Secondary Research: Fast and Cost-Effective

Secondary Research

Fast and Cost-Effective COM 300

January 26, 2015

What Is Secondary

Research?

More Than Simple “Google” Searches

Summary, Collection and Synthesis of

Existing Data

May Not Need to Conduct Focus

Groups/Interviews or Circulate Surveys

Just as Rigorous as Primary Research

Helps Clients Solve Problems

James A. Michener Center For

Writers, University of Texas Governor Bill Clements provided Michener with access to

resources/staff at UT

Pre-Internet Secondary Research: “Texas”

Michener Donated $19 million to UT

Disadvantages of Secondary

Research May Not Find Specific Data

Not All Sources Are Created Equal

Historical in Nature; Not Present, Not Necessarily Predictive

How Was the Research Conducted?

Conflicting Viewpoints

Tastes Great; Less Filling

Record $4.5 Million for 30-

Second Super Bowl XLIX-Spot More Than 100 Viewers?

Audience for Your Product?

High Risk/Reward

Message?

Brand Retention?

What Research?

Ethos: Source Credibility U.S. Census on Population

Bureau of Labor Statistics on Unemployment

Edelman Trust Barometer on Trust

Nielsen for Television

Arbitron for Radio

Pew Research on Media

Fox News/MSNBC

NYT/WSJ

Wikipedia

“What’s The Headline?”

What Market(s)? B2B?

B2C?

B2G?

B2C2C?

Where Is The Market?

Who Should Carry The Ball? Friends/Family: 72 percent

Academic or Expert: 70 percent

Companies I Use: 60 percent

Journalist: 53 percent

Regular employee: 52 percent

CEO: 46 percent

Elected Official: 40 percent

Celebrities: 34 percent Source: 2015 Edelman Trust Barometer

Who Is The Audience? Customers

Employees

Shareholders

Investors

Suppliers

Distributors

Partners

Regulators

How Do You Reach Them? Customers? Ads, Trade Media, Social Media, Website

Employees? Intranet, Social Media, Trade Media, Word of

Mouth

Shareholders? SEC Filings, CNBC, WSJ, Chat Rooms

Investors? SEC Filings, CNBC, WSJ, Website, Social Media

Suppliers? Trade Media, Website, Social Media, Meetings

Distributors? Trade Media, Website, Social Media, Meetings

Partners? Trade Media, Website, Social Media, Meetings

Regulators? Meetings, Website, Local Media

Paid Media: Virtually Impossible

Without Syndicated Research Television and Cable: Nielsen

Radio: Arbitron

Magazines: MRI (Mediamark Research and Intelligence)

Newspapers: Scarborough Media Audit

Interactive: Nielsen, Comscore

Out-of-Home: TAB (Traffic Audit Bureau)

Nielsen: Ratings vs. Share Rating: Size of Audience vs. Total Universe (99.9 percent

households with TVs

Share: Percentage of “on” televisions tuned to a specific

program

Super Bowl XLVIII Share: 46.7 rating; 69 share

Record 112 million viewers; 115 million for Bruno Mars/Red

Hot Chili Peppers Half-Time Show (e.g., Seahawks 22-0)

Data Mining/Era of ”Big Data” Finding a Needle in the Haystack?

Use of Algorithms

Easier and Harder at the Same Time

Second Research

More Than a Few Mouse Clicks