Managing Marketing Information 4 Principles of Marketing

Marketing Information System Marketing information system (MIS) consists of people, equipment, and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate, and distribute needed, timely, and accurate information to marketing decision makers Decision Makers: (company’s marketing and other managers and external partners such as suppliers, resellers, and marketing service agencies) 4-4

Marketing Information System

Assessing Marketing Information Needs MIS provides information to the company’s marketing and other managers and external partners such as suppliers, resellers, and marketing service agencies

Assessing Marketing Information Needs Balancing what the information users would like to have against what they need and what is feasible to offer Characteristics of a Good MIS User’s Needs MIS Offerings

Developing Marketing Information Internal dataMarketing intelligenceMarketing research Marketers obtain information from

Developing Marketing Information Internal Data Internal databases are electronic collections of consumer and market information obtained from data sources within the company network, including accounting, marketing, customer service, and sales departments 4-8

Developing Marketing Information Marketing intelligence is the systematic collection and analysis of publicly available information about consumers, competitors, and developments in the marketplace. The goal of marketing intelligence is to improves strategic decision making,assess and track competitor’s action and provide early warning for opportunities and threats Marketing Intelligence

Much intelligence can be collected from people inside the company The company can also obtain intelligence information from suppliers, resellers and key customers It can get good information by observing competitors by monitoring their sales, analyze their products

Marketing Research Marketing research is the systematic design, collection, analysis, and reporting of data relevant to a specific marketing situation facing an organization 4-11

Marketing research help managers to understand customer satisfaction and purchase behavior It help managers to assess market potential and market share It help to measure the effectiveness of pricing, product, distribution and promotion activities

Marketing Research Steps in the marketing research process 1. Defining the problem and research objectives 2. Developing the research plan 3. Implementing the plan 4. Interpreting and reporting the findings 4-12

Defining the problem Marketing managers and marketing researchers work closely together to define the problem and agree on research objectives The managers best understand the decision for which information is needed

The market researchers best understand the marketing research and how to obtain information

Marketing Research Research Objectives Types of objectives Exploratory research Descriptive research Causal research 4-13

Marketing Research Defining the Problem and Research Objectives ….(contd) Exploratory research is the gathering of preliminary information that will help to define the problem and suggest hypotheses Descriptive research is to describe things such as market potential for a product or the demographics and attitudes of consumers who buy the product Causal research is to test hypotheses about cause-and- effect relationships 4-14

Marketing Research Developing the Research Plan ….(contd) Research plan outlines sources of existing data and spells out the specific research approaches, contact methods, sampling plans, and instruments that researchers will use to gather data 4-15

Developing Marketing Information Management problem Research objectivesInformation needed How the results will help management decisions Budget Marketing Research Written Research Plan Includes:

Marketing Research Developing the Research Plan ….(contd) Secondary data consists of information that already exists somewhere, having been collected for another purpose Primary data consists of information gathered for the special research plan 4-17

Marketing Research Primary Data Collection Research approaches Contact methods Sampling plan Research instruments 4-19

Contact methods Information can be collected by Mail Telephone Personal interview Focus group interview

Focus group interview :personal interviewing that involves 6 to 10 people to gather for a few hours with a trained interviewers to talk about a product,service or organization.the interviewer focuses the group discussion on important issues

Marketing Research Online marketing research Internet surveys Online panels Online experiments Online focus groups 4-27 Contact Methods

Strengths and Weaknesses of Contact Methods - Mail - Telephone - Personal - Online

Marketing Research Sampling Plan Sample is a segment of the population selected for marketing research to represent the population as a whole Who is to be surveyed? How many people should be surveyed? How should the people be chosen? 4-29

Marketing Research Sampling Plan Probability samples: Each population member has a known chance of being included in the sample Non-probability samples: Used when probability sampling costs too much or takes too much time 4-30

Marketing Research Research Instruments Questionnaires Mechanical devices 4-31

Marketing Research Research Instruments Closed-ended questions include all possible choices Provide answers that are easier to interpret and tabulate Open-ended questions allow respondents to answer in their own words Useful in exploratory research 4-33

Mechanical devices Mechanical devices to monitor consumer behavior.Nielsen media research attaches people meter to television sets in selected homes to record who watches which programs Retailers use checkout scanners to record shoppers purchases.

Marketing Research Research Approaches Survey research is the most widely used method and is best for descriptive information—knowledge, attitudes, preferences, and buying behavior Flexible People can be unable or unwilling to answer Gives misleading or pleasing answers Privacy concerns 4-21

Marketing Research Research Approaches Observational research involves gathering primary data by observing relevant people, actions, and situations Ethnographic research involves sending trained observers to watch and interact with consumers in their natural environment 4-20

Marketing Research Research Approaches Experimental research is best for gathering causal information—cause-and-effect relationships 4-22

Marketing Research Implementing the Research Plan Collecting the information Processing the information Analyzing the information 4-34

Analyzing Marketing Information CRM consists of sophisticated software and analytical tools that integrate customer information from all sources, analyze it in depth, and apply the results to build stronger customer relationships 4-35 Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Analyzing Marketing Information Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Data warehouses are comprehensive companywide electronic databases of finely tuned detailed customer information Uses To provide higher levels of customer service To identify high-value customers Touch points: Every contact between the customer and company 4-36

Distributing and Using Marketing Information Information distribution involves entering information into databases and making it available in a time- useable manner Intranet provides information to employees and other stakeholders Extranet provides information to key customers and suppliers 4-38

Other Marketing Information Considerations Marketing Research in Small Businesses and Nonprofit Organizations Sources of marketing information: Observing their environment Monitoring competitor advertising Evaluating customer mix Visiting competitors Conducting informal surveys Conducting simple experiments 4-40

Other Marketing Information Considerations International Marketing Research Additional and different challenges Level of economic development Culture Customs Buying patterns Difficulty in collecting secondary data Hard-to-reach respondents 4-42

Other Marketing Information Considerations Interference on consumer privacy Consumer dislike Misuse of research findings 4-43 Public Policy and Ethics in Marketing Research