Advertising majors on product and opinion selling to consumers. Advertising is the avenue that companies or sellers in general use to land to their respective consumers. It is the same advertising that aids sellers to extend to specific consumer segments defined by age, economic status, and special need like diabetic patients among others. Advertising has influence on the perception that consumers have regarding a certain product. It aids in the creation of good will, as well as brand and general products loyalty.
Issues relating to companies and their brands can be eliminated via quality advertising. Importance should be placed in comprehension of the targeted groups are reached and whether the advertising messages are creating impacts on the buyers. It is vital to acquire feedback through techniques applied to fetch info from buyers that the messages relayed is received in a positive or negative way so that necessary steps are taken to change the tactics used in advertising. The marketing principles used to acquire demographic data are qualitative research, quantitative research, as well as secondary and primary market research techniques.
This paper will discuss the three principles examining the need for each in advertising.
Marketing campaigns have to be done with strategies and understanding of the market in order to acquire the required objectives.
It has to get to the desired consumer segments within the speculated time to aid companies make giant sales for mega profits.
Companies have to know that they will need statistics from the above principles to make conclusion as to the effects brought about by the advertising campaigns. Advertising is applied for brands that are old and the new at the various stages of the brand lifecycles. Opinions from buyers are vital since they give the marketers a direction concerning their diverse advertising techniques.
Research is the tool that advertisers would use to facts about market and the consumer segments plus the competitors. Consumers never hide as they want the best products that suit their needs. The research also helps to understands products that have lived beyond their lives and hence the need for elimination. Advertising and research operate together. Advertising sends brand and company information to consumers, while research collects feedback for analysis of the industrial psychology and brand placement in the customer mind.
Quantitative research can be explained to mean quantifiable research where collection of raw data is done, and then conversion is done to come up with useful info via mathematical calculation. The results are applied to come up predictions of what might happen in the market and the industry as whole. Figures are helpful since they give an outlook and also open the eyes of advertisers into new ways to get customer attention. New markets can also be established via the data analyzed. Market information guides companies on decision making offering them confidence for moving on with campaigns of advertising or projects they may have been intending to work on. Quantitative data has to be generated for the purpose of creation of hard numbers used in the representation the entire demography (Ogden & Ogden, 2014). Available are several techniques of research used in data collection for analysis. One quantitative method of research used is survey that incorporates large samples. The surveys usually come in the format of questions and answers and are done in numerous ways like points of interaction with customers, in person or via telephone calls. Normally, the questions are closed ended hence requiring a no or yes answer. The questions may also have multiples choices from which the responded would choose one of them. The questions do not incorporate personal information of the respondent. They are also easy and few so that the responded does not feel bombarded with questions.
Quantitative survey has benefits that make it a choice of many companies in data collection. The first is that it is usually precise.
No time consumption with unnecessary things, but rather go straight to the point. The respondent is asked what is required and does not give a room for stories. It is either no or yes. The other is a choice of one answer from the ones provide. The collected data is easy in analyzing and also offers a clear picture of the outcome. The collected information is very objective since the researchers cannot make manipulation of the scores in cases where the data is collected accurately minus any form of bias. The limitation that comes with this survey is the fact that respondents get no opportunity to give deeper responses. Consumers can give information to the extent to which the questions ask. Even where a consumer wishes to give more responses, it is not possible.
Qualitative research works on a different principle with reference to quantitative research. The research uses descriptive information form customers compared to numbers in quantitative research. The aspect of a description in qualitative research makes it difficult for researchers to make a conclusion. The reason is that customers give information that is varying and my not have consistency. The limitation of this kind of study is that sample sizes are small (Pearson & Barwise, 2008). Some information gotten from customer contains detailed information since each customer requires that their opinion is taken into consideration.
Some want colors changes, some smell, others taste among other desires. Others make negative comments. It is also possible that respondents find it tiresome to make a description, thus, refuse to respond. This hardens the task of qualitative research. The researcher has to take smaller samples because analysis is more wanting. There is no standard expected response in qualitative research. The best thing regarding this research is that precise information is acquire instead of mere no and yes responses. The respondent makes account of what they desire, and the organization is now capable of having the customer’s mind as they go back to the drawing board for commitments of divergence correction. The survey acts as eye opening for diverse research questions because of their contextual focus (Belk, 2012). The application of this survey aids surveyors to come into comprehension of the direction they need to take in their course of business. The best way to approach a business issue is comprehension of what customers want.
Secondary and primary researches are used in research but vary in their usage. Companies should forever remember to conduct both researches. The secondary precedes the primary. For instance, a company wanting to open a new branch of the same within a given area should first establish the spending patterns, demographics, and incomes of the market in the new area. The info can be acquired from studies performed earlier by agencies of government, trade organizations, Nielson rating and chambers of commerce among others. The information is printed in books, journals, newspapers and magazines. It is the obligation of the researcher to do the selection of the best and latest sources. Using sources that were published many years past leads to inaccurate information.
The limitation with this research is that the data may not be up to date. It may also not be suitable or customized for the use by a specific business looking ahead into venturing into the area.
Primary research is normally designed to suit the company that wants the information from the source. The information is usually specifically what the company wants to know in relation to its business. It, therefore, has to be designed by the company research department or a contracted company so that customization is put into consideration. Primary research is vital when a new product is to be launched (Clow and Baack, 2012). The answers provided by primary research are accurate. The research is, however, expensive. It can cost a company thousands of dollars before it is completed. The internet technology, nevertheless, has made things easy. Companies unable to hire surveyors for financial reasons can have the same research done via the internet. A primary research is helpful. For instance, a shoe production company wanting to manufacture shoes for tennis would come to understanding that the color they wanted to make would sell less. The company shifts the color idea to what customers want and thus, avoid an error that would have caused big losses. The companies that attempt to produce and launch a new product via speculation stands a chance to lose grip of the market. Having a business idea that a company considers it good does not automatically qualify it to profit activities.
In conclusion, considering qualitative research over quantitative research is profitable. Primary research is preferable in relation to secondary research as well. The cost is high for the research methods preferred, but they are worth. The choice of the research methods may also be dictated by product type and stage in the product lifecycle. A company with strong advertising budget should always make use of the four since each can offer information that the rest may not do. The company that has less budget for research should follow the preference in order to make the best out of its limited resources.
