This paper provides an estimation of market research spending in North America for 1999 - 2002 and a projection for 2006; an overview of the region's main characteristics; identifies major market research trends affecting the region 2002-2006; reviews key issues affecting North America; and finally provides recommendations for those undertaking market research market in the region.
One of the significant issues facing brand owners is the successful introduction of new products and/or services to market. The importance of facilitating new product diffusion is increasingly important with the escalating costs of entry into many markets. One way of enhancing the chances of success is to target those who are most likely to try new products and have wide 'connected' networks. Such early adopters and opinion leaders may, it is hoped, then spread the word explicitly or implicitly through their purchase behaviour. This paper provides insight into this diffusion process in two ways: firstly a literature review of related research and, secondly, empirical evidence from original research undertaken in the United Kingdom, Germany and France.
Risk-taking is central to modern business, and the source of energy which drives wealth creation. Understanding and predicting risk therefore places market research squarely in the boardroom, instead of tinkering on the sidelines. The results of ongoing global studies on attitudes to risk, consumer priorities, global brands and globalisation, and investor/consumer behaviour are described. Market research needs to be about risk-reduction, risk-taking, and conscience, for the benefit of consumers, corporations and society as a whole, to ensure its significant place in risk management.
Within Latin America there are significant cultural differences, and in particular, differences in the way a population behaves, which reflects on purchase and usage habits in terms of products and services. There are also markets with very different development stages, diverse production scales and a wide range of economical policies. On the other hand, the impact of globalization and the fast and intense technological evolution, as well as the improvement of the infrastructure in the entire region, have contributed to a greater cultural, political and economical proximity across countries, and have triggered a changing process that moves to very similar scenarios. This paper provides an overview of market research activity in Latin America, as compared to other areas of the world, and characteristics of this market and ends with recommendations to eliminate or reduce some difficulties in conducting international projects within Latin America.
Over the last ten years the amount of information that consumers receive each day has increased. Consumers are more sophisticated and acknowledge advertising but remain highly averse to irrelevant messages. Marketing, however, has hardly changed. How will marketing develop over the next ten years? Incite Marketing Planning has completed major research into this question. Marketing will be easier and more enjoyable once marketers stop banging their heads against the wall of consumer indifference and realise that people like advertising and are happy to watch it - but it has to be good advertising. As a result, our approach to marketing will change. We will: find more ways to interact with our consumers; concentrate on developing proper relationships with our consumers; focus on satisfying our most important consumers; and use the company's own employees as its best salespeople. In turn the average marketing department will have a broader remit. It will become more complex, and marketers will become more specialised. Finally it will become more powerful and influential.
This paper outlines how qualitative research, using projective techniques, has been used to overcome cultural barriers of discussing the taboo subject of female hygiene. The technique delivered a deep understanding into means of breaking ingrained habits.
This paper highlights inefficiencies in the current market research process and illustrates, through live case study example, the benefits of adopting a new approach to better leverage the skills of our industry and the value it contributes to clients. The audience will be able to walk away with key insights on how the research industry might become more critical, more relevant and more inspiring to marketing professionals of the future.
This paper discusses Coca-Cola's journey into the consumer's mind and life - an initiative undertaken by Coca-Cola India to increase penetration and consumption of their brands by developing the market, instead of focusing solely on competing with an equally powerful adversary. The paper also demonstrates effective use of ethnographic methods, and the advantage of a consumer rather than brand-based approach.
Four types of consumers are described, ranging from the most self-controlled and austere to those that experience economic, social, and familiar difficulties due to their psychological and emotional dependence on buying. The results are based on a representative sample of the Basque population, so prevalence data on addictive buying valid for Spanish consumers are provided, and the question of gender is also addressed. Finally, some commonly held ideas on rationality and emotionality are discussed, and an integrative framework is proposed.
This paper points out the problems of currently existing approaches for the evaluation of the financial value of brands. On the basis of these findings a new brand evaluation approach is introduced. By the consideration of all relevant facets of a brand evaluation, this new method aims to satisfy the requirements of eligible and reliable brand evaluation demands.The emphasis of this approach is the integration of psychological brand strength and the evaluation of strategic options concerning marketing. The proceeding of this approach is underlined by a case study that was carried out in the German beer market.
This paper describes aspects of successful brand management supported through Marketing Research. Branding issues from the global strategic perspective of a leading manufacturer of adhesive products for the professional market are addressed. Case studies are used to demonstrate the threats and challenges to brands in mature adhesive markets and how state-of-the-art-marketing research can successfully support strategic brand steering in a highly competitive environment.
This paper describes research conducted by the author that led to the publication of the UK joint national industry association guidelines on the use of payment by results (PBR) in advertising agency remuneration agreements. Set in the context of changing client/agency relationships, it describes the difficulties in researching the topic and how these were overcome, the contribution of various research methods employed, the pearls of wisdom that were discovered and the rationale for the final advice offered.