Basic Marketing: A Global Managerial Approach

Perreault−McCarthy: Basic

Marketing: A

Global−Managerial

Approach, 14/e

8. Improving Decisions
   with Marketing
   Information

Text © The McGraw−Hill

Companies, 2002

224 Chapter 8

consumers prefer our product, we can introduce it in a regional test market. If it

doesn’t pass the consumer test there, we can make some changes and try again.”

The scientific method forces an orderly research process. Some managers don’t

carefully specify what information they need. They blindly move ahead—hoping

that research will provide “the answer.” Other managers may have a clearly defined

problem or question but lose their way after that. These hit-or-miss approaches waste

both time and money.

Defining the

problem

Analyzing the

situation

Getting

problem-

specific data

Interpreting

the data

Solving the

problem

Feedback to previous steps

Early

identification

of solution

Exhibit 8-2
Five-Step Scientific
Approach to Marketing
Research Process

Five-Step Approach to Marketing Research

The marketing research processis a five-step application of the scientific

method that includes:

1 .Defining the problem.

2 .Analyzing the situation.

3 .Getting problem-specific data.

4 .Interpreting the data.

5 .Solving the problem.

Exhibit 8-2 shows the five steps in the process. Note that the process may lead

to a solution before all of the steps are completed. Or as the feedback arrows

show, researchers may return to an earlier step if needed. For example, the inter-

preting step may point to a new question—or reveal the need for additional

information—before a final decision can be made.

Defining the Problem—Step 1

Defining the problem is often the most difficult step in the marketing research

process. But it’s important for the objectives of the research to be clearly defined.

The best research job on the wrong problem is wasted effort.

The strategy planning framework introduced in Chapter 2 can be useful here. It

can help the researcher identify the real problem area and what information is

needed. Do we really know enough about our target markets to work out all of the

Finding the right
problem level almost
solves the problem