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Advertising Research
Exploratory studies are characterized by flexibility with regards to the methods used for gaining insight
and developing hypothesis for the decision problem.
Methods used for gathering information could be
- Searching of secondary sources
- Interviewing knowledgeable persons
- Compiling case histories.
CONCLUSIVE RESEARCH
Conclusive research is designed to provide information for the evaluation of alternative courses of action.
It can be sub-classified into:
- Descriptive research
- Causal research
DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH: majority of marketing research studies involve descriptive research.
Descriptive research relies heavily on interrogation of respondents or informants and data available
from secondary data sources.
Descriptive research is appropriate when research objectives include:-
- Portraying the characteristic of marketing phenomena and determining the frequency
of occurrence. - Determining the degree to which marketing variables are associated.
- Making predictions regarding the occurrence of marketing phenomena.
Descriptive research often involves determining the degree to which marketing variables are associated.
For example, a company may study the degree of association between sales of a product and such buyer
characteristic as income and age.
Descriptive information can be used to make predictions about the occurrence of marketing phenomena.
While data regarding the presence of an association among variables can be used for predictive purposes,
but the data are not enough to establish a causal relationship.
An understanding of causal relations is necessary for accurate predictive statements. For example, between
the sales of a product and the months of the year, and a sales forecast based on this, association may
have a high probability of success, regarding future sales volume, even though the causal relationship
has not been established.