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Position companies as providers of valuable information.
A finance company elevates its image by posting studies on the Web that
examine the barriers to home ownership and children’s attitudes toward
spending and saving.
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Elicit stories to help illustrate attitudes and behaviors
and put a human face on facts and statistics.
Doctors’ stories about how a medical device implant has improved their
patients’ lives provide powerful pull quotes and third-party
endorsements.
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Estimate the prevalence of attitudes and behaviors and
profile the primary characteristics of people with certain beliefs and
expectations. A national study measuring the level of stress among
full-time workers identifies ways that organizations can reduce the
costs and consequences of stress.
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Find new markets and identify unmet needs of customers.
A theater company’s interviews of people who rarely attend movies
uncover ways to reach untapped markets and increase attendance.
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Uncover a hook to strengthen marketing materials, Web
pages, and advertisements. Healthcare users tell researchers that having
to wait for the doctor is their greatest irritant. A network of
healthcare clinics headlines a successful marketing campaign with “Does
waiting in the doctor’s office make you sick?”
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Describe the factors that influence customer satisfaction
and loyalty. A charitable organization surveys donors, volunteers, and
the agencies they fund to learn how to increase satisfaction and
maintain the loyalty of donors and volunteers.
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Identify customers’ perceptions of a company or product
image to help build a potent brand. Owners of recreational vehicles
reveal that they chose a particular brand because it was manufactured in
the Midwest, which they equate with a strong work ethic and reliability.
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Test new product or service concepts. A new cellular
phone feature is tested through in-depth interviews with current users.
The research provides guidance on product design and marketing.
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Draw a profile of a market segment’s size, growth, and
key participants (customers, competitors, suppliers, as well as
regulatory, economic, and social environments). A publishing company
uses data from a market study to decide if they should develop products
for the education industry.
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Track trends and anticipate changes in the marketplace.
Online surveys of people who make corporate purchases on the Internet
measures the level of activity and points to likely changes.
Not every decision requires research. If the cost of a wrong decision is
low, companies don’t need to invest in research. For example, if a new
service can be offered at little or no development cost, then there’s
little risk in introducing it.
However, if there is uncertainty about which course to take, research
can guide decisions about marketing, resource allocation, and product
and service design.
For creative, effective communications, call High Point Creative at
651-426-4012.
