MarketingManagement.pdf

Finally, the questionnaire designer should exercise care in the wording

and sequencing of questions. The questionnaire should use simple, direct,

unbiased wording and should be pretested with a sample of respondents

before it is used. The lead question should attempt to create interest. Diffi-

cult or personal questions should be asked toward the end so that respon-

dents do not become defensive early. Finally, the questions should flow in

a logical order.

■ Mechanical Instruments: Mechanical devices are occasionally used in market-
ing research. Galvanometers measure the interest or emotions aroused by
exposure to a specific ad or picture. The tachistoscope flashes an ad to a
subject with an exposure interval that may range from less than one hun-
dredth of a second to several seconds. After each exposure, the respondent
describes everything he or she recalls. Eye cameras study respondents’ eye
movements to see where their eyes land first, how long they linger on a
given item, and so on. An audiometer is attached to television sets in par-
ticipating homes to record when the set is on and to which channel it is
tuned.^17

Sampling Plan. After deciding on the research approach and instruments, the
marketing researcher must design a sampling plan. This plan calls for three decisions:

1. Sampling unit:Who is to be surveyed? The marketing researcher must define
   the target population that will be sampled. In the American Airlines survey,
   should the sampling unit be business travelers, vacation travelers, or both?
   Should travelers under age 21 be interviewed? Should both husbands and
   wives be interviewed? Once the sampling unit is determined, a sampling

Gathering Information

and Measuring

Market Demand^111

B. Open-end Questions

Name Description Example