The Market Research Toolbox

Edward F. McQuarrie is a professor in the Department of Marketing, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University, in California’s Silicon Valley. He received his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Cincinnati in 1985 and a B.A. in Psychology and Literature from The Evergreen State College in 1976. His research interests include market research appropriate to technology products, on the one hand, and advertising strategies that call on rhetoric, narrative, and semiotic resources on the other. He has also written the book Customer Visits: Building a Better Market Focus, co-edited the volume Go Figure! New Directions in Advertising Rhetoric, and published articles in the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Advertising, Marketing Theory, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of the Market Research Society, Journal of Advertising Research, and the Journal of Product Innovation Management, among others. For a current list of publications, you can access his profile on scholar.google.com or researchgate.net. He was Associate Dean for Assessment at the Leavey School of Business, 2001-2010, responsible for the assessment of learning outcomes and the evaluation of teaching. He was Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, 1996–2000, responsible for the MBA and Executive MBA programs. Professor McQuarrie began moderating focus groups in 1980 for Burke Marketing Research. He has consulted for a variety of technology firms and has taught seminars on effective customer visits, managing focus group research, marketing research methods, and similar topics for the Management Roundtable, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, Apple Computer, Tektronix, Varian Associates, Cadence Design, and other clients, in England, Germany, and New Zealand as well as the United States.

• PrefacePlan of the BookWho Should Read This Book?A Note on PedagogyAcknowledgmentsPART I: Introduction1. Nature and Characteristics of Market ResearchHow Many Kinds of Market Research?Research TechniquesDiscussion QuestionsSuggested Readings2. Planning for Market ResearchFrom Decision Problem to Information GapTypes of Decision Problems: The Decision CycleMatching Tools to DecisionsEffective Application of Research ToolsSummaryDos and Don’tsDiscussion QuestionsSuggested ReadingsAppendix 2A: Financial Planning for Market ResearchPART II: Archival Research3. Secondary ResearchProcedureExamplesFuture DirectionsStrengths and WeaknessesDos and Don’tsDiscussion QuestionsSuggested ReadingsAppendix 3A: Search Techniques for Gathering Market InformationSummary: Search Strategy for Secondary Research4. Big DataBefore Big DataProcedureFuture DirectionsStrengths and WeaknessesDos and Don’tsDiscussion QuestionsSuggested ReadingsPART III: Qualitative Research5. Customer VisitsProgrammatic Customer Visits for Market ResearchExamples of Visit ProgramsHybrid and Ad Hoc ExamplesCostStrengths and WeaknessesFuture DirectionsDos and Don’tsDiscussion QuestionsSuggested Readings6. The Focus GroupApplicationsComparison to Customer VisitsProcedureCost FactorsExamplesFuture DirectionsStrengths and WeaknessesDos and Don’tsDiscussion QuestionsSuggested Readings7. Interview DesignStyle of QuestioningProcedure for Question SelectionSome Good (and Bad) QuestionsGood (and Bad) Interviewer BehaviorsDos and Don’tsDiscussion QuestionsSuggested Readings8. Qualitative Sampling and Data AnalysisWhy Sampling?Projection from N = 1Projections From Qualitative Samples of N is less than or equal to 32Binomial InferencesMultinomial InferencesMeasures of AssociationSummary: Rules of ThumbImplementing Qualitative SamplesQualitative vs. Quantitative Sampling—An IntegrationQualitative Data AnalysisDiscussion QuestionsSuggested ReadingsPART IV: Quantitative Research9. Survey ResearchProcedureConducting the Survey YourselfCost FactorsApplicationsFuture DirectionsStrengths and WeaknessesDos and Don’tsDiscussion QuestionsSuggested Readings10. Questionnaire DesignProcedureGenerating Content for QuestionnairesBest Practices and Rules to ObserveDos and Don’tsDiscussion QuestionsSuggested ReadingsChapter 11: ExperimentationExample 1: Crafting Direct Marketing AppealsCommentary on Direct Marketing ExampleExample 2: Selecting the Optimal PriceCommentary on Pricing ExampleExample 3: Concept Testing—Selecting a Product DesignCommentary on Product Design ExampleExample 4: A-B Tests for Website DesignCommentary on the A-B Test ExampleGeneral DiscussionFuture DirectionsStrengths and WeaknessesDos and Don’tsDiscussion QuestionsSuggested Readings12. Conjoint AnalysisDesigning a Conjoint Analysis StudyFuture DirectionsStrengths and WeaknessesChoosing Among Options for ExperimentationDos and Don’tsDiscussion QuestionsSuggested Readings13. Sampling for Quantitative ResearchTypes of SamplesThe Terrible Beauty of Probability SamplesHow to Draw a Probability SampleEstimating the Required Sample SizeFormula for Computing Sample SizeEstimating the Variance for a ProportionEstimating the Variance for a Mean ValueSampling Reminders and CaveatsDiscussion QuestionsSuggested Readings14. Quantitative Data AnalysisProcedureTypes of Data Analysis in Market ResearchManagerial Perspective on Data AnalysisDos and Don’tsDiscussion QuestionsSuggested ReadingsPART V: The Big Picture15. Combining Research Techniques Into Research StrategiesDeveloping New ProductsRedesigning a WebsiteAssessing Customer SatisfactionSegmenting a MarketExpanding Into New MarketsRepositioning a BrandDeveloping an Advertising CampaignCommentaryDiscussion Questions16. The Limits of Market ResearchIdentifying Boundary ConditionsFormulating Boundary ConditionsWhen Quantitative Market Research Can’t Be DoneWhat Qualitative Research Can DoSummary and ConclusionDiscussion QuestionsSuggested ReadingsIndexAbout the Author

"Reading this book is like having a conversation with an experienced, knowledgeable practitioner of marketing and marketing research. The conversational style makes the book easy to read and conveys the information in a friendly, but important way."