the 'decision makers' were abandoned: a definable group of decision makers who could first be identified and then sampled, is a fantasy which ignores the reality of how commercial concerns operate. With a more realistic approach to classifying the influences which executives exercise on purchasing decisions, there are no good reasons why valid media data relating to commercial purchasing should not become available.
After a brief discussion of the concepts of attitude and belief the paper goes on to outline some of the difficulties in measuring them. Reference is then made to some empirical findings which must be taken into account in developing concepts. A conceptual model is developed and a discussion of how it may be quantified is given. An outline for a project based on the model is described. Preliminary results from a current project are given. Finally there is a brief discussion of proposed future developments.