MKTG2010 – Assessment 2 – Group Research Proposal
A marketing research proposal is a document prepared by a marketing researcher that describes all the steps in the research process and presents a methodology for how the marketing research project will be conducted. The proposal needs to state what the research will achieve and how it will achieve it, so the client commissioning the research is able to make an informed decision as to whether they would like to proceed with the research. A marketing research proposal allows the marketing researcher to convince the research buyer or decision maker that the project is worth the expense, and if accepted, forms a contract between the marketing researcher and the client.
Your group has been asked to submit a marketing research proposal for a scenario of your choice (see scenarios below). Your proposal will provide an overview of the proposed research and methodology for addressing the problem scenario. Your group will need to detail the activities that will be undertaken to develop the needed information, the research deliverables, how long the project will take, and what it will cost, in order for the client to evaluate and use for decision purposes. The proposal must outline the steps in the research process and the rationale for your decisions. It must clearly communicate exactly what information will be obtained, where it will be obtained and how it will be obtained.
Your research proposal is due in Week 8. You must incorporate academic literature to support/justify ideas. Unsubstantiated statements will not provide credibility to the discussion.
You should also ensure that your report is professionally written and presented, ready for presentation to your client
What should the report include?
Purpose of the Proposed Research Project
? Includes a description of the problem/opportunity
? States the decision maker’s purpose (initial research question) ? Symptoms distinguished from the root problem/opportunity.
? Considers secondary sources (internal, popular, government, commercial, and/or academic) to inform research questions and selection of variables
? Specifies the relevant variables that need to be measured
? Defines the marketing research questions and specifies research objectives
? Provides a conceptual model of the proposed research Type of Study
? Identifies the type of data (secondary or primary) required to address each research objective
? Where primary research is required, discusses the type of research design (exploratory, descriptive, or causal) with justification of choice.
Definition of the Target Population and Sample Size
? Describes the overall target population to be studied
? Indicates the appropriate sample size, including a justification of the size. Sample Design and Data Collection Method
? Describes the sampling technique to be used
? Describes the method needed to collect the data (e.g. survey), procedures, incentive plans, and justifications.
Specific Research Instruments
? For exploratory research: includes an example of the interview guide, moderator’s guide, projective
techniques, observation etc. depending on the data collection method chosen.
? For descriptive and causal research: includes an example of the questionnaire and the scales to be used (at least one scale sourced from literature). Potential Managerial Benefits of the Proposed Study
? Discusses the expected value of the information to management and how the initial problem might be solved
? Includes discussion of the study’s limitations
? Includes discussion of the ethical and unethical challenges of the proposed research from the perspective of the research information provider, the research information user and the respondents/participants
Proposed Cost for the Total Project and Project Timeline
? Itemises the expected costs for completing the research, including a total cost figure ? Includes a timeline and discussion of anticipated time frames
Scenarios (choose ONE only)
Choose one (1) of the scenarios below and write a proposal for the research that your marketing research company would implement if the client commissioned you for the work.
Scenario 1:
Cotton On Group is Australia's largest global retailer, known for its fashion, clothing and stationery brands. It has over 1,500 stores in 18 countries and employs 22,000 workers globally. It currently operates eight brands; Cotton On, Cotton On Body, Cotton On Kids, Rubi, Typo, Cotton On LOST, Factorie and Supré. Whilst the brands were doing well before COVID-19 hit, Cotton On Group has noticed a severe reduction of foot traffic in their Cotton On Kids retail stores. Staff have also observed that potential customers are entering the store, doing a quick lap and exiting. They have also noticed that parents with prams and people with trolleys are no longer entering the store. Cotton On Kids are considering a total store redesign now that lockdown is over and more people in New South Wales are out and about. Before the redesign, however, Cotton On Kids want to conduct marketing research to better understand the characteristics of store design that their target market deems important. Cotton On Kids would like to use the findings from this research to make decisions regarding elements of the redesign, in an effort to increase customer’s likelihood of purchasing in store.
Scenario 2:
Crocs Inc. is an American company, based in Colorado, which distributes and once manufactured foam clog shoes. Crocs was well-known for its signature clogs and initially experienced enthusiastic sales, helped in part due to the popularity of the shoe among celebrities like actor Drew Barrymore and singer
Ariana Grande, when the brand first entered the market. Now the company is facing a second consecutive quarter of declining sales and a growing stigma of being seen as ‘daggy’ and ‘uncool’. In an effort to turn around its weakening sales and waning consumer popularity, the brand is considering revamping its shoe products. The management of Crocs cannot decide if it should introduce a new style of shoe – such as a slide or slip on shoe in line with competitors such as Converse and Nike, or stick to the more traditional style of clog but make it from a different material. Crocs are also considering a shoe made from eco-friendly material. Crocs wants to conduct marketing research to understand their target market and the attributes they find most important when they decide to purchase a shoe.
Scenario 3:
MasterChef is a reality television program where contestants compete against each other by cooking meals and impressing judges. In 2020 MasterChef Australia successfully relaunched their program with three new judges, twenty-four previous contestants and an average audience of one million people per episode. Following the popularity of the latest season MasterChef want to extend their brand. While they have previously released a range of cookbooks, consumers’ lives are becoming increasingly busy and often people do not have the
time to cook a meal. As a result, MasterChef have identified an opportunity to expand into the ready-meal market by developing a range of gourmet pre-prepared meals inspired by previous contestants. Statistica (leading provider of market and consumer data) predicts that the Australian ready-meal market will generate 4.4 billion dollars in revenue in 2020. MasterChef want to conduct marketing research to determine the likelihood of consumers purchasing the meals, and to determine the characteristics of the meal options that would be the most popular.
Scenario 4:
Chanel is a French luxury brand that focuses on women's and men’s clothing, jewellery, and fragrances. One of the most well-known products to be released from the brand is the Chanel No. 5 perfume. Chanel has a long history of using celebrity endorsers to promote their products, with previous campaigns using Brad Pitt, Marilyn Monroe, Pharrell Williams and Keira Knightly. One of Chanel’s most successful campaigns featured the celebrity Nicole Kidman and generated a 30% rise in global perfume sales. In recent years, Chanel have suffered a decrease in their share of the fragrance market. As a result, they have created a new women’s fragrance called “Midnight”, which is aimed at a younger consumer. Chanel have decided to use a celebrity to endorse the fragrance to maintain consistency with their prior marketing campaigns. However, they do not know whether featuring Kendall Jenner or Blake Lively in their new campaign would have the biggest impact on consumers’ attitudes toward advertisement’s and their subsequent purchase intentions.