Advertising and Public Relations Research

Donald W. Jugenheimer, Larry D. Kelley, Jerry Hudson, Samuel Bradley

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9780765636065
• eBook ISBN: 9781317507369
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Advertising
• Index: Business

Designed to serve as a comprehensive, primary text for research methods courses in advertising and/or public relations programs, this book concentrates on the uses and applications of research in advertising and public relations situations. The authors' goal is to provide the information needed by future practitioners to commission and apply research to their work problems in advertising and public relations.

PART I

INTRODUCTION TO ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS RESEARCH

1 Needs for Research in Advertising and Public Relations

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

This chapter is intended to help you:

• See why research is necessary in public relations and advertising
• Understand some of the advantages of conducting research
• Learn why you will need basic research techniques
• Comprehend how research findings can help you with your job in advertising or public relations

WHAT RESEARCH DOES

As the public relations manager for a local humane shelter, Sheila is responsible for the upcoming fund-raising campaign. She needs to know why people donate to the shelter and especially to understand what motivates the biggest donors. She has designed a research survey to help her find the answers to her questions.

Jason is the copy chief at a large advertising agency. He likes the campaign that has been running for his biggest client, but he also wants to be certain that this is the strongest message he can use for his client. After asking all his copywriters to come up with one new idea each, he has almost a dozen advertising appeals on hand as possible replacements for the existing campaign. To determine which might work best, he plans a copy testing study.

As the advertising manager for a large consumer packaged-goods company, Roberto receives lots of suggestions from consumers about possible improvements to existing products, as well as concepts for new products. He needs to know which of these ideas are sound and which are cost-prohibitive. Predictive market and advertising research will help him to determine the most appropriate concepts.

Barney is the vice president of public relations for a national airline. As fuel prices fluctuate, so do airline ticket prices. Various additional costs imposed on flyers have increased the revenue stream at the expense of customer goodwill. Barney is conducting research to help him find the best ways to explain these price increases to customers and to try to maintain their patronage.

Advertising on the Internet is increasing at the expense of traditional media. Brittany works in advertising media sales for a cable television company. She needs to conduct research to help her uncover advantages for her advertising medium that will offset the current trends toward new media and bring her advertisers the maximum return for their investment.

As the store manager of one unit of a regional retail chain, Hal must handle both advertising and public relations, as well as merchandising, promotions, and personal selling. He must have many kinds of research to help guide his decisions.

THE NEED FOR RESEARCH

Each of the situations described above can be aided by research. Research does not automatically provide answers to questions, but it can aid in suggesting directions, providing insights, and eliminating unproductive approaches.

Much of advertising and public relations communications is one-way, from the company or organization out to the customers or publics. Research, by contrast, is inward-directed communication, bringing in information that can be used to make sound and productive decisions. Much of the contact between companies and their public is mediated—conducted through the mass media, the Internet, or even less-direct means of contact. Research helps to shorten this lengthy communications channel; overcome the major separations between firms and their publics: geographic distance, value differentials, time and timing factors; and helps promote the features of products, services, and ideas that the firm wants to disseminate.

Research is a critical competitive tool in modern business: Using research can help the researcher learn what the public wants while uncovering pathways that may not have been previously considered. Competent research helps prevent mistakes and unnecessary expenditures, and improves efficiency.

THE BENEFITS OF RESEARCH

If you work in public relations or in advertising, research brings many benefits.

First, research can save money by preventing rash decisions, helping to find the correct strategies, shortening the time required to introduce new initiatives, and indicating opportunities for new products or services. Of course, it is necessary to weigh research costs against the potential benefits, because very expensive research may not be offset by the future gains.

Research also lets you gain on your competitors. Tracking what the competition is doing or discovering new opportunities before the competition does can be invaluable.

Research lets you adapt to change, whether in society, the economy, your generic business, or in your specific firm or organization. At the same time, research may help you maintain and grow your business and reap profitable rewards.

Research can also help with your internal operations. It may lead to synergies between departments or people, and greater cooperation.

Exhibit 1.1

Some Commonly Used Demographic Categories

• Age
• Income
• Educational level
• Occupation
• Marital Status
• Gender
• Number of children in household
• Ages of children in household
• Race or ethnic group

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APPLIED RESEARCH

Applied research is research that utilizes existing knowledge and research approaches for a specific purpose, often for a commercial or client-driven need. In contrast, basic research is driven by a scientist’s own curiosity or interest in some scientific question; it is also sometimes known as fundamental research or pure research. The rationale for basic or pure research is to expand human knowledge, rather than to create or invent something. Basic research is conducted to increase our understanding of fundamental principles. Over the long term, basic research may lead to applied research.

Most advertising and public relations research is applied research, intended for a specific purpose or application, often in a particular, proprietary situation. You may still avail yourself of all the research methods and approaches that are available, just applied to a specific situation or problem.

PREDICTIVE RESEARCH

There is an increasing need for research that attempts to establish predictability. We try to use what we know today to predict what may occur tomorrow. A marketer relies on that fact when he assesses buying patterns to predict likely preferences. Consumer attitudes are somewhat predictive; if we know people’s attitudes about themselves, we may have a fairly accurate idea of which brands they will prefer. Demographics provide only a little predictability, but still, advertising agencies often plan their campaign target based primarily on demographic data.

Predictive research can help us in many ways. Customers change over time, and research can help us predict what they may want in the future; however, designing a new automobile may take as long as seven years, and consumers are unlikely to know what they will want or buy that far into the future. Markets also change; with the proper research, effective stimuli can be found to help shift the changes in directions that will generate more interest and sales. Environments change, leading to new fads and the passing of older interests. Research can help predict these changes—or perhaps even bring them about. The economy also changes, sometimes rapidly, and foresight can help take advantage of these global alterations.

Exhibit 1.2

Some Commonly Used Segmentation Categories

• Geographic
• Demographic
• Psychographic
• Socio-graphic
• Geo-demographic
• Benefits
• Lifestyle
• Product or service usage

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SPECIFIC USES OF RESEARCH

There are specific focal points for research used by mass media, including the areas of advertising and public relations. First, the credibility of the source of information—the sender of the message, especially if it is we ourselves—is of primary interest. Much research involves source credibility, and the characteristics of the sender affect the receipt, use, and application of the mass communications message.

Second, we study the audiences who receive our messages. What will make them pay attention to what we have to say, absorb the information, trust us, and then act upon our suggestions? How can we segment the audiences into similar groupings, so that we can reach them with advertising or public relations messages?

Third, we study the messages themselves. Are there better ways to present our message? How can we make our message more palatable and even more attractive? How can we be sure to communicate what we want to in our message? How can we offer meaningful benefits?

Fourth, we study the media, the channels that carry our message. Which channels are most trustworthy? Which are most attractive? To which media do audiences pay the closest attention? Which media choices are most efficacious as well as economical?

Finally, we study the outcomes of our communications efforts: Did people actually listen and understand us? Did they do what we hoped they would do, and are they pleased as a result?

NEGATIVE RATIONALE FOR RESEARCH

As we saw earlier, we must balance the costs of research against the potential gains from the findings. Research that is too expensive to provide a return on its investment is one negative rationale for research, but there are others.

Sometimes research is done for the wrong reasons. In advertising and public relations, it is common for a team of workers to have a creative idea that they want to test with research. They are not using research to determine a course of action, only to confirm their initial beliefs and ideas. If the research comes back in support of their views, they can discount the research as telling them only what they already knew; if th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Part I. Introduction to Advertising and Public Relations Research
• Part II. Secondary Research in Advertising and Public Relations
• Part III. Primary Research in Advertising and Public Relations: Qualitative Research
• Part IV. Primary Research in Advertising and Public Relations: Quantitative Research
• Part V. Primary Research in Advertising and Public Relations: Other Research Methods
• Part VI. Advertising and Public Relations Research Data Analysis
• Part VII. Practical Aspects of Advertising and Public Relations Research
• Appendix: Table of Random Numbers
• About the Authors
• Index