Blog 6 - Methods of Research

Methods of Research

In this task I will be explaining in detail why its important to conduct research before planning a new advertising campaign.

 

Three Different Purposes:

Audience Research
Audience research is undertaken at the initial stages of communication campaign to understand the intended audience's need, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. Audience research reveals the target audience's viewing habits. it divides an audience into groups with similar information needs and preferences. It can be select the best television programme to reach an audience. Its very important to all media institutions. Research is done at all stages for productive of media text and once produced audiences will be continually monitored.

Market Research
Market research is the process of collecting valuable information to help  you find out if there is a market for you proposed product service. The information that is gather from market research will help make wise and profitable business decisions. Its every business responsibility to know what the customers want and giving this to them in a way that is profitable.

Production Research 
Product research is when research goes well and the market analysis is favourable a media company might decide to launch a new product in the market. This type of research is done to gather material to allow  company to develop new products and a whole process will run smoothly. 

Four Main Categories:
Secondary Research
Secondary research uses outside information assembled by the media sources. Its a form of research where the information already exist and can be used as a form of second hand research. Secondary research is usually published in pamphlets, newsletters, trade publication, magazines and newspapers. The Media firms can also get information from the government, competitors or trade publications.
Advantage - The advantage of secondary research are that its easy research information form because of the already existing data. Most of the pre-existing sources are accurate therefore making your research easier.
Disadvantages - One of the major disadvantage is no one know who did the research and how honest and accurate the information they're selling out is. Secondary research can be biased and inaccuracies cannot be checked.

Primary Research
A primary research is an organisation conducts or commissions itself to find out the answers to specific questions.
Advantage - The advantage of primary research is "greater control". Primary research enables the marketer to focus on specific issues and it also enables the marketer to have a higher level of control over how the information is collected which means a researcher can focus on their product only and allows them to analyse it better.
Disadvantages - Some of the disadvantages of primary research are the costa and the time It takes. It could be time consuming to primary researchers because they would have to start with no existing data so all the research had to be done from the start to finish by the researcher. Primary researchers can be very costly because of all that the data that needs to be collected without help form previously existing data and it can take a lot of money to do that.

Quantitative Research
Quantitative research can help to estimate how many people are likely to buy a new product idea, which group of individuals will react best to which type of advert, which incentive will appeal to which target market etc.
Advantage - The advantage of Quantitative research is that it allows the researcher to measure and analyse data. Another advantage is the researcher is more objective about the finding of the research .
Disadvantage - The disadvantage of Quantitative research is that you cannot ask subsidiary questions. Its either get a 'yes' or 'no' when the rue answer might be somewhere in the middle. Another disadvantage of not being sure the person filling in the questionnaire fully understands the question or is 100% being honest.

Qualitative Research
Qualitative Research helps to find out peoples thought and feelings.
Advantage - The advantage of qualitative research is that it gives out information and it allows you to ask subsidiary questions.
Disadvantage - The disadvantage of qualitative research is that qualitative research does not ensure accuracy in the same way quantitative research does. Opinion and bias are far more likely to distort results.