2020

2021

Instr. Revenlie G. Galapin

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT |

MM7: MARKETING RESEARCH

Objectives:

1. Define marketing research

2. Understand the nature of marketing research
3. List the different methods in conducting marketing research
4. Compare the two basic categories of marketing research
5. Differentiate the various types of organizations that conduct marketing
research
6. Enumerate the different uses of marketing research.
7. Discuss the steps in the marketing research process
8. Identify market research practices that are perceived as unethical.

THE NATURE OF MARKETING RESEARCH

Marketing

- It is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing,

promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create
exchanges that gratify both individual and organization objectives.
- The goal of an organization based from the marketing concept is customer
satisfaction rather than profit maximization. Basically, the organization should
be consumer-oriented with the intention of trying to understand consumers'
requirements and satisfy them promptly and efficiently, in ways that are
valuable to the consumer and the organization.
- This means that any organization should make researches and seek to
acquire information on consumer needs and collect marketing intelligence to
help satisfy these requirements efficiently.

Marketing research

- It is a significant part of such a marketing intelligence system.

- Through providing relevant, accurate, and timely (RAT) information,
marketing research helps to improve management decision making. Every
decision creates distinctive needs for information, and applicable strategies
can be created based on the information obtained through marketing
research in action.

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- Most of the time, marketing research is regarded as barely as the gathering

and analyzing of data for someone else to use.
- Competitive advantage can be achieved and sustained by firms through the
innovative and creative application of market information.
- Hence, marketing research is not simply the evaluation of decisions that have
been made but as information input to decisions. However, market research
alone does not promise achievement. The smart application of market
research is the key to business success. A competitive edge is more the
outcome of how information is applied than of who does or does not have
the information.
- Market research embodies the voice of customers about a product and
getting rid of this important tool can result in:
1. Poor understanding about what a customer wants and needs and which
customer needs are unsatisfied and less ability to recognize would-be
problems that hurtles along the way therefore more unanswered questions
about how to continue in the market.
2. Deficient ability to prevent risk in the marketplace resulting to more risk
that an expensive and unsuccessful marketing campaign will be
launched.
3. Little prediction of vital market trends about a product creating more
errors and inaccurate assumptions regarding upcoming trends.
4. No anticipation of the emergence of new markets that result to more hits
and misses when trying to foresee new markets
5. Lack of ability to quantify one's own marketing effectiveness resulting to
more launching of useless marketing campaigns
6. Less understanding of a company's unique target market resulting to more
launching of products and marketing that communicate to a market
beyond one's own target.
7. Fewer knowledge of a company's competition and inability to compete
creating more opportunities to fall behind the competition resulting in less
business and smaller revenues

- In reality, there are three major categories of a marketing research

department’s goal which are programmatic, selective, or evaluative.
1. Programmatic research is executed to develop marketing alternatives
through market segmentation, market opportunity analysis, or consumer
attitude and product usage studies.
2. Selective research is made to examine different decision options like new
product concept testing, advertising copy testing pretest marketing, and
test marketing.
3. Evaluative research is performed to appraise performance of programs,
such as tracking advertising recall, corporate and brand image studies,
and measuring customer satisfaction with the quality of the product anD
service.

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Methods of Conducting Marketing Research

There are several methods being used to conduct marketing research which
are detailed here:

Focus Groups
- Focus groups are usually conducted at focus group facilities. These facilities
have one-way mirrors so managers can eavesdrop to consumers’ feedback about
their products and services. A moderator or special interviewer typically manages
the focus group discussion. He develops a discussion guide of 5 to 10 questions
related to the product. He then solicits ideas from participants on various questions
about the product. The model size tor a focus group is from six to ten people. For
instance, a moderator may speak to customers about a small restaurant's new fish
fillet sandwich meal. He may ask them if they like the idea of a new fish fillet
sandwich, how much they would pay for it and whether or not they would purchase
it. Companies often use focus groups to narrow several versions of a
product down to the best offering which is the one the customers prefer.

One-on-One Interviews
- One-on-one interviews are conducted in a comparable manner to focus
groups, but with only one person. One-on-one interviews go a step further than
usual personal interviews. Company managers use these interviews to observe
someone actually using their product. For instance, a computer software firm may
want to test a new application program, so they set up a computer and watch as
individuals use the software. Like focus groups, managers watch behind one-way
mirrors. Moderators then sit in the room with each person and ask them questions,
including how they like the software, or how simple it is to use. Companies then
decide whether they require making changes to the software, depending on actual
consumer usage.

Phone Surveys
- In order to further validate information obtained from focus groups and one-on-
one-on-one interviews companies use phone surveys. Marketers conduct phone
surveys to determine how pleased customers are with its customer service
surveys with larger numbers of consumers and customers. Accordingly, data taken
from larger number of phone surveys give clues of what the average consumer
thinks about a particular product or service. For instance, a bank may conduct 300
Marketers would develop a questionnaire from which to raise the questions. They
may include key measurable elements like friendliness, timeliness and accuracy in
the questionnaire. Then they ask customers to rate those elements on a scale of 1
to 10, with 10 being the highest rating and 1 being the lowest. The bank may also
request customers to detail on their responses. The bank manager would then use
the information to upgrade the bank's customer service.

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Testing

Often, companies take marketing research one step further with actual test
marketing. For instance, the restaurant company may actually test its fish fillet
meal out into five of its 101local restaurants, advertising the meal on local television
and radio and through coupon magazine ads. In order to validate the success of
the new meal, corporate marketing managers may then track sales and profits. The
restaurant would then know if its marketing research was a correct sign of success.

THE PROBLEM: MARKETERS NEED INFORMATION

While doing market research, a major TV manufacturer uncovered the problem
that people regularly misplace their TV remote control. Customers did not identify
this as a problem that needed solving, but it was a common issue.

By listening to the customer’s silent need, the company was able to develop a
feature that resonated with its target market (a "remote-control finder" button on
the TV itself).

Using this outside-in approach enables a marketer to concentrate on and solve

the company's target market's problems. It removes the guesswork from product
development and reduces concerns related what competitors are developing
Listening to the market is the best research a company can do to ensure that it
builds the right solutions.

Market research can be separated into two basic categories: problem

identification research and problem-solving research. Problem-identification
research helps marketing teams identify what types of problems they might have
while problem-solving research helps identify ways to solve those problems through
marketing mix and segmentation. There are many problem identification and
solving methods that can be completed through market research. Take a look at
the examples below to see which methods can benefit a company.

Problem-identification Research
By conducting new market research projects the company might discover
a potential dilemma or opportunity that it has not considered before. It could
discover any of the following factors through problem-identification research:

1. Brand image - It is the customers' perceptions of a brand. It's very essential

to be aware of how customers view a company. Determining which
strategies the company wants to apply to positively influence its brand
image can be done through researching its consumers' current perceptions
and what they want from the company.

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2. Market characteristics. This is the characteristics of a company's target

market. The company needs to think all aspects that make its different
customers to purchase. Its customers in the rural areas are going to
have different purchasing behaviors than those from the urban areas.
Recognizing these differences between subcultures, and meeting the needs
of those differences, will help the business' marketing strategies succeed.

3. Market potential - It is an estimate of a product's potential profit. lf a

company researches how consumers might react to advertising or price
changes in its product before it takes action, it will be better prepared and
market to its consumers more accurately.

4. Market share. This is the percent of total product sales compared to a

company's competitors. Market share gives an estimate of the amount of
market a company holds and can give an idea of how it is compared to
its competitors. It also can reveal some of its competitors' capabilities and
strengths, so it can develop an appropriate strategy.

Problem-Solving Research
Once a company identifies its marketing problem, it needs to research how
to solve it. The following research options will help solve potential problems
capitalize on opportunities identified by a company:

1. Distribution research -This is determining where product should be sold

and how to get it there. Distribution research aids a company plans the
best approach to get its product from the manufacturer to the retail shelf.
Moreover it should determine where its inventory will be held in addition
to deciding which retailers should carry its product.

2. Market segmentation- This concerns grouping customers by similar

backgrounds or the same purchase behaviors. Utilizing problem-solving
research can determine how to most accurately accomplish this and even
how to design advertisements to draw those groups. The company will
need to gather both qualitative and quantitative data to exactly understand
its market segments.

3. Pricing research- This is about determining the ideal price for the
company's product. Setting the price for its product is one of the most
important marketing steps. It needs to keep the customer in mind as well as
remember that the main g0al is to maximize its profits. Consider whether
or not customers can be gained through lower prices. Or maximizing
Profit can be done through increasing price. The company should know
the sensitivity of its customers by beginning to slightly increase price. All

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aspects need to be well thought-out. Researching customer’s reactions to

price sensitivity is essential.

4. Product research - This concerns testing a company's new or revised

products or completing test marketing Researching secondary data
or observing how its products will be used can allow the company to
effectively compete in the market. Testing different components can
identify new products or discover ways t modify existing products, for
instance, updating a product to compete with newer products.

5. Promotional research -This is on following up with the effectiveness of the

company's advertising strategies. If a company is using advertisements,
there are factors it needs to be checking up on. Unless the company is
evaluating its advertising budget, if its ads are useful in both retaining and
gaining customers and researching what type of ads (online, commercial
or print) are most effective, it truly cannot know whether its wasting the
company's money.

WHO DOES MARKETING RESEARCH?

Market research is a complicated process which involves different steps

to be conducted for each market research process that is carried out. There are
many market research companies which conduct research for top brands across
the world. There can be small business marketing companies, large corporate
marketing companies, product specific marketing companies, and so on. However,
in general, market research companies are not divided on the basis of the market
research work that they conduct. Rather, they are divided on the basis of clients
that they take up. Let us understand the different types of market research firms.

Syndicated Market Research Firm

Syndicated market research companies are the ones who look the market
requirements and prepare their reports accordingly. A.C Nielsen is an example of
a market research company, which knows that other top companies are looking for
consumer behavior studies, buying patterns and so on. Thus, A.C Nielsen regularly
presents reports on buying patterns, industry analysis and sector analysis which
is then sold at a cost to all companies. Simplifying the example even further, say
you are the product head in P&G for Ariel detergent. You need a report on the
detergent market. Such reports will be ready with A.C Nielsen as it carries out
research reports for the open market, and not for specific companies. Thus, you get
ready-made reports at a given price.

Now comes to question of how or where to acquire syndicated research reports.

Well, syndicated research reports can be acquired from any of the following
sources:

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1. Industry association - Industry associations are good sources to find ready-

made information about their industry and market. They hire market
research companies to conduct study for them and then often provide the
results of that study publically for everyone. They can be a good source
when you want to find macro level information about any industry or
market but can be very little use if your needs are very specific.

2. University libraries - University or school libraries often have access to

digital databases which provide research information and if you have
access to them then you can find a vast collection of information. This again
has limitations when you are looking for something very specific, but often
provide enough information which can help you to a greater extent.

3. Market research reports portals- This is the most convenient way to

find and buy syndicated market research reports. You can use portals like
market research reports to find and purchase syndicated research reports.
These portals distribute syndicate reports offered by many renowned
global market research companies.

Investing in syndicated research is an often a cost-effective solution for firms

seeking to gain valuable market insight. Here are the benefits of syndicated
research:

1. Providing a representative overview of the market- While custom

research often focuses on a smaller subject/issue or population, good
syndicated research ensures a representative sample of the overall market.
It provides a clear representation of the players in the market, whether they
are customers, clients, or businesses. The sample should be large enough
and weighted appropriately to accurately provide relevant and actionable
intelligence.
2. Identifying industry trends - Because syndicated research is undertaken
on a large scale, it often provides a macro-level overview of the issues
facing a particular industry. Syndicated research is useful for organizations
looking to understand the market landscape and their position in it, as well
as those looking to gain a jump-start on issues likely to affect the industry
in the future.
3. Measuring brand awareness, strength, and perceptions-Similarly, this
market overview perspective allows multiple companies who invest in
syndicated research to see how their brands and product offerings are
viewed among customers and potential customers compared to those of
their competitors.
4. Offering competitive intelligence- By offering insights on macro-level
industry trends as well as a detailed understanding of specific issues

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within an industry or market, syndicated research can be a valuable source

for competitive intelligence professionals seeking to gain information on
how best to position their companies in a competitive market.

Custom Market Research Firm

Custom research is specifically conducted for and funded by a single client

company, and the results are proprietary to the client. Now, taking the above
example, instead of wanting the complete market analysis, you want to know
just how well Ariel and your particular brands are doing in the market. What is
the thing missing in these products and what can be features added? For such a
purpose, you will hire a custom market research firms. As the name suggests, these
custom market research firms will be ready to do the custom jobs that you give
them. Thus, initially many market research firms start as custom market research firms,
and then move on to specialty or syndicated market research firm.

Specialty Market Research Firm

Once a market research firm has a grip on one specialty, then the firm may
be known as a specialty market research firm. Many a times, such market research
firms also depend on the team of directors leading them. If, for example, the team
of directors or the proprietor is an advertising individual, the firm might specialize in
advertising research because the team and the experience are ready with the
specialty market research firm. On the other hand, if the top brass is from product
development, then the market research firm can take jobs of pilot testing. In
general, specialty firms are the one who are involved with in depth analysis of your
specific requirements. So, tomorrow if you are a product manager and you want to
analyze whether the pilot product which you are going to launch will be accepted
or not, you will approach a specialty market research firm, whose specialty is
conducting market feasibility studies.

The Online Market Research Firm

There are dozens of online market research firms. However, online market
research firms might be more useful for other online marketers like Ebay, Online
E-commerce portals, top bloggers and so on. MOZ and search engine land are
few of these search marketing firms. There are many such online market research
firms. These firms help the website owners, as well as the brands, to connect to
their desired users and at the same time conduct online analysis. This online
analysis then helps the corporate land up on top in search engines, better their
own existing product lines, and in general get to know what the gist of the brand
is in the online community. Thus, you will see that top websites like Facebook,
Twitter are now showcasing "Trends" on their website. These trends are market
research information, and many a times companies can act on these "trends" and

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see a broad picture. The Google trends report for example, will show you exactly
how a trend has increased or decreased in its popularity over time. Thus, although
these are not traditional market research firms, a lot of market research data can be
derived from such websites.

THE USES FOR MARKETING RESEARCH

For marketers, research is not only used for the purpose of learning, it is also a
critical component needed to make good decisions. Market research does this by
giving marketers a picture of what is occurring (or likely to occur) and, when done
well, offers alternative choices that can be made. For instance, good research may
suggest multiple options for introducing new products or entering new markets.
In most cases marketing decisions prove less risky (though they are never risk
free) when the marketer can select from more than one option.

Market research can provide insightful information about market, product,

audience, competition, and more. When a company uses a comprehensive
research library, it can make decisions with greater clarity and confidence. By
having research to back up its marketing decisions, it can optimize its brand strategy
choices and minimize its risk for failure.

The uses for market research are vast. However, in most marketing research
studies the following five critical uses of marketing research can be encountered.

1. Optimize brand strategy and positioning. Every marketer's objective

is to position themselves uniquely in the marketplace ahead of their
competition. Quantitative (numbers-based) and qualitative (conversation-
based) marketing research can be used to identify where a company's
brand
stands compared to the competition, what metrics it should be tracking
over time, and what brand benefits matter most to its target market.
2. Identify or better understand its target market - Market research is an
excellent way to find the best market or target demographic for a product
or service. By focusing a company's efforts to the right markets, it can see
faster results, improved efficiency, and greater overall performance from its
marketing campaigns. In addition, if its target is already defined, a company
can use marketing research to better understand its target consumer and to
uncover critical behavior drivers and attitudes that inform their purchase
decisions.
3. Elevate messaging and communication- Marketers often find themselves
talking at consumers rather than with them to determine how they may
fit into their lives. Their messaging must resonate with their audience
whether through their advertising, package design, or website. Marketing

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research is a great way to test concepts and key messages to evaluate

which ones target customers can relate to.
4. Innovate with impact- Innovation is a key part of any brand's growth
However, conducting marketing research enables a company to focus its
innovation efforts on the highest growth opportunities for itself and its
brand, design a product or service with the optimal benefits and features,
and zero in on the ideas or concepts that address its consumers desires,
needs, and interests.
5. Assess category and competition - Whether a company is a small local
business or a multinational corporation, understanding its competition and
category is a crucial part of dominating the market. Market research can
help to reveal key aspects of the competitors’ products, services, marketing
strategies, and target audience. Using this information within a company's
own campaigns can help to lead in the market over its competition and add
value to its business or brand. In addition, regularly monitoring category
and potential major industry changes will enable a company to stay ahead
of the game and prepare its brand to adapt and innovate.

THE MARKETING RESEARCH PROCESS

- The market research project is conceived, planned, and executed. It is

through a research process, consisting of stages or steps that guide the
project from its conception through the final analysis, recommendation and
ultimate action.
- The research process provides a systematic, planned approach
to the research project and ensures that all aspects of the research project
are consistent with each other.
- It is especially important that the research design and implementation be
consistent with the research purpose and objectives. Otherwise, the results will
not help the client.
- Marketing research exercise may take many forms but systematic enquiry
feature common to all such forms. Being a systematic enquiry, it requires a
careful planning of the orderly investigation process.
- Though it is not necessary that all research processes would invariably follow a
given sequence, yet marketing research often follows a generalized pattern
which can be broken down and studied as sequential stages.
- Some of the major steps involved in marketing rese arch process are as
follows:

Identification and defining the problem

The market research process begins with the identification of a problem
faced by a company. The clear-cut statement of problem may not be
possible at the very outset of research process because often only the
symptoms of the problems are apparent at that stage. Then, after some

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explanatory research, clear definition of the problem is of crucial importance

in marketing research because such research is a costly process involving
time, energy and money. Clear definition of the problem helps the researcher
in all subsequent research efforts including setting of proper
research objectives, the determination of the techniques to be used, and the
extent of information to be collected. It may be noted that the methods of
explanatory research popularly in use are survey of secondary data,
experience survey, or pilot studies, like studies of a small initial sample. All this is
also known as preliminary investigation.

Statement of research objectives

Any useful marketing research study begins with a clearly defined objective.
A clear and written objective helps business owners avoid studying the wrong
or a nonexistent problem. A useful research objective should declare the
specific question or problem that necessitated the research and its
importance.

After identifying and defining the problem with or without explanatory

research, the researcher must take a formal statement of research objectives.
Such objectives may be stated in qualitative or quantitative terms and
expressed as research questions, statement or hypothesis. For example, the
research objective, "To find out the extent to which sales promotion schemes
affected the sales volume" is a research objective expressed as a statement.
On the other hand, a hypothesis is a statement that can be refuted or
supported by empirical finding. The same research objective could be stated
as, "To test the proposition that sales are positively affected by the sales
promotion schemes undertaken this summer." Example of another hypothesis
may be: "The new packaging pattern has resulted in increase in sales and
profits." Once the objectives and the hypotheses are developed, the
researcher is ready to choose the research design.

Planning the research design or designing the research study

After defining the research problem and deciding the objectives, the
research design must be developed. A research design is a master plan
specifying the procedure for collecting and analyzing the needed
information. It represents a framework for the research plan of action. The
objectives of the study are included in the research design to ensure that
data collected are relevant to the objectives, As this stage, the researcher
should also determine the type of sources of information
needed, the data collection method like survey or interview, the sampling
methodology, and the timing and possible costs of research.

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Planning the sample

Quality within the sample size is more important than the quantity of the
sample size. The goal of data sampling is to obtain answers from
representatives of an entire population of interest, not amass a large sample
size. When selecting which candidates to use in the sample, researchers can
use a variety of sampling methods.

Primary sampling methods include random sampling; a stratified sampling

method, where individuals are chosen based on shared characteristics; b
where individuals are selected according to specific locations, or quota
sampling, where individuals are chosen out of specific subgroups.

Sampling involves procedures that use a small number of items or parts of the
population (total items) to make conclusion regarding the population.
Important questions in this regard are:
a. Who is to be sampled as a rightly representative lot?
b. Which is the target population?
c. What should be the sample size meaning how large or how smal1?
d. How to select the various units to make up the sample?

Data Collection
The collection of data relates to the gathering of facts to be used in solving
the problem. Hence, methods of market research are essentially methods of
data collection. Data can be secondary, such as collected from concerned
reports, magazines and other periodicals, especially written articles,
government publications, company publications, books, and so on. Data can
be primary, such as those collected from the original base through empirical
research by means of various tools. There can be broadly two types of
sources
a. Internal sources - existing within the firm itself, such as accounting data,
salesmen's reports, and so on.

b. External sources - taken from outside the firm.

Marketing research involves two types of data sources: primary data sources
and secondary data sources. Secondary data sources, also known as
published data, come from credible and independent sources. Secondary
sources should be the first line of collecting data when conducting marketing
research, as they are widely available and often inexpensive. If secondary
data sources cannot answer the objective, the researcher must collect
primary data, which is typically collected specifically for the objective of the
examination at hand.

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While primary data often fits more precisely with the research objective, data
collection can be costly and time consuming. Market researchers who need
primary data must construct a data-collection instrument to collect
information. In most instances, this consists of observational studies or
questionnaires. The quality of the data-collection instrument determines the
quality and usefulness of the data.

Researchers can "pre-test" the data-collection instrument to gauge its

suitability. During the pre-test, researchers use a survey or their specific data-
collection instrument to test people who are similar in age, education and
knowledge of your respective market to the actual customer or sample
subject. Pre-test participants must complete the instrument in the same
manner as actual sample subjects. For example, it a data-collection
instrument requires a telephone survey, the pre-test
participants must take the pre-test over the phone. After completion,
researchers should ask the test group if there were any questions or
instructions that were unclear or unnecessary to determine if a category or
question requires revision or removal.

Data Processing and Analysis

Once data have been collected, these have to be converted into a format
that will suggest answers to the initially identified and defined problem. Data
processing begins with the editing of data and its coding. Editing involves
inspecting the data-collection forms for omission, legibility, and consistency in
classification. Before tabulation, responses need to be classified into
meaningful categories. The rules for categorizing, recording and transferring
the data to 'data storage media are called codes. This coding process
facilitates the manual or computer tabulation. If computer analysis is being
used, the data can be key punched and verified. Analysis of data represents
the application of logic to the understanding of data collected about the
subject. In its simplest form analysis may involve determination of consistent
patterns and summarizing of appropriate details. The appropriate analytical
techniques chosen would depend upon informational requirements of the
problem, characteristics of the research designs and the nature of the data
gathered. The statistical analysis may range from simple immediate
analysis to very complex multivariate analysis.

Data analysis consists of recording 'and summarizing the responses for each
question or observation for every participant. Summary calculations such as
determining the most frequent answer or average answer can provide an
overview of the survey information. Advanced calculations and statistical
tests, which vary according to the sampling method used to obtain data, can
provide additional insight, such as the difference in answers given by two
different respondents.

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The final stage in the marketing research process is that of interpreting the
information and drawing conclusion for use in managerial decision. The
research report should clearly and effectively communicate the research
findings and need not include complicated statement about the technical
aspect of the study and research methods. Often the management is not
interested in details of research design and statistical analysis, but instead, in
the concrete findings of the research.

If need be, the researcher may bring out his appropriate recommendations or
suggestions in the matter. Researchers must make the presentation
technically accurate, understandable and useful.

MARKETING RESEARCH ETHICS

Ethics refers to moral principles or values that generally govern the conduct
of an individual or group. Researchers have responsibilities to their profession,
clients, and respondents, and must adhere to high ethical standards to ensure that
both the function and the information are not brought into disrepute.

Marketing research has experienced resurgence with the widespread use of the
Internet and the popularity of social networking. It is easier than ever before for
companies to connect directly with customers and collect individual information
that goes into a computer database to be matched with other pieces of data
collected during unrelated transactions. The way a company conducts its market
research these days can have serious ethical repercussions, impacting the lives of
consumers in ways that have yet to be fully understood. Further, companies can
be faced with a public backlash if their market research practices are perceived as
unethical.

1. Deceptive practices-The ease with which a company can access and gather
data about its customers can lead to deceptive practices and dishonesty in
the company's research methods. This type of ethical problem can run the
gamut- from not telling customers that information is being collected
when they visit a website to misrepresenting research results by changing
database numbers. Any action that uses lies and deception to find out or
establish information about consumers falls under this category.
2. Invasion of privacy- One of the most serious ethical considerations
involved in market research is invasion of privacy. Companies have an
unprecedented ability to collect, store and match information relating
to customers that can infringe on a person's right to privacy. In many
instances, the customer does not know or understand the extent of the
company's infiltration into his life. The company uses this information to
reach the customer with targeted advertising, but the process of targeting
can have a chilling effect on personal freedom.

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3. Breaches of confidentiality- Another significant ethical consideration

involved in market research involves breaches of confidentiality.
Companies regularly share information about customers with partners
and affiliates, requiring the customer to opt-out of the sharing it he doesn't
want to be involved. Some companies sell information they have gathered
on customers to outside companies. Ethically, any unauthorized disclosure
of customer information is problematic.
4. Objectivity - Marketing and advertising have a significant impact on public
perceptions. Market researchers have an ethical obligation to conduct
research objectively, so that available data allows for the development of a
balanced or reality-based picture. Researchers who allow their own
prejudices to skew their work tend to contribute to the perpetuation of
stereotypes in advertising, the development of destructive social constructs
dtd the enabling of unjust profiting from poverty. For example, a market
researcher with a one-dimensional view of minorities could do a fair
amount of harm if allowed to shape an advertising campaign based on
skewed data collection.

References:

Marketing Research, Camilar- Serrano , Angelita Ong & Palad, Rolando O.,
Mindshapers Co., Inc. 2016

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