The swift adaptation of digital computer programs and languages to public opinion poll data processing has revolutionized the working methods of market research firms. However, while the data processing methods have undergone radical changes, the fact remains, nonetheless, that "field" data collection and their coding into a language processable by electromechanical or electronic data processing systems have not followed along and are presently still relatively "archaic". Taking the example of data transcription into a computer exploitable language, various methods have already been employed: "the transfer sheet" , the "Mark Sensing and magnetic cards, etc...", "the precoded questionnaire", etc... None of these methods yields satisfactory results either in terms of transcription accuracy, time limits or cost requirements. We have in the course of the past three years, together with MARPLAN France and IBM France, been the first in the world to develop an infrastructure for the collection and checking of rough field data directly by electronic data processing systems "without human intervention", at a heretofore unequalled accuracy, rapidity and cost.
Continuous measuring of a market trend is normally carried out through the data collection system known under the name "Panel' . A Panel can he composed of different subjects (house wives, men, households, retail shops, etc.), according to the scopes of the survey, whilst also the continuous measuring of a market development is peculiar to each panel. In this particular case we refer to a household panel; this shows the following characteristics: - the household is sampling unit; - the members of the households are the persons whose purchases must be surveyed; - normally it is only one member of the household that records the purchases of ail members. We deal here with a case that gives particular difficulties with a view to the data collection, just because the sampling unit (household) is an abstract element, that becomes concrete in more subjects (single members of the household) whose purchases are recorded - in behalf of the survey - by only one of the household's members (in general this is the housewife). If these three elements (household, single members, person that records the purchases of all the family) can be considered as subjects of survey, let us now study their purchases of a particular type of semi-durable goods, viz. textile consumption. In this case the products being studied are all textile articles that can be bought in a household, either for individual use (dresses, coats, knitted goods, etc.}, or for collective use (household linen, carpets, furnishings, etc.)
This paper will consist of two parts: In the first, I shall describe the SCAL model briefly, confining myself to the chief aspects which are necessary in order to show the value of a detailed knowledge of readership behaviour. The second and in fact the main part of the paper will be devoted to a study of the technique of collecting data.
This paper will consist of two parts: In the first, I shall describe the SCAL model briefly, confining myself to the chief aspects which are necessary in order to show the value of a detailed knowledge of readership behaviour. The second and in fact the main part of the paper will be devoted to a study of the technique of collecting data.
Seen as structured information utilised for decision making, market studies raise human problems within the company which sometimes render difficult the transposition of conclusions into effective decisions. The search for better utilisation of available studies leads to examining : the attitude of executives responsible for decision making on market studies; - the inspirational conduct of studies. The problems evoked surpass the market study framework. The introduction of computers into firms encounters the same difficulties. Over and beyond study techniques or those of structuring information for taking action, it is the human problem of decision - making which remains to be solved in order to ensure the practical effectiveness of studies. On their side, market study specialists must begin by studying their client's behaviour in view of adapting products to their needs.
Seen as structured information utilised for decision making, market studies raise human problems within the company which sometimes render difficult the transposition of conclusions into effective decisions. The search for better utilisation of available studies leads to examining : the attitude of executives responsible for decision making on market studies; - the inspirational conduct of studies. The problems evoked surpass the market study framework. The introduction of computers into firms encounters the same difficulties. Over and beyond study techniques or those of structuring information for taking action, it is the human problem of decision - making which remains to be solved in order to ensure the practical effectiveness of studies. On their side, market study specialists must begin by studying their client's behaviour in view of adapting products to their needs.
Our paper is about the principles of data collection and usage. The integration of media and product research, the construction of a computer data bank, an explicit model of how media reach people, closer blending of media buying with media planning, the evaluation of advertising performance - we believe that all these are desirable. We outline examples of advances in technique but these are not given in detail and in any case are not beyond improvement. We do not describe just one computer program, but a family of programs with a variety of objectives. They are linked by the data they use and by their systematic approach to the media planning problem.