Week 4 EOC | Chapter 6 + 7 Questions

There are many advantages and disadvantages when it comes to using secondary research. Most research products begin using secondary data because it is usually “historical and already assembled” (122); secondary data is information that has already been gathered and recorded by someone else, usually for other purposes. One of the major advantages includes the amount of time and money that is saved, compared to conducting primary research. Because the secondary data is readily available, there usually is no need to execute research again: “Obtaining secondary data is almost always faster and less expensive than acquiring primary data” (122).

Although secondary data may seem like the obvious choice, using secondary data does have its drawbacks. An example of one of the disadvantages of using secondary data includes the fact that the information is not designated to meet the researchers’ needs. The researcher must further evaluate the secondary data to make sure the information is valid for the particular project: “The most common reasons why secondary data do not adequately satisfy research needs are (1) outdated information, (2) variation in definition of terms, (3) different units of measurements, and (4) lack of information to verify the data’s accuracy” (124).

In the book, the definition of a survey is “a method of collecting primary data based on communication (questions and answers) with a representative same of respondents” (146). Now, the information gathered from using survey varies because there are many different factors to be considered. Generally speaking, surveys provide insights on consumer characteristics. It is said that surveys can be considered as snapshots: “Because most survey research is descriptive research, the term survey is most often associated with quantitative findings. Although most surveys are conducted to quantify certain factual information, some aspects of surveys may also be qualitative” (147). All in all, no data source is perfect; this is definitely true for surveys.

Week 3 EOC | "9 to 5" Documentary

Without a doubt, the movie, “9 to 5”, is a comedy classic. Indeed, the movie had an elite cast; however, the movie’s success was the result of excellent writing and detailed marketing research. Many people enjoy the movie because it is not too far off from reality; people connect to the movie because it was very relatable. In order to create such a captivating store, the writers put a lot of effort into market research. In fact, the movie’s producers had the cast and crew ready before the actual plot of the story was developed. Market research played a vital role in the success of “9 to 5”. Through personal interviews and in-depth questionnaires, the writers of the movie were able to take the results of their market research and develop a movie that was perfectly intended for their audience. The legacy of the movie proves that a lot of effort of marketing research went into developing a great movie: “Marketing managers frequently need to determine who purchases a product, portray the size of the market, and identify competitor's actions, and so on. Descriptive research addresses who, what when, where, why and how questions” (44).

Week 2 EOC | Sample Survey

1.     What is your gender?

a.     Male

b.     Female

c.      Other

2.     Which age group do you fall in?

a.     Under 18

b.     18 – 24

c.      25 – 35

d.     36 – 50

e.     Over 50

3.     What type of cologne do you like? Please describe.

4.     Do you think that using cologne would make a man feel more attractive?

a.     Yes

b.     No

5.     Would you value cologne as a part of your social life?

a.     Necessity

b.     Essential

c.      Optional

d.     No value

6.     On a single buy, how much would you spend on a perfume?

a.     Under $20

b.     $20 - $50

c.      $50 - $80

d.     Over $80

7.     Do you like wearing cologne on a daily basis?

a.     Yes

b.     No

8.     Do you like wearing cologne for special occasions?

a.     Yes

b.     No

9.     Would you wear a perfume if your favorite celebrity/athlete endorsed the product?

a.     Yes

b.     No

10.     Are you likely to try certain colognes with unique bottle designs and/or impactful presentation?

a.     Yes

b.     No

Week 2 EOC | Survey Research

The survey that I decided to learn more about is titled, “The U.S. Youth Market: How 15 – 24 Year-Old Consumers are Transforming the Market Place”; the survey analyzed the “lifestyles and attitudes of the 42 million young consumers in the 15- to 24-year-old age group, highlighting the key similarities and differences between those approaching their late teens (15- to 17-year-olds) and those entering adulthood (18- to 24-year-old)”. Because the millennial generation has grown up with technology and the Internet, experts claim that these group of people take the media revolution for granted, as this excerpt from the Executive Summary of the report states, “American youths are now driving a phenomenal increase in text messaging volume and other wireless data services, and they are leading the way in adopting new devices such as portable digital audio players. The fast pace of change in the lives of these young consumers continues to test the ingenuity of marketers and advertisers seeking to capture a share of this $485 billion market.” Because technology is undoubtedly a major part of the lives of today’s youth, people question the effectiveness of traditional marketing methods.

The report is then broken down further into different sections and explains the different stages of research that were conducted to execute this survey. The survey studied the income, employment patterns, living arrangements, expenditure patterns, shopping behavior, and consumer attitudes regarding food, fashion, and finances of the individuals that participated in this survey. In addition, the later sections of the report explain key market trends, projected growth rates, new marketing strategies, and advertising platforms. Overall, this survey goes through all the stages of research.

Exploratory research is “conducted to clarify ambiguous situations or discover ideas that may be potential business opportunities”; this survey was conducted to explore new marketing strategies that will be more effective toward the youth market. Descriptive research describes “characteristics of objects, people, groups, organizations, or environments”; the survey provides examples that paint pictures of given situations. Causal research seeks to “identify cause-and-effect relationships to show that one event actually makes another happen”; causal research is vital to this survey because experts are claiming that the event of rapid technological advancements and the social media boom has effected today’s youth and the theory was that it made them less receptive to traditional marketing methods; thus, marketers need to create new methods of marketing that is effective.

New Fragrance Brand

Whether we acknowledge it or not, fragrances have a huge impact on our lives. People like to be aroused by different scents; everyone has their own tastes in fragrances and their own purposes and reasons for why they buy different fragrances. For example, some people buy candles to make their environment more calming and relaxing. More commonly, some people buy candles to deodorize. Fragrances come in all sorts of forms, like candles, incents, body sprays, perfumes, colonges, aftershave, lotions, and many other forms. Whatever the case may be, fragrances are powerful products that are constantly sold year-round.

After doing some research on fragrances and the fragrance market, I realized that both are affected by many different factors; “According to a report by Star Candle, 80 percent of adult Americans purchased some type of air care product in 2007. The global fragrance market, namely personal fragrances, is expected to grow 3 percent in 2011, reaching more than $35 billion in sales, according to GCI magazine” (Tucker-McLaughlin). As stated before, fragrances play a huge part in the lives of the average consumer. I learned that the fragrance market has seen an increase in purchases from younger consumers: “According to GCI magazine, a cosmetics industry trade publication, youth between the ages of 13 and 19 years old reflect a global fragrance marketing segment worth more than $250 billion…These premium fragrance manufacturers have developed products specifically for the youth market, with names and packaging that appeal to young consumers” (Tucker-McLaughlin). These days, young teens are become more conscious about the way they smell. In addition, almost every successful young celebrity, with a huge following, has his or her own fragrance line. For example, Justin Bieber, One Direction, and Taylor Swift have all seen success in their perfume sales because the fans purchase them.

This brings me to celebrity endorsements. Now, more than ever, the power of celebrity has a predominant impact on the success of certain perfumes, colognes, deodorants, and etc. Sometimes, the actual smell of the fragrance does not matter; people will buy an expensive bottle of perfume just because their favorite actress is endorsing the product: ““Companies who have celebrities endorse their fragrances do need to consider which celebrities will really sell their products. Celebrities should be known globally, such as Charlize Theron or Halle Berry. The celebrity must have a high level of credibility in her field whether she is an actress, athlete or musician” (Tucker-McLaughlin).

If you think only women buy fragrances, then you are stuck in the past because research now indicates that men are become more involved in purchasing signature colognes for themselves and for others: “The male consumer has entered the fragrance market as an emerging niche. Men now spend more time on personal care and purchase more personal care products including fragrances, according to GCI magazine” (Shapiro). Fragrance companies have began to notice this shift in the market; thus, they started paying more attention to designing fragrances and fragrance bottles that are curated to men: “’Men care more about packaging in fragrance and grooming products than women,’ said Brian Boye, the fashion and grooming director at Men’s Health magazine. ‘Especially when we’re talking about something that can easily skew feminine in the minds of some guys, presentation is critical’” (Shapiro). One thing that seems to remain a constant trend among male consumers is that men want things quick and easy; a male consumers quoted, “’We want to get in and out as quickly as we can. So what will grab our attention faster? An elegant glass bottle or something that looks like a grenade or flask?’” (Kynaston).

After completing all this research about fragrances, I propose to create a specific fragrance designed for men that is accessible for both male and female consumers. My fragrance will debut during the beginning for summer, with the intention of being light and long lasting. Design is everything; thus, I will pay extra attention to not only the scent of the cologne, but the overall appearance and presentation of the fragrance.

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Works Cited

Kynaston, Lee. "Mhs Buyers Guide Fragrances." MH – Buyer's Guide To Fragrances. Hearst UK Well-being Network, 27 Aug. 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://www.menshealth.co.uk/style/fragrance/MH-buyers-guide-fragrances>.

Shapiro, Bee. "The New Men’s Fragrances, Aggressively Packaged." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Apr. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/03/fashion/mens-style/the-new-mens-fragrances-aggressively-packaged.html?_r=2>.

Tucker-McLaughlin, Mary. "Best Practices for Fragrance Marketing." Small Business. Hearst Newspapers, LLC, 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/practices-fragrance-marketing-18807.html>.