Assignment:
Joe Spivey is president of Advantage Research, Inc. The specializes in customized research for clients in a variety of industries by conducting computer-assisted mall interviews in have of the largest malls in the United States. It operates a computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) facility with 100 calling stations. Housed in this facility is an interactive voice response (IVR) capability. Its Advantage Online division specializes in online surveys and has recruited over 200,000 panel members residing in North America.
There is a database with over 250 bits of information (demographic, life-style, possessions, etc.) gathered and stored for every Advantage Online panel member. If necessary, Joe will subcontract the services of other research in order to provide his client with the most appropriate data collection method. In a daily meeting with his project directors, Joe discusses each client's special situation. Here is a summary of the major aspects of today's three client discussions.
Client 1: A small tools manufacturer has created a new device for sharpening highprecision drill bits. Highprecision drill bits are used to drill near-perfect holes in devices such as engine blocks. Such applications have demanding specications, and drill bits may be used only a few times before being discarded. However, the new sharpening device takes the bits back to original specifications, and the bits can be resharpened and used in as many as a dozen applications. After testing the device and conducting several focus groups in order to get modification suggestions, the client is now ready for more information on sales presentation methods. The project director and the client have developed several different sales presentation formats. The client wishes to have some market evaluation of these presentations before launching a nationwide training program of the company's 125-person sales force.
Client 2: A regional bakery markets several brands of cookies and crackers to supermarkets throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. The product category is very competitive and competitors use a great deal of newspaper and television advertising, with the most progressive competitors moving into social media advertising. The bakery's vice president of marketing desires more analytics in making the promotional decisions for them. She has lamented that while she spends several million dollars a year on promotions in the four states, she has no measure with which to evaluate the effectiveness of the expenditures. Advantage Research's project director has recommended a study that will establish baseline measures of top-of-mind brand awareness (called TOMA, this measure of awareness is achieved by asking respondents to name the three brands that come to mind when thinking of a product or service category, such as "cookies"), attitudes, and preferences.
Client 3: An inventor has developed a new device that sanitizes a toothbrush each time the brush is used and replaced in the device. The device uses steam to sanitize the brush, and lab tests have shown the mechanism to be very effective at killing virtually all germs and viruses. There is an app that communicates with the toothbrush sanitizer, tracking its use and effectiveness, and notices the user when to replace the cleaning lters and guids. The inventor has approached a large manufacturer that is interested in buying the rights to the device. But the manufacturer wants to know if people have any concerns with toothbrush sanitization and whether or not they would be willing to purchase a countertop, plug-in device with app to keep their tooth-brush sterile. The project director states that the manufacturer is interested in a survey that covers the United States and Canada using a sample size of 3,000 representative people. The inventor is anxious to supply this information very quickly before the manufacturer loses interest in the idea.
1. For each client's survey, take each of the nine data collection methods identifed in this chapter and specify what you think are the strongest and weakest aspects of using that data collection method for the client's survey situation.
These are the nine methods:
In-home interview
Mallintercept interview
In-once interview
Telephone interview
Fully automated interview
Online survey
Group self-administered survey
Drop-o survey
Mail survey
2. Based on your analysis from the preceding question and taking into consideration any other relevant aspects, decide which is the best data collection method for each client's survey. Defend your choice in each case.
3. Assume that you are the project director recommending the data collection method you have chosen for each client's survey in the preceding question, but during the next daily meeting, Joe and the other project directors vote your recommendations down. What is the next best data collection method in your mind for each client's survey? Defend your choice in each case.