1. Marketing environment, Information and
research

2. The Marketing Environment

3. Marketing Environment
• The marketing environment consists of actors and
forces outside the organization that affect
management’s ability to build and maintain
relationships with target customers.
• Environment offers both opportunities and threats.
• Marketing intelligence and research used to collect
information about the environment.

4. • Includes:
– Microenvironment: actors close to the company
that affect its ability to serve its customers.
– Macroenvironment: larger societal forces that
affect the microenvironment.
• Considered to be beyond the control of the
organization.
Marketing Environment

5. Actors in the Microenvironment

6. Types of Publics

7. The Company’s Macroenvironment

9. Why
Information
Is
Needed
Marketing
Environment
Strategic
Planning
Customer
Needs
Competition
Strategic
Planning

10. What is marketing information
system ?
Marketing information consists of people,
equipment and procedures to
gather,sort,analyze,evaluate and distribute
needed, timely and accurate information to
marketing decision makers.
Marketing decision makers use the data to
identify and solve marketing related
problems.

11. Marketing research is the “function which links
the consumer, customer, and public to the
marketer through information--information used
to identify and define marketing opportunities
and problems; generate, refine and evaluate
marketing actions; monitor marketing
performance; and improve understanding of
marketing as a process.”
- American Marketing Association

12. 12
 Marketing research is the systematic and objective
 identification
 collection
 analysis
 dissemination
 and use of information
 For the purpose of improving decision making related to the
 identification of problems and opportunities and
 solution of problems and opportunities in marketing.
Marketing Research Defined

13. Marketing Information System

14. Recurrent Information
This is the data that an MIS supplies
periodically about the market share of a
specific product and customer’s awareness of
company’s brands. The data may be supplied
on weekly, monthly or yearly basis.

15. Monitoring Information
This is the data obtained from the regular
scanning of certain sources. Marketing
managers may need data related to
competition or the industry. It is essential so
that marketing managers can be alert and
identify potential problems

16. Requested Information
This information is developed in response to
some specific request by the marketing
manager. Secondary data or primary data
through survey research are collected in
response to the specific request. The MIS
supplies the requested information for
decision making.

17. 17
Used to identify and define
market opportunities and
problems
Generate, refine, and evaluate
marketing performance
Monitor marketing performance
Improve understanding of
marketing as a process
Using Information….

18. 18
Assessing Marketing Information Needs
• The MIS serves company managers as well as
external partners
• The MIS must balance needs against
feasibility:
– Not all information can be obtained
– Obtaining, processing, sorting, and delivering
information is costly

19. 19
Developing Marketing Information
• Internal data is gathered via
customer databases, financial
records, and operations reports
• Advantages include quick/easy
access to information
• Disadvantages stem from the
incompleteness or
inappropriateness of data to a
particular situation
 Internal data
 Marketing intelligence
 Marketing research
Sources of Info

20. 20
Developing Marketing Information
• Marketing intelligence is the
systematic collection and
analysis of publicly available
information about
competitors and trends in
the marketing environment.
• Competitive intelligence
gathering activities have
grown dramatically.
• Many sources of competitive
information exist.
 Internal data
 Marketing intelligence
 Marketing research
Sources of Info

21. 21
Developing Marketing Information
• Marketing research is the
systematic design,
collection, analysis, and
reporting of data relevant
to a specific marketing
situation facing an
organization.
 Internal data
 Marketing intelligence
 Marketing research
Sources of Info

22. The Marketing Research Process
Define the problem
Develop research plan
Collect information
Analyze information
Present findings

23. Step 2: Develop the Research Plan
Data
Sources
Contact
Methods
Research
Instruments
Sampling
Plan
Research
Approach

24. Research Approaches
Observation
Focus Group
Survey
Behavioral Data
Experimentation

25. 25
Research Approaches
Survey
Asking individuals about attitudes,
preferences or buying behaviors
(Descriptive)
Experimental
Using groups of people to determine
cause-and-effect relationships
(Causal)
Observational
Gathering data by observing people, actions
and situations (Exploratory)

26. Focus Group in Session

27. Research Instruments
Questionnaires
Qualitative Measures
Technological Devices

28. Questionnaire Do’s and Don’ts
• Ensure questions are free of
bias
• Make questions simple
• Make questions specific
• Avoid jargon
• Avoid sophisticated words
• Avoid ambiguous words
• Avoid negatives
• Avoid hypotheticals
• Avoid words that could be
misheard
• Use response bands
• Use mutually exclusive
categories
• Allow for “other” in fixed
response questions

29. Question Types—Dichotomous
In arranging this trip, did you contact public
transport?
 Yes  No

30. Question Types—Multiple Choice
With whom are you traveling on this trip?
 No one
 Spouse
 Spouse and children
 Children only
 Business associates/friends/relatives
 An organized tour group

31. Question Types—Likert Scale
Indicate your level of agreement with the
following statement: Small airlines generally give
better service than large ones.
 Strongly disagree
 Disagree
 Neither agree nor disagree
 Agree
 Strongly agree

32. Question Types—Semantic Differential
American Airlines
Large ………………………………...…….Small
Experienced………………….….Inexperienced
Modern……………………….…..Old-fashioned

33. Question Types—Importance Scale
Airline food service is _____ to me.
 Extremely important
 Very important
 Somewhat important
 Not very important
 Not at all important

34. Question Types—Rating Scale
Sri Lankan Airlines’ food service is _____.
 Excellent
 Very good
 Good
 Fair
 Poor

35. Question Types—
Intention to Buy Scale
How likely are you to purchase tickets on
American Airlines if in-flight Internet access
were available?
 Definitely buy
 Probably buy
 Not sure
 Probably not buy
 Definitely not buy

36. Question Types—Completely Unstructured
What is your opinion about

37. 37
Sampling Plan
Who is to be
surveyed?
(Sampling
Unit)
How many
should be
surveyed?
(Sample size)
How should the
sample be
chosen?
(Sampl.procedure)
Probability or
Non-probability
sampling?
Sample -
representative
segment of the
population

38. 38
Sampling Plan
• Probability Sampling
– Simple random sample  every member of the population has an
equal chance of selection
– Stratified random sample  the population is divided into groups,
random samples are drawn from each group
– Cluster (area) sample  e.g. groups such as blocks
• Nonprobability Sampling
– Convenience sample  The most accessible population members
are selected to obtain information
– Judgement sample  The researcher uses judgement to select
population members who are good prospects for accurate
information
– Quota sample  finds and interviews a prescribed number of
people in each of several categories

39. 39
Strengths and Weaknesses of
Contact Methods
Mail Telephone Personal Online
Flexibility Poor Good Excellent Good
Quantity of
Data Collected
Good Fair Excellent Good
Control of
Interviewer
Excellent Fair Poor Fair
Control of
Sample
Fair Excellent Fair Poor
Speed of Data
Collection
Poor Excellent Good Excellent
Response Rate Fair Good Good Good
Cost Good Fair Poor Excellent