Communicating Marketing Research Findings Copyright © 2010 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. McGraw-Hill/Irwin

13-2 Learning Objectives  Understand the objectives of a research report  Describe the format of a marketing research report  Discuss several techniques for graphically displaying research results  Clarify problems encountered in preparing reports  Understand the importance of presentations in marketing research

13-3 The Importance of Visual Display

13-4 Objectives of Marketing Research Reports  To effectively communicate findings of the marketing research project  To provide interpretations of the findings in the form of sound and logical recommendations  To illustrate credibility of the research project  To serve as a future reference document for strategic or tactical decisions

13-5 Topics to Include Research objectives Research questions Literature review Research methods Findings Interpretation and summary Conclusion and recommendations

13-6 Enhancing Credibility AccuracyBelievable Professionally organized

13-7 Levels of Readers  Readers who will read only the executive summary  Readers who will read the summary and the findings  Readers who will read the entire report and appendix

13-8 Format for Marketing Research Reports  Title page  Table of contents  Executive summary  Research objectives  Statement of method  Key findings  Conclusion/ recommendations  Introduction  Research methods and procedures  Data analysis and findings  Conclusions and recommendations  Limitations  Appendices

13-9 Preparation Hints  Make an outline of all major points–support with details in their proper position  Use short, concise sentences and paragraphs  Say exactly what you intend to say–do not leave the reader “grasping” for more information  Select working that is consistent with the background and knowledge of the reader  Rewrite and rewrite–this will force you to remove clutter and critically evaluate the document for errors

13-10 Components of the Methods and Procedures Section  1.The research design used (exploratory, descriptive and/or causal)  2.Types of secondary data included in the study  3.Data collection procedures and administration  4: Sampling and sampling processes

13-11 Exhibit13.5 Simple Readable Results of Frequencies

13-12 Exhibit 13.6 A Simple Bar Chart

13-13 Exhibit 13.8 A Pie Chart

13-14 Exhibit A Bar Chart Displaying Multiple Thematically Related Means

13-15 Exhibit Bar Chart Portraying a Crosstab

13-16 Exhibit Bar Chart Portraying ANOVA Results

13-17 Exhibit Correlations of Item Ratings

13-18 Exhibit Displaying Regression Findings

13-19 Exhibit Illustration of Conclusions

13-20 Exhibit Illustration of Recommendations

13-21 Common Problems in Preparing Report  Lack of data interpretation  Unnecessary use of multivariate statistics  Emphasis on packaging instead of quality  Lack of relevance  Placing too much emphasis on a few statistics

13-22 Guidelines for Preparing Visual Presentation  Begin with a slide showing 1) title of presentation, 2) speaker’s name, 3) client identity, 4) research firm  Include slides that explain research objectives, question, methods, and sample description  Highlight the research findings  Conclude with recommendations, conclusions, and research implications

13-23 Marketing Research in Action: The DVD Market  What other issues could be examined with the survey presented?  What problems do you see with the questionnaire?  What are the important topics to include in the presentation?