Page 127 - Foundations of Marketing

94 Part 2 | Marketing Research and Target Markets

information can be used to test hypotheses and pinpoint problems. From sales reports, for
example, a firm can gather information such as the most popular times of the year for prod-
ucts, and which colors and sizes sell best. Marketers should look at any available tools for
marketing, management, or financial purposes in their data search. Accounting records are
often overlooked but can be a rich source of quantitative data. While they generally do not
flow automatically to other departments, these records offer detailed information about costs,
sales, customer accounts, and profits. Another source of internal secondary data is competitive
information gathered by the sales force.
External sources of secondary data (see Table 4.2 ) include trade associations, periodicals,
government publications, unpublished sources, and online databases. Trade associations, such
as the American Marketing Association, offer guides and directories that are full of information.
Periodicals such as Bloomberg Businessweek, The Wall Street Journal, Sales and Marketing

Table 4.2 Sources of Secondary Information

Government Sources

Economic census www.census.gov
Export.gov—country and industry market research www.export.gov/mrktresearch/index.asp

National Technical Information Services www.ntis.gov

Strategis—Canadian trade www.strategis.ic.gc.ca
Trade Associations and Shows
American Society of Association Executives www.asaecenter.org

Directory of Associations www.marketingsource.com/associations

Trade Show News Network www.tsnn.com
Magazines, Newspapers, Video, and Audio News Programming

Google Video Search www.google.com/videohp?hl=en
Media Jumpstation www.directcontactpr.com/jumpstation

Google News Directory www.google.com/Top/News

Yahoo! Video Search www.video.search.yahoo.com
Corporate Information

The Public Register Online www.annualreportservice.com
Bitpipe www.bitpipe.com

Business Wire—press releases www.businesswire.com

Hoover’s Online www.hoovers.com
Open Directory Project www.dmoz.org

PR Newswire—press releases www.prnewswire.com
Source: Adapted from “Data Collection: Low-Cost Secondary Research,” KnowThis.com , www.knowthis.com/
principles-of-marketing-tutorials/data-collection-low-cost-secondary-research/ (accessed January 24, 2013).

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