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Commentary
Since each marketing research study addresses a unique decision problem, secondary data
often provides a less than ideal solution to the Marketing Manager’s needs for information.
In the discussion that follows, we examine the types of primary data that can be collected,
assess the advantages and disadvantages of collecting that data by observation and
communication, and consider the trade-offs associated with choices about structure,
disguise, setting, and method of administration.
2. summarize the key decisions that have to be made when collecting data by
communication and observation;
COMMUNICATION (defined …)
Oral or written questioning of Respondents to obtain information
OBSERVATION (defined …)
Systematic witnessing and recording of behavioral patterns of people/objects/events
without direct communication to obtain information
KEY DECISIONS for COLLECTING PRIMARY DATA
Structure
Disguise
Observation Natural/Contrived Setting
Method
Primary Data
Structure
Communication Disguise
Method of Administration
Actual behavior rather than self-reports is measured (demand and memory do not
distort reporting)
Versatility
> Internal states (emotions, attitudes, motivation) that are not directly
observable
> Individual characteristics (e.g., income/education) that are difficult to
observe
> Complex behaviors that are difficult to observe
> Past behavior/future intentions
What is Observed?
Physical Actions (e.g., how much time is spent in a retail store? how many
brands are examined while shopping?)
Expressive Behaviors
Verbal Behaviors
Physical Objects (i.e., how many brands of soft drinks, cereal, shampoo etc.
are kept in the home?)
KEY DECISIONS WHEN COLLECTING PRIMARY DATA by OBSERVATION
SETTING Does the observation take place in the environment where the event
naturally occurs?
All Respondents answer the same questions in exactly the same way
by checking a box, circling a number etc.
STRUCTURE
Structured Unstructured
DISGUISE
PERSONAL INTERVIEW
ELECTRONIC
SAMPLING CONTROL Getting the Questionnaire into the Right Hands, Motivating
Response
Obtaining Cooperation
INFORMATION CONTROL Amount, Type and Quality of Information that can be Collected
Amount of Data
Time Commitment by Respondent
Number of Questions
Number of Response Categories per Question
Respondent Convenience (e.g., time/place, self-pacing)
Variety of Information
Question Format
Probing
Visual Stimuli (e.g., ads, new product demonstrations, multi-media etc.)
Sensitive Information
Response Rate
Time to Respond
Fixed versus Variable Costs
Cost per Completed Observation
COMPARING METHODS of ADMINISTRATION
Moderate/High
TELEPHONE Moderate/High Low/Moderate Low time Cost
INTERVIEW Screen for Participant Short Time $ 15-25
Little Time Required Simple Questions per Completed Obs.
Commentary
What’s apparent from this summary is that you pay for greater sampling and information
control with greater time and higher costs. Telephone interviews represent a compromise
between the very strong sampling and information control of personal interviews and the
relative time and cost advantages (especially for large sample) of mail surveys.
Web-based administration, as we saw with the MBA survey, has the capacity to re-write
conventional wisdom about how primary data should be collected by communication. The
savings in time (more than half of web-based respondents typically reply within 24 hours)
and especially costs (costs to distribute and collect primary data are essentially zero) are
potentially huge, and don’t change with the size of the sample. As internet penetration
increases and web-based sampling frames and panels are developed, current limitations
with respect to sampling control will diminish for web-based surveys