Page 131 - Foundations of Marketing

98 Part 2 | Marketing Research and Target Markets

spread over a wide area and funds for the survey are limited. A mail survey is less expensive
than a telephone or personal interview survey, as long as the response rate is high enough to
produce reliable results.
Premiums, or incentives, that encourage respondents to return questionnaires can be
effective in encouraging mail survey response rates and developing panels of respondents
who are interviewed regularly. Such mail panels, selected to represent a target market or
market segment, are especially useful in evaluating new products and providing general
information about customers, as well as records of their purchases (in the form of purchase
diaries). Mail panels and purchase diaries are much more widely used than custom mail
surveys, but both panels and purchase diaries have shortcomings. People who take the time
to fill out a diary may differ from the general population based on income, education, or
behavior, such as the time available for shopping activities. Internet and social networking
surveys have also greatly gained in popularity, although they are similarly limited—given
that not all demographics utilize these media equally.
In a telephone survey , an interviewer records respondents’ answers to a questionnaire
over the phone. A telephone survey has some advantages over a mail survey. The rate of
response is higher because it takes less effort to answer the telephone and talk than to fill out
and return a questionnaire. If enough interviewers are available, a telephone survey can be
completed very quickly. Political candidates or organizations that want an immediate reaction
to an event may choose this method. In addition, a telephone survey permits interviewers to
gain rapport with respondents and ask probing questions. Automated telephone surveys, also
known as interactive voice response or “robosurveys,” rely on a recorded voice to ask the
questions while a computer program records respondents’ answers. The primary benefit of
automated surveys is the elimination of any bias that might be introduced by a live researcher.
However, because of abuse of robosurveys during events such as political campaigns, many
people have negative associations with them.
Another option is the telephone depth interview , which combines the traditional focus
group’s ability to probe with the confidentiality provided by a telephone survey. This type of
interview is most appropriate for qualitative research projects among a small targeted group.
This method can be appealing to busy respondents because they can choose the time and
day for the interview. Although this method is difficult to implement, it can yield revealing
information from respondents who otherwise would be unwilling to participate in market-
ing research.
A major shortcoming is that only a small proportion of the population likes to participate
in telephone surveys or interviews. Many households are excluded from telephone directories
by choice (unlisted numbers) or because the residents moved after the directory was pub-
lished. Potential respondents often use telephone answering machines, voice mail, or caller
telephone survey A research ID to screen or block calls, Millions have also signed up for “Do Not Call Lists.” Additionally,
method in which respondents’ a shrinking proportion of the population has landlines, making conducting phone surveys
answers to a questionnaire are more difficult. In fact, more than one in four homes in the U.S. has no landline at all. These
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recorded by an interviewer on factors can significantly limit participation and distort representation. Moreover, surveys and
the phone
interviews conducted over the telephone are limited to oral communication and cannot include
telephone depth interview visual aids or observation.
An interview that combines the In a personal interview survey , participants respond to questions face-to-face. Various
traditional focus group’s ability
to probe with the confidentiality audiovisual aids—pictures, products, diagrams, or prerecorded advertising copy—can be
provided by telephone surveys incorporated into a personal interview. Rapport gained through direct interaction usually
permits more in-depth interviewing, including probes, follow-up questions, or psychologi-
personal interview survey
A research method in which cal tests. In addition, because personal interviews can be longer than other survey types, they
participants respond to survey may yield more information. Respondents can be selected more carefully, and reasons for
questions face-to-face nonresponse can be explored. One such research technique is the in-home (door-to-door)
interview . The in-home interview offers a clear advantage when thoroughness of self-dis-
in-home (door-to-door)
interview A personal interview closure and elimination of group influence are important. In an in-depth interview of 45 to
that takes place in the 90 minutes, respondents can be probed to reveal their true motivations, feelings, behaviors,
respondent’s home and aspirations.

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