205 MKT: Marketing Research- Question Bank

1. What is the concept of Marketing Research? Explain the application of Research Design.
2. Design a questionnaire to study online buying behaviour of customers for two/ three
select products of your choice.
3. Discuss the multi-disciplinary nature of marketing research.
4. What is Online Marketing Research? Discuss the recent trends in Marketing Research.
5. Discuss the contents of Marketing Research Proposal. Give a research proposal for a
study required by a company which intends to launch new brand in male cosmetic
market.
6. What is research design? Discuss the Explorative research design.
7. What are the essentials of a research design? Discuss the features of Qualitative and
Quantitative research with suitable example.
8. What is Conjoint analysis? Explain its application in marketing research.
9. Discuss the concept of discriminant analysis, its objectives & applications in marketing
research.
10. What is multi-dimensional scaling (MDS)? Discuss the approaches.
11. What is Factor analysis? Discuss the objectives and importance of factor analysis in
research.
12. What is Cluster Analysis? Discuss its applications for analysis of psychographic and
lifestyle market segmentation.
13. Discuss the factors affecting new product development.
14. What is Market segmentation and Positioning, discuss with suitable examples.
15. Explain the study of effectiveness of “advertising” and “sales promotional” campaign.
16. Describe Test Marketing & its various forms. Suggest a test marketing procedure for an
established FMCG company to conduct test marketing to launch a new snack food product.
17. Distinguish between sales analysis and sales forecasting.
18. Discuss Sales forecasting methods.
19. Discuss different types of pricing research.
20. What is the importance of Brand research and discuss the different areas of Brand
research.
 21. Discuss the complexities of data collection methods in International Marketing
Research.
22. Discuss the factors would you take into consideration when conducting marketing
research in a foreign contrary.
23. International marketing research is far more complex than the domestic marketing
research. Comment.
24. Notes: -
Brand Equity, Brand Positioning, Brand Awareness and Recognition, Advertising Research,
Ad testing and Optimization, STP, Market segmentation, Idea Screening, Role of Information in
Marketing Decisions.

Case Studies: -

The Skin Care Market

The skin care market has been one of the most promising segments of the baby
care market in India. According to an estimate the total value of this market was
Rs. 175 crores in 2008 which rose to Rs. 194 crores in 2009.

Some of the companies engaged in the manufacture and sale of baby skin care
market in India are Dabur India Ltd., Johnson's Johnson, Wipro, and Oriflamme. The
market share of Dabur Lal Tel was 34% while that of three products of Johnson 's
Johnson were as follows:

Baby Lotion 21.9%

Baby Oil I 7.9%
Baby Cream 11.8%

These figures relate to the year 2008. Although the total share of these three
products comes to 51.6% which is far greater than Dabur's for one product 34%,
Johnson's Johnson feels there is good scope for its products.

As such it is very keen to increase its market share in respect of each of these
products . However, there are some challenges before the company, one of which is
that in semi-urban and rural areas its products are not so well received. The
 company feels that some effective research in the prevailing market conditions is
called for.

Questions

1. Indicate an appropriate marketing research problem.

2. As a marketing researcher, what type of study would you undertake?
3. Assuming that a decision in favor of survey has been taken, develop a
sampling plan for the same?
4. Which survey method would be appropriate?
5. How would you handle non-responses?

Source: G C Beri, Marketing Research 5e.

Surf Super concentrate Faces a Super Washout in Japan

As of 2009, Unilever (www.unilever.com) sold consumer products in 150 countries. As much as 85

percent of their profits came from overseas, with 7 percent of their profits being attributed to Asia
and the Pacific. Unilever attempted to break into the Japanese detergent market with Surf Super
concentrate. It achieved 14.5 percent of the market share initially during test marketing, which fell
to a shocking 2.8 percent when the product was introduced nationally. Where did they go wrong?
Surf was designed to have a distinctive premeasured packet as in tea-bag-like sachets, joined in
pairs because convenience was an important attribute to Japanese consumers. It also had a “fresh
smell” appeal. However, Japanese consumers noticed that the detergents did not dissolve in the
wash, partly because of weather conditions and because of the popularity of low agitation
washing machines. Surf was not designed to work in the new washing machines. Unilever also
found that the “fresh smell” positioning of new Surf had little relevance because most consumers
hung their wash out in the fresh air. The research approach was certainly not without flaw as
Unilever failed to identify critical attributes that are relevant in the Japanese detergent market.
Furthermore, it identified factors such as “fresh smell” that had no relevance in the Japanese
context. Appropriate qualitative research such as focus groups and depth interviews across
samples from the target market could have revealed the correct characteristics or factors leading
to a suitable research design.
Despite weak performance in the Japanese market, Surf continued to perform well in several
markets including India through 2009. Surf, launched in 1952, is the third biggest-selling product
in the washing detergent market behind Unilever’s Persil and Procter & Gamble’s Ariel.

1. Identify the Marketing research problems.

2. Design a Marketing Research Plan to establish Surf.

Source: Naresh Malhota, Marketing Research 7th Edition.

D-MART DEPARTMENT STORE
Isha Dey, the newly appointed General Manager of D-MART Department store, wanted to make
a good first impression in front of the Board. She had initiated the review of D-MART marketing
strategies, in part to gain familiarity with the store's marketing practices, but also to look for
ways to enhance both sales and market share.

D-MART is one of the department stores in Mumbai city. The store had been founded more than
14 years ago and still controlled by the family of the founder. D-MART conducted broad range
of marketing activities, but the immediate centre of attention had become newspaper advertising.
D-MART regularly placed advertising in local newspaper aimed at producing immediate sales
impact. This advertising offered merchandize at a price below its normal selling price, or drew
attention to medium or low, priced merchandize that was available at normal prices.

The newspaper advertisements usually produced immediate results and often the increased sales
could be observed directly in the specific departments that had advertised. Departments were,
therefore, eager to place newspaper advertisements since the increase in sales resulted in
improved staff commissions and bonuses for the specific department.

Isha Dey, however, had raised the point that the apparent increase in sales was not the true
increase in sales since such advertising transferred sales from one department to another and
from one point in time to another. Each department was competing for the consumer's euro with
equivalent departments in competitor's stores, other departments of D-MART, and with
itself in the weeks and the months that followed. Consumers only had so much money to spend.
If they were attracted to buying a new refrigerator this week, as a result of newspaper
advertising, they are unlikely to also buy new carpeting this week. The sales of refrigerator
might, therefore, represent transfer of sales from carpeting to appliances. Further, offering
customers a € 1000 refrigerator for €750 this week would attract buyers who would have
paid the €1000 next week or next month. That is, the advertising attracted sales from the other
point in time, and so cost the store profits.

The first step in developing the policy for newspaper advertising was to attempt to understand
the issues. Particularly, did D-MART as a whole gain or lose form such advertising?

Investigation of the issue began with collection of some data. D-MART had its own weekly total
sales and knew on which week it had run newspaper advertisements and how much had been
spent on advertisements (Below Table). Estimates of total retail sales for major stores(including
D-MART) in the metropolitan area were also available in the government statistics. Finally, staff
at D-MART followed all newspaper advertising by major stores over 26-week period and used
the size and the scale of competitor's advertising and their own knowledge of advertising costs to
estimate cost of competitor's advertising. The data are summarized in the Table below.

Could these data reveal the true benefits of D-MART newspaper advertisement?
 Sales and newspaper advertising expenditures for D-MART and
Competitors

D-MART All
Total Stores Other Stores
Total Advertising Sales Advertisement
Week Sales Cost Total Cost
1 2170786 11900 3710113 2000
2 1994291 14900 3369873 0
3 2166222 46700 3432998 0
4 1938123 450 340440 500
5 2053371 38900 3260872 2500
6 2119078 900 3608784 0
7 2305125 13200 3977783 6000
8 2100002 1700 3756040 15000
9 2168744 3800 3743732 0

10 2409430 32200 3930555 0

0
11 2485483 6800 4307596

12 1829660 3000 3146449 0

13 2197068 950 3967259 18000

14 2484308 2200 4246680 0
15 1899743 17600 3186419 5000
16 2440601 24400 4042738 0
17 2362137 15700 3943467 0
18 1898388 31900 3079799 0
19 1810179 28600 2923416 2000
20 2356949 13000 3961925 0
21 2255798 29000 3683537 0
22 2168937 12200 3818551 22000
23 2282578 19000 3801129 0
24 2061262 8000 3454436 0
25 1680685 10900 2819941 0
26 2266506 9800 3897689 2500

**Note: This case for class discussion was modified and prepared solely inspired by the
‘Alfonso’s Department Store’ case written by Professor Peter Bell.