Methodology Flashcards
Managerial Implications for Studying Consumer Behavior:
Be able to analyze and understand consumer behavior and recommend marketing strategies based on theories and empirical evidence
Examples of listening to consumers
Crest Flavor, Lay’s Do Us a Flavor, Doritos Commercials; service reviews at hotels or focus groups
Limitations to asking consumers
- Don’t really know what is possible.
- Don’t always know their needs. (post its)
- Don’t want to tell you what they do. (social desirability)
- Don’t know why they do what they do. (misattribution of arousal)
- Sometimes asking them changes their behavior. (aided vs unaided questions/framing changes answer)
Consumers don’t know their needs
Post-its–failed to show consumer interest in tests in 1977
Ipod shuffle
Social Desirability Bias
People don’t want to tell you what they do
Over-claiming positive behaviors:
Do you have a library card for XX public library in your own name?
- 10-20% more people say yes than have a card
- How long do you brush your teeth?, do you wash your hands?
Under-claiming negative behaviors:
50% of a sample of known drunk driver offenders denied being charged with this
Misattribution of Arousal
People make a mistake in assuming what is causing them to feel aroused–> bridge (more people called when approached by a woman in the middle of a bridge, ask people out at the gym)
Aided vs. Unaided Questions
Unaided: What do you consider to be the most important thing for children to prepare them for life.—-open form vs multiple choice
Framing
Do you think the U.S. should forbid public speeches against democracy? vs. Do you think the U.S. should allow public speeches against democracy?
Types of research
exploratory, descriptive, causal
Exploratory
Gathers preliminary information
that will help define the problem
and suggest hypotheses.
Observational research, focus
groups, in-depth interviews, case studies,
projective techniques
When: Prior knowledge about the problem is limited, often no or only vague hypothesis
Insights: General idea about the nature of the problem, helps generate new hypotheses or relevant variables
Methods: Focus groups, projective techniques, observational studies, in-depth interviews, case studies
Pros: flexible methods, very rich data
Cons: Limited controls, difficult to quantify, idiosyncratic
Descriptive
Describes such things as the
consumers’ demographics,
attitudes, and behaviors.
Surveys, scanner data, etc.
Causal
Test hypotheses about cause-
and-effect relationships.
Experiments, simulated test
markets, etc.
Focus groups
Exploratory research
A Group Discussion
Videotaped and observed through one-way glass
Group members are encouraged to express their own views and elaborate on/react to others
Generate insights into thoughts and feelings
Pros: Versatility (i.e., moderator driven), richness of data, direct impact on managers
Cons: Lack of generalizability (small sample, not representative), group dynamics
Interviews
Exploratory
One-on-one contact with consumer
More appropriate than focus groups
for sensitive topics
Drawbacks: Self-reports, very expensiveCritical Incidents Technique
Exploratory–also known as service experience
Protocol:
Think of a time when, as a customer, you had a particularly satisfying (or dissatisfying) interaction.
When did the incident happen?
What specific circumstances led up to this situation?
Exactly what did the employee say or do?
What resulted that made you feel the interaction was satisfying (or dissatisfying)?
What could or should have been done differently?
Advantages
Vivid and concrete information
Useful when the topic or service is new or very little other information exists.
