Surveys

These questions can be completed in writing or orally, in person, on the phone, through the mail, or on the internet. A survey is a set of carefully planned questions used to gather data with a particular objective or goal in mind

the main purpose of a survey is the fact that it is impossible to question everyone in a “population” or targeted area. It is impractical (too much time, money and effort) As a result, we use a survey on a selection of our target market to get sample responses that we can confidently project onto the greater population as a whole

An effective survey will consider each of the following elements: In order to confidently be able to project our findings into our marketing efforts on the greater “population”, we need to ensure the survey is properly created and conducted

A. SAMPLING Instead of polling each person, a "sample" is scientifically selected so that results are representative of the whole group a sample must be created so that it includes a “representative” picture of the greater population Ie – surveying a Grade 9 boys gym class about high school students’ attitudes towards the cafeteria….is this representative??

B.SAMPLE SIZE Samples are rarely ever 100% accurate, but the bigger the sample, the more likely it is valid Increased size reduces risk-but are also more time consuming and expensive The Canadian Census is considered a "100% Sample" because every Canadian is accounted for

it would be a valid “sample size” if 250 students were sampled in a population of 2200 Ie - To determine the attitudes of our school’s students on cafeteria food: It wouldn’t be a valid “sample size” if 25 students were sampled in a population of 2200

C.RANDOMNESS A sample is only an accurate representation of the whole if all parts of the whole have an equal chance of being sampled If the participant’s are chosen on any other basis than “being random”, it could lead to skewed results Ie – To determine the attitudes of our school’s students on cafeteria food: it would be “random” if 100 students were chosen randomly from a bin with all 2200 students’ names inside It wouldn’t be “random” if a teacher picked the student’s that they teach (ie - may be in same grade)

D.BIASES A survey is biased if it tends to lead the respondent to select a particular opinion As marketers, we want to know what the respondent is thinking and not influence their response it would be “biased” if I asked “how would you rate the horrible food in the cafeteria? Ie - To determine the attitudes of our students on cafeteria food: It wouldn’t be “biased” if I asked “how would you rate the food in the cafeteria?

E.QUESTIONING A critical part of any survey The questions must be chosen and constructed with great strategy There are two main types of questions: Closed Ended Open Ended Let’s take a look at each…….

Closed Ended Questions Most surveys use closed-ended questions, which ask you to select an answer from two or more choices. These questions “funnel” the respondent’s answers to a set of provided responses Ie – yes or no, male or female, I like or dislike they are quick and simple to answer, easy to sort and analyze

Here are some sample closed-ended questions:

agree  uncertain  disagree I would buy this brand again

Are you a smoker?  yes  no

 Dove  Irish Spring  Ivory  Jergens  Lever 2000  Other Which brand names have you purchased in the last year?

poor excellent Clean12345 Friendly staff12345 Rate our service using the following scale:

What do you look for when you shop for a DVD player?  simple remote  ease of use  plays MP3/JPG  brand name  multi-disc  warranty

Open Ended Questions Open ended questions allow the respondent to answer the question how they see fit In many cases, the researcher doesn’t know what type of response they will receive The information received is often very rich and detailed

Here are some sample open ended questions:

“What is your opinion of Air Canada?”

“When I choose an airline, the most important consideration in my decision is _____________________________________ __________________.

“I flew Air Canada a few days ago. They gave me a cold sandwich to eat. This stirred the following thoughts and feelings in me...” Complete the story…………..

Let’s look at some survey questions and see what we think………

Two questions in one How much time do you spend watching TV and doing housework?

Leading question Why is our product better than our competitor’s?

When was the first time you saw a commercial for our product? Unanswerable question

Ambiguous question How much do you pay for entertainment?

 $5  $10  $15  $20 How much do you pay for entertainment and groceries weekly? Two questions in one

Why do you think our cereal is the best tasting one on the market? Leading question

The End !!