Thursday, March 28, 2013

..All about market research..


Hello, PR fellows

After forming part in the organisation of an event, it was time for me to accept a new challenge called Market Research.

First of all, I guess most of you are familiar with the term 'market research' but here is a quick recap of what it is all about. Market research is a methodical, impartial collection and analysis of information about a “specific target market, competition or environment” (Market Research, By DJS Research Ltd 2013). Researches are based on secondary or primary research. Its objective is to deliver a better understanding of the subject matter. For more information, you can visit http://www.marketresearchworld.net/content/view/14/38/ which provides valuable material on the topic.

My task was to conduct an online market research through the use of secondary materials which were given to me. I had to analyse the visibility of more than 150 companies on the web. Initially, I had to check each and every company and see if they have a website. If yes, I had to provide my personal views of the website. It was an enriching process as I felt my opinion was valued. Then, I had to verify the level of their online visibility, that is, if they have a high, moderate, minimum or even zero visibility.

The aim of the research is to analyse the findings, and for those with zero to moderate level of visibility, IMS will approach these companies and propose them strategies to boost their visibility and hence raise the level of awareness of their customers. It was a long process but full of meaning all throughout. In past projects, many of us included market research in the research section of our assignments but I could never imagine that it would be so interesting. I believe this is an essential task as it is from the conclusions that PR plans are developed to reach the objectives of the client.

So PR mates that is all for this week, see you next time for a new adventure.

4 comments:

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

Hello Sandra,

Your experience in the market research segment sounds really exciting and I believe you when you said that you would never thought that this sector was that interesting. I had to do a market research too, at the beginning I thought that I would be quickly bored.

However comparing the websites of several competitors of sun resort's hotels and also identifying their presence on the different social medias gave me the opportunity to understand the operating method of each and every competitors . Sure it was a long and tiring task but at the same time it was so fascinating.

Thus, market research is a very important step for all startups as it helps you to increase insight into market and consumer purchase behavior and to identify and target best prospects.


Regards,
Charlotte

Unknown said...

HI Sandra

I hope you are fine and enjoying your internship. When I read your post , memories of my research work come to my mind. Mainly my competitors analysis. For me it was a real challenge as I had to make a market research for approximately the same amount of companies as yours, and it took me time to do this task as I had other duties as well. The good experience I took from it was when I met one of the employee responsible of the market analysis of his company who was satisfied of my work and encouraged me to continue my work.

Your experience of the market research sounds well and you seem to have enjoy this experience. What are the secondary materials that were given to you? and how long did you take to do your market research?

Hence, I wish you good luck for the upcoming events and for your internship.

Unknown said...

Hello Sharonne and Charlotte

I am glad that you could identify yourselves through my own experience.

To respond to your questions Sharonne, one of my colleagues had already compiled a list of clients and based on this list I monitor each and every company present on it. However, unlike you I worked only on this task as it was carried out during my last days at IMS. Hence, they wanted to ensure that I would have enough time to complete the market research and also for me to focus all my attention on this particular job as much detailed and accurate information had to be provided.

It took me 4 days to complete the market research. Yet, these 4 days seems longer due to the load of work but like I already mentioned it enriched my experience as a future PR practitioner.

I hope your internship is going on well and I wish you luck for your future adventures at Publico Creative.