Case 1: Pillsbury Cookie Challenge
Focus: The focus of this case is the use of qualitative market research to develop consumer insights and how marketing managers can use the results to determine marketing strategies.
Case Study Question:
Do you think the information obtained through the use of qualitative techniques in the second phase of this research is enough to support the strategic decisions Guillen needs to improve the performance of the category? Justify your responses based on the case data and theory.
Tips:
- In this case study you will see that two phases of marketing research have been conducted. First, a quantitative study replicating an earlier survey conducted in the USA. This allows the researchers to compare the Canadian results with the USA results - and surprise (!) Canadians have respondents differently from the American consumers. Thus, the researchers have now conducted a second phase using two qualitative data collection methods.
- In your submission you only need to evaluate the qualitative data collection methods used in this study, that is, the in-home interviews and discovery workshops (i.e., focus groups).
- Consider the issue of triangulation of the research.
- You do not have to make a recommendation on the marketing communications strategy, only whether the marketing research conducted has provided them with the right information to make this decision.
Case 2: Ad-lider Embalagens, SA: Marketing Research for Drawstring Trash Bags in Brazil
Focus: The focus of this case is the use of market research and sampling techniques in new product development.
Case Study Question:
Evaluate the design and implementation of marketing research in this case. Based on this evaluation, would you recommend the launch of the Climp Fecha Facil bag? Why or why not? Justify your responses based on the case data and theory.
Tips:
- This case involves two data collection stages - focus groups and purchase intercept interviews (short surveys conducted during a test market). You need to consider all of the primary research conducted in this case when evaluating the design and implementation of the marketing research.
- Think practically - Brazil is a large country, and it may be impractical to conduct expensive qualitative and quantitative research in many different cities. So balance the 'ideal' against the 'practical' when critiquing what they have done in this case.
- Consider the issue of triangulation of the research.
Case 3: Introducing New Coke
Focus: This seminal case is marketing acts as a reflective piece on what key issues in implementing the research process.
Case Study Question:
Simply, what went wrong? Evaluate the research process undertaken in Project Kansas to identify and discuss the flaws in the design and implementation of the research process in this case.
Tips:
- In this case you should consider all of the stages in the research process - where there multiple points where things went wrong, or was there just one critical error?
- There was a lot of research conducted in this case - was it all necessary and useful to addressing Coca-Cola's problem?
- Consider issues around how the research process was managed in this case.
Assignment Files -
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7ngsbky2fovisau/Assignment%20File.zip?dl=0