Market research is caught in a historic language trap. Our perceived discourse is 'scientific' and 'rational', at a time when clients are looking for 'insight' and 'creativity'. We will not finally shed our image until we break our codes, change our discourse and remodel our language to meet a new vision of Market Research. This paper furthers the debate via a two-part argument of its own: why we have to change the language of market research; and one way we might go about it.
The paper summarizes personal views about market research on its way from a multinational/ local data provider service towards representing a transnational business insights function.The various fields of current research activities (for a FMCG company) are outlined and classified according to the business information needs. Some of the many changes in FMCG business encountered in the past five to ten years are summarized and the potential future consequences for the tasks, the tools, and the 'players' are outlined, involving major changes on all sides: corporate marketing, corporate market research, research suppliers. The main issue is to maximize the added value that a corporation gains via research investments: it will not be enough to '... throw data over the wall'. Changing conditions suggest that market research migrates towards an integrated business insights consultant - regardless whether corporate or institutional.
Most new products fail. Failure is attributed to the proposition (weak advertising, parity product, high price, etc.) or to the marketing plan (inadequate media, low distribution, etc.). This interpretation does not explain why failures continue in spite of the growing knowledge about factors driving success and failure and following a rigorous product launch process. This paper argues that new products fail because of our irrationality and our inability as individuals and groups to avoid many of the thinking errors that affect decision-making. The paper outlines the errors, cites examples, and provides recommendations for improving the innovation decision-making process.
This paper examines changes in ownership concentration in the research industry, using market share as a metric. It first examines changes in the aggregate share held by the largest companies, both globally and in major markets. It then identifies companies that have been gaining worldwide share during the past five years and traces their growth.
The changes occurring in new product marketing and business management that will require significant changes to Simulated Test Market (STM) models are addressed. Specifically, current STM models are not well suited for the future marketing world of one-to-one consumer targeting nor the changing retail environment. Nor are they well adapted to the increasing granularity with which businesses are managed - at the SKU level, at the individual store level, week by week. As the world changes, all current forecasting models will begin to break. A blueprint addressing the current limitations of STM models is provided.
The objective of this paper is to highlight the impact Six Sigma philosophy is having in the field of marketing and the opportunities and challenges thus facing marketing research. Six Sigma concepts are revolutionizing the marketing process and, using case studies, the application of marketing research in the structure of Six Sigma is demonstrated.
This paper describes a research project born of a business need at Procter & Gamble. Management had the vision that adoption of our new innovations could be accelerated if we could identify those consumers with the highest likelihood of being Early Adopters. We would ask them to try initiatives long before market introduction and reap the benefits of their feedback; find what social norms reinforce or suppress product acceptance and how to optimize communication benefits. The biggest reward will be turning many of the Early Adopters into credible advocates for our innovations and thereby creating a tipping point and virtuous cycle. Identification of the Early Adopters, therefore, became a top priority for P&G's Consumer & Market (CMK) Department and Europanel, partner agency in the project. The paper discusses the powerful learnings generated from this research and how these have become enablers for P&G to apply diffusionistic marketing ideas at all phases of an initiative - before launch, at launch and on an on-going basis - to help commercialize innovation faster, cheaper and more effectively.
The intent of this paper is to present researchers with an innovative use of state-of-the-art tools to solve problems that are too often glossed-over. The usual and standard tools and methods of benefit segmentation as practiced by most researchers are critically examined and new ways of renewing market segmentation through methods of measuring benefit importance and performing segmentation analysis on the resulting data are suggested. Maximum Difference Scaling, a more powerful method for measuring benefit importance that is scale-free and thus very applicable to international segmentation research, is introduced. The paper describes how Maximum Difference Scaling can be combined with Latent Class Analysis to obtain international benefit segments. An example of how these methods were used in a cross-national business-to-business study is provided.
The market potential of low-income social groups (low class or popular classes) has been underestimated by multinational companies and thus, this public has not been able to access global brands. It is believed that low classes, due to their scarce available income, direct their consumption based on low prices and products of first need. However, the increase of the companies' penetration as well as the expansion of their business can only reach the popular classes before the stagnation of the upper class. This paper describes a case study through which it was possible to reveal a surprising market potential of popular classes in Brazil toward a range of products which are considered superfluous. This strong potential is shown by the wish of the identified group (mothers with babies aged up to 2 years) to show love, care and social status through hygiene and beauty products for children.
This paper advances the debate concerning the future of market research. First, it describes the changing marketing landscape and a revised model of marketing that is emerging as the focus of marketing activity moves from completing transactions to building relationships. This forms the context for discussing the extent to which the implications of this trend have been identified and addressed by the market research industry. The paper concludes by proposing nine rules to guide thought and action in this new marketing landscape.
Complexity, in the past decade, found itself a seemingly large research area in bio-sciences (genetics, artificial life), physics, engineering, mathematics, computer sciences, economics and even in social sciences and politics. The mathematical tools that are employed range from non-linear differential equations to fuzzy logic, information theory, neural networks. The functioning of marketing research, however, is somewhat similar to a meteorology department - responsible for constantly supplying weather reports for the aviators of both economics and social sciences.Mathematics and methods designed to deal with complexity general can be adapted and used in marketing research. The paper takes this initiative.
This paper provides an estimation of the market turnover for the market research industry in Asia and a forecast for GDP growth and market research industry growth for 2002 - 2006. In additional trends that may affect the economy in Asia are identified. Key issues concerning the market research industry in Asia are discussed. A final section focuses on what research buyers in Asia may expect.