Todd Hollander Market Research

When conducting online research, it is essential to have a well-defined set of objectives. Surveys designed in the absence of clear objectives frequently suffer from one or both of the following flaws:

1. Wasting the sponsor’s time and money by failing to include necessary questions
2. Wasting the respondent’s time by asking unnecessary questions

The problems stemming from poorly-defined research objectives do not end with data collection but continue on to the analysis stage. Simply stated:

It is impossible to develop meaningful insights if you don’t know what you were expecting to observe.

Step 1: Define the marketing problem
The first step in the process of defining the research objectives is for managers and researchers to discuss and clarify the current situation. This discussion should focus on why the research is needed (i.e., the marketing problem should be defined).

Step 2: Determine the decisions that will be made
Having defined the marketing problem, the next step is for managers and researchers to discuss and agree upon the specific decisions that will be guided by the results of the research. The word “guided” in the previous sentence is an important one. Although some managers hope or expect that the research results will tell them what to do (i.e., make the decisions for them), it is important to remember that:

Effective marketing research is an aid to decision-making, not a substitute.

Step 3: Establish the research objectives
The research objectives should link the marketing problem with the decisions to be made. To this end, a properly constructed set of objectives should outline:

• What kind of information will be provided by the research
• How much information will be provided
• How the research information will be translated into management decisions.

In a sense, these objectives serve as the researcher’s promise to deliver information that can be acted upon.

Step 4: Divide and conquer
While all research projects are designed to gather information, rarely can a single project provide all of the information associated with a product or marketing issue. Thus, rather than falling into the trap of trying to cram 20 gallons of research into a 5-gallon hat, it may be necessary to divide the objectives across two or more research studies.

The bottom line: To define effective research objectives, follow these steps and increase the odds of making the right decisions as a result of the research.