Marketing Research

Adam King (adamthomas.king@esic.edu)

With thanks to Marcos Pascual Soler and Malar Llopis Amorós 1

 Unit 2

In this unit . . .

1. Reminder of the research process

2. What is desk research?
3. Characteristics of desk research
4. Sources and resources
5. Stages of desk research
6. Advantages and disadvantages
7. Recommendations

2
 A reminder

Information
requirements

Collect
Report
Define the Set Design and
analyse the
problem objectives the study findings
the data

Decision
making

3
Desk research

4
 What is desk research?

Research method consisting

of collecting and analysing
secondary data

5
 Why not just do desk research?

• If all this great secondary information exists, why do

primary research?

6
 Why not do desk research?

• If all this great secondary information exists, why do

primary research?

• We do not know where to look (access)

• Information is not in exactly the right form
(relevance/fit)
• Information might have been produced for a specific
agenda (bias)
• Information is out of date (timeliness)
• Sources might not be reliable (reliability)
• Might seem too easy (credibility)

7
 Why not do desk research?

• Actually, if information is already in the public domain,

it has probably already been scrutinised and is often
very reliable
• It may not definitely be correct, but it may already have
been challenged, which may help us judge its accuracy

8
 Characteristics

• Aims to provide a broader and deeper understanding

of the research problem
• Data already exists (already “out there”)
• Fast, easy and cheap way of collecting data
• Important to know where to look for data (e.g. reliability
and timeliness of sources)
• Once the data has been collected, it must be studied to
see what is relevant to the study

9
 Resources

• With the advent of the Internet, there are a huge

number of resources that can be used for desk
research
• Before, access to a physical library was crucial
• However, libraries still offer good places to do desk
research

10
 Sources of sources

• https://www.askbrian.ai/blog/company-information-
sources/
• https://blog.marketresearch.com/7-popular-sources-for-
company-information-and-research

11
 Sources

1. Data from the Internet

- Data is readily available online and can be downloaded
easily
- Practically free or very cheap
- Websites/forums/blogs have a lot of information that
businesses can use to suit their research needs
- However, only authentic and trusted websites should
be used to collect information

12
 Sources

1. Data from the Internet

- Use the right search string (may have to try several)
- Use quotation marks to force a string of words to appear
- Use the correct spelling or word (e.g. U.S. vs. British
English)
- Think laterally to find information. For example, what is
the volume of tyres bought as original equipment by Ford
Spain last year? How can we find this information?
- Follow the trail: REFERENCING!

13
 Sources

2. Government and non-government agencies

- For example, in Spain, the “Ministerio de Industria,
Comercio y Turismo” provides data on imports and
exports, whereas Eurostat provides European data on
a range of topics
- There may be some cost but much of the data is free
- This data is authentic and trustworthy

14
 Activity 2.1 for Canvas

1- Complete the Go to Activity 2.1 o

n
instructions provided in Canvas
the task on Canvas

15
 Sources

3. Public libraries
- Public libraries store important information and
documents from which information can be extracted
- Services vary from one library to another
- Many libraries have a huge collection of government
publications with market statistics, a large collection of
business directories and maybe some academic
research

16
 Sources

4. Educational Institutions
- More research is conducted in universities than any
other business sector, so they are large repositories of
research and findings
- Data collected by universities is mainly for primary
research
- However, businesses can approach educational
institutions to request data or to inquire about
collaborations

17
 Sources

5. Commercial information sources

- Local newspapers, journals, magazines, radio and TV
stations are a great source of data for secondary
research
- They offer first-hand information on economic
developments, political agenda, market research,
demographic segmentation and similar subjects.
- Businesses can request relevant data
- Businesses can not only identify prospective clients but
also know about ways to promote products or services
through these sources as they have a wider reach

18
 Sources

5. Commercial information sources (press)

- The press is a great source of secondary data
- Make sure you check the facts in other sources
- Make sure you check for editorial bias

19
 Sources

6. Industry experts
- Organisations and individuals within the industry
- Not strictly desk research (what is it?)

20
 Sources

7. Online databases
- Proprietary databases
- Provide industry data
- Subscription only

21
 Sources

8. Company data
- Reporting by companies
- See government sources
- May have to pay subscription for some data

22
 Sources

9. Trade and industry associations

- Some only publish an annual report
- Some are more active (e.g. SMMT in the UK vehicle
industry)

23
 Sources

10. Market research reports

- Big consultancies produce reports
- Some are available for free
- Some may be behind paywall

24
 Sources

Secondary sources provide a range of information

- The marketing environment
- Geodemographics (the classification of small areas
according to the characteristics of their residents)
- People living in the same neighbourhood are more likely to
have similar characteristics than a similar number of people
chosen at random
- Neighbourhoods can be usefully classified on the
characteristics of their residents as two geographically
separate neighbourhoods of the same classification are likely
to contain similar types of people

25
 Sources

Secondary sources provide a range of information

- Market structure and size
- Suppliers and brands
- Consumer perceptions of suppliers and brands is usually more
of a topic for primary research
- Distribution
- Product details and pricing
- Consumer perceptions of suppliers and brands is usually more
of a topic for primary research

26

Make a list of the
characteristics of the study
and its aims
Stages of desk research
Check whether there are Analyse the information
already data on the study and check whether it
topic responds to the research
aims

Combine
Identify Identify Collect and
topic of information existing compare Analyse
interest sources information information
available
information

s
Explain what sources of lway ent Combine and compare information
information will be most A cum es! information to avoid duplication
useful do urc (reliable sources)
so

Week 0 Plan how long you intend to Week X

spend on your desk research

27
 Advantages and disadvantages of desk research

§ Cost o Reliability
§ Speed o Timeliness
§ Context/Background o Relevance/Fit
§ Range/Scope/Reach o Access
§ Comparability o Credibility
§ Gap identification o Bias
o Unpredictability
o Availability
28
 Recommendations

When can we rely on a source?

- Reports: check the author
- Think about credibility (international consultancy, university,
official agency, member of MRS . . .) or check CV of author
- Blogs, expert social networks: check references of
experts: profile, Google Scholar . . .
- Databases: government/international organisations
(INE, Eurostat, World Bank . . . ) or prestigious
- Scientific literature: check journal is peer-reviewed and
indexed (e.g. Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar)
- News: check with other reliable sources (avoid bias)
and make sure the news source is trustworthy

29
 Reliability

The validity and credibility

of our findings depends on the
quality of our data

30
 Recommendations

Garbage in

Garbage out

31