SocketFinalPaper

SocketGroup E

Cory HawkinsWenbo WangDani Brauss

Anthony MunozVanessa Salomon

Table of Contents

1- Title Page2- Table of Contents

(3-4)- Managerial Summary5- Background and Objectives6- Methods Used to Obtain Information(7-16)- Results17- Limitations, Summary, and Recommendations(18-25)- Appendix

Managerial Summary

Socket was an amazing client to have for this project. They are a local phone and internet provider in the Columbia area but have coverage areas in Jefferson City, Sedalia, Moberly, a fiber territory in Fulton and much more. While they already do an excellent job of reaching a target market, Socket suggested that their Marketing 4050 group of students research how much the college demographic even knew about internet packages. They were interested if students were even really aware what a megabyte meant, and how they could use information like this to

better market to students. Socket also had informed their marketing group that in the past they reached Mizzou students by attending the Housing Fair. The Marketing 4050 group also researched how much Socket could better reach students. For example, should they utilize more social media pages? Could they potentially sponsor campus events? And what in general would be the best product offering they could offer students?

First, the Marketing group of students created a list of objectives. If the survey would answer all of these objectives, then ultimately Socket’s “problem” would be solved. There were eight objectives total, but some of the most important ones were: How much do students actually know about internet packages and how can we more effectively market to them based on this knowledge? The group also asked how satisfied students were with their current provider, and more specifically who their internet was being provided by. With this knowledge Socket could target a specific competitor in the Columbia region, and gain more customers.

The Marketing group of students created a 29 question survey. The survey was created using Mizzou Quadratics, and had several customized paths within it. For example, a student that would answer “yes” on a certain customized question would have a different path to take in the survey than the student that would answer “no”. The survey in general consisted of mostly nominal questions, and a few scaled response questions. Some of the questions called for a short answer response as well.

The survey was administered to respondents via facebook. The Marketing 4050 group tried their best to target respondents that lived off campus that they knew had a provider other than Socket. It was a little difficult to convince students to take a survey about their internet provider, yet the group was still able to get 62 respondents, 50 female, and 12 male.

Based on the results the Marketing 4050 group was able to identify some key trends. One of the biggest observations was that Socket should be targeting East and West campus. Half of the respondents live in this area of Columbia, and most students would be intrigued with Socket’s “not a penny more” pricing style. Half of the respondents reported that they use Mediacom, and one third of the respondents used CenturyLink. With this information Socket should target these providers. One of the questions asked on the survey was how much the total bill was that the students pay. The mean response was $88 per apartment/ home. While Mediacom and Centurylink both provide cable services within this price, this shows that Socket’s pricing structure is right on point in comparison to the market.

Another interesting trend was that of the 62 respondents, only 10 of them had “heard of Socket”, and of these 10 responses most of them knew someone who worked there. It is also interesting to note that most of the students found their current provider from a friend. Socket offers a wonderful referral program, and if they could advertise this a little more to their customers, students would absolutely be likely to cash in that credit. The Marketing 4050 group also found that women are more likely to pay for a better service than men, and at least one third of the respondents were dissatisfied with their services.

The Marketing 4050 group also discover that many of the respondents did in fact attend the housing fair. However, it also found that students are likely to go to Greek philanthropic events, sporting events, and read ad sheets. There is also an AroundCampus app that offers discounts to students. If Socket could utilize some of these events, it could help gain more brand recognition on campus.

Overall, the researchers found that in comparison with other providers Socket has a great offering. The only area they are lacking is with their brand recognition with students. If they could have more of a presence on the Mizzou Campus, and establish more student customers to

refer them as a provider, the possibilities are endless. The rest of this report will show exact responses to questions, even more information on this research project, and even recommendations from students on how to get the word out about Socket.

Background and Objectives

A. Background of the Project The purpose of this project was to give Marketing 4050 students the opportunity to apply

concepts discussed in this course to solve a problem for a REAL client. Group E chose to solve a “marketing problem” for Socket, a Columbia based business that provides internet, phone, and recently TV services to the Columbia and Jefferson City areas. The client was Allie Schomaker, who is the Marketing Manager. Socket already reaches nearly 20,000 residential and business customers, but the goal of this research was to see how Socket could better market to college students, as well as find out how much this age group even knew about internet packages. Using concepts learned in Marketing 4050, a survey was generated to solve this marketing problem and results were analyzed.

B. Statement of the Research Problem

Socket wanted to know how much students actually knew about internet services. They wanted to know how familiar students were with talking about internet packages. Finally, Socket was interested in how to better market to the college age demographic.

C. List of Research Objectives1. Are students purchasing their own internet packages or is it being provided by

their leases/ landlord?2. How much are students willing to pay for their phone and internet services?3. Is Socket more likely to sell to off-campus housing or apartment complexes?4. Is Socket’s social media presence more effective than other forms of advertising

media?5. How satisfied are students with their current phone/ internet services?6. How can Socket better reach its target customers?7. How much do students actually know about internet packages and how can we

more effectively market to them based on this knowledge?8. What should Socket’s target market be if it were to rebrand to college students?

Methods Used to Obtain Information

A. Description of the Questionnaire- The survey was generated using the Mizzou Quadratics system. The survey mostly included nominal questions to gain some perspective on what students were paying for their internet, who their providers were, what they would be willing to pay, how much they knew about their current service, and much more. The survey also included scaled response questions so it could be determined how the respondents preferred to see ads, and which social media outlets they used this most.

B. Data Collection Method Sampling Plan ( The sampling plan should be in prose form, not outline form)-

The best way to generate responses for this survey was by posting the link on social media accounts of members of the groups. The social media platform most used was Facebook. This gave the surveyors some control over who could take the survey to try to have most respondents live off campus using a competing provider.

C. Description of Sample Obtained-

For the effectiveness of the survey, it was crucial that the sample obtained would be able to give Socket a better idea of how to solve the overall problem. The sample consisted of college aged students aged 18-22, and the group tried it’s best to focus on students who lived off campus, since most dorms have Mizzou Wireless already in place as part of Student dues. The total sample size was 62 respondents. The survey did not ask for any form of ethnicity from the respondents. There were 12 male respondents and 50 female respondents. With this in mind, the sample was not a perfect depiction of a Mizzou campus but the survey still gives valuable insight.

ResultsObjective 1: Are students purchasing their own phone and internet plans or are they being provided plans with their leases?

Survey Questions:Question 1 - Where do you live?Question 2 - Does your landlord or apartment complex provide your internet services? Question 8 - Which complex are you currently a resident at? Question 9 - Are rates for internet included in your monthly rent, or a separate cost?Question 25 - Who is your current internet provider?

Findings: By using cross tabulation between questions one and question two, the research results show that 23 out of the 25 people who live in apartment complexes are already provided with internet service (Table 1.2). Because of this finding, Socket should be marketing toward the niche of students who are living in off campus housing on East and West campus. Out of the 62 respondents that answered questions one and two, 28 of them lived in East or West campus houses, which is almost half of the sample. The students who live in these areas place high value on low prices and would therefore see more value in the low prices offered by Socket. Socket’s

main competitor at the moment would be Mediacom. Out of the 51 people who answered question 25, 45% of them are currently using Mediacom (Table 1.4). Because most of the respondents seem to be unsatisfied with their current internet quality, current Mediacom users would be an optimal target for Socket to use. A second competitor to Socket would be CenturyLink. Because 33% of respondents are currently using CenturyLink, this proportion of the sample would be a useful target as well.

Tables and Figures: Table 1.1

Statistics

Where do you live?Does your landlord or apartment complex

provide your internet services?

N Valid 62 62

Missing 0 0

Table 1.2Where do you live? * Does your landlord or apartment complex provide your internet services? Cross

tabulation

Count

Does your landlord or apartment complex provide your internet

services?

TotalYes No

Where do you live? Greek Housing 3 0 3

Apartment Complex 23 2 25

Dorm 2 1 3

East Campus 1 25 26

West Campus 0 2 2

Other 2 1 3

Total 31 31 62

Chart 1.1

Table 1.3Statistics

Who is your current internet provider?

N Valid 51

Missing 11

Table 1.4Who is your current internet provider?

Frequency Percent Valid PercentCumulative

Percent

Valid Century Link 17 27.4 33.3 33.3

Mediacom 23 37.1 45.1 78.4

Dish 2 3.2 3.9 82.4

My housing unit takes care of it

8 12.9 15.7 98.0

Other 1 1.6 2.0 100.0

Total 51 82.3 100.0

Missing System 11 17.7

Total 62 100.0

Chart 1.2

Objective 2: How much are students willing to pay for phone and internet services?

Survey Questions:Question 22 - How much are students willing to pay for phone and internet services? Question 26 - How much do you pay monthly for your current internet provider? (Total bill with all roommates included)

Findings:The amount the students currently pay for their internet services was able to be determined by studying the frequencies of question 22 (Table 2.2). Out of the 62 respondents that answered question 22, only 26 of the responses were valid for the uses of the research objective. Out of these responses, the mean, median, mode and range of the data was determined. The range of data is 130, spanning between $10 a month and $140 a month. Because the question asks for the total bill between roommates, these outliers could be due to uninformed respondents or typos. Within the valid responses, the mean was $88, the median was $94, and the mode was $80. Even though college students lean more towards price value models, 24 out of the 62 respondents reported that they would be willing to pay more for better internet service (Table 2.3). Because this is almost 50% of the sample, Socket could potentially see more profits by marketing to these students who want better service. It is important to note that some of Socket’s competitors provide TV services as well. Pricing somewhere between $70-$90 would be the most beneficial for their business, if they are competing directly with cable companies. They could also price lower due to not having TV services quite yet in the Columbia area.

Tables and Figures:Table 2.1

Statistics

How much do you

pay monthly for your

current internet

provider? (Total bill

with all roommates

in...

Would you be willing

to pay more for better

service?

N Valid 62 49

Missing 0 13

Table 2.2How much do you pay monthly for your current internet provider? (Total bill with all roommates in...

Frequency Percent Valid Percent

Cumulative

Percent

Valid 15 24.2 24.2 24.2

? 1 1.6 1.6 25.8

? it’s in our rent. 1 1.6 1.6 27.4

$100 2 3.2 3.2 30.6

$120 bundled with cable 1 1.6 1.6 32.3

$140 1 1.6 1.6 33.9

$29 1 1.6 1.6 35.5

$53/month 1 1.6 1.6 37.1

$75 1 1.6 1.6 38.7

$80 1 1.6 1.6 40.3

0 1 1.6 1.6 41.9

10.00 1 1.6 1.6 43.5

100 2 3.2 3.2 46.8

109-cable and internet 1 1.6 1.6 48.4

112.00 1 1.6 1.6 50.0

120 1 1.6 1.6 51.6

120$ 1 1.6 1.6 53.2

125 1 1.6 1.6 54.8

140+ 1 1.6 1.6 56.5

15 1 1.6 1.6 58.1

56 1 1.6 1.6 59.7

60 3 4.8 4.8 64.5

80 2 3.2 3.2 67.7

80 something 1 1.6 1.6 69.4

90 1 1.6 1.6 71.0

98.00 1 1.6 1.6 72.6

Added in to bill 1 1.6 1.6 74.2

around $80-90 1 1.6 1.6 75.8

Check 1 1.6 1.6 77.4

I don't know 1 1.6 1.6 79.0

I dont know 1 1.6 1.6 80.6

IDK 1 1.6 1.6 82.3

Idk included in rent 1 1.6 1.6 83.9

Included in rent 2 3.2 3.2 87.1

Included in Rent 1 1.6 1.6 88.7

It's includes in a $600 rent 1 1.6 1.6 90.3

NA 1 1.6 1.6 91.9

no idea 1 1.6 1.6 93.5

No idea 1 1.6 1.6 95.2

not sure - its included 1 1.6 1.6 96.8

not sure, paired with

cable, $106...ish

1 1.6 1.6 98.4

unaware 1 1.6 1.6 100.0

Total 62 100.0 100.0

Table 2.3Would you be willing to pay more for better service?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Yes 24 38.7 49.0 49.0

No 25 40.3 51.0 100.0

Total 49 79.0 100.0


Total 62 100.0

Chart 2.1

Objective 3:Is Socket more likely to sell to off campus housing or to apartment buildings?

Survey Questions:Question 3 - Did they recommend a certain provider to you? Question 4 - What internet provider did they recommend?Question 5 - Does your landlord or apartment complex provide your internet services? Question 7 - Which provider do you or your apartment complex use?

Findings:As previously stated, almost half of the valid sample of respondents lived in East and West campus housing. This correlates with the theory that a large majority of Mizzou students live in these areas. This area would be most beneficial for a second factor as well which is that apartment complexes usually provide their own internet/cable packages. From the cross tabulation of results from questions five and seven, this theory would seem to be accurate. Out of the 58 valid respondents, only half of the respondents indicated that their residential areas provided internet packages (Table 3.2). Out of these 29 people that were not provided with internet services 16 of them were told to use Century Link while 11 of them were recommended Mediacom. Socket is missing a large areas of prospective buyers by not making deals with apartment complexes. If they could get certain apartment complexes to praise the Socket services to residents, they could potentially see benefits. Even though this area could see potential, it will be more beneficial for Socket to market to off campus housing than to attempt to break pre-existing contracts that apartment complexes already have with other internet providers.


Case Processing Summary

Cases

Valid Missing Total

N Percent N Percent N Percent

Which provider do you or

your apartment complex

use? * Does your landlord

or apartment complex

provide your internet

services?

58 93.5% 4 6.5% 62 100.0%

Table 3.2Which provider do you or your apartment complex use? * Does your landlord or apartment complex

provide your internet services? Cross tabulation

Count

Does your landlord or apartment

complex provide your internet

services?

TotalYes No

Which provider do you or

your apartment complex

use?

Century Link 1 16 17

Mediacom 14 11 25

Dish 2 0 2

My housing unit takes care

of it

4 1 5

Other 0 1 1

Unaware 8 0 8

Total 29 29 58

Chart 3.1

Objective 4:Is Socket’s social media presence more effective than other forms of advertising media?

Survey Questions:Question 10 - Have you ever heard of Socket? Question 11 - How did you hear of Socket? Question 12 - How did you find your current internet provider?Question 13 - Did you visit any of your current provider’s social media before purchasing their services? Question 14 - Which social media account of theirs did you visit?

Findings:According to the findings, Socket is lacking in brand awareness. Of the 58 people who answered question 10 only 36.2% of them had heard of Socket (Table 4.9). According to the responses from question 11, the main source of awareness is through word of mouth (Table 4.2). The two main sources of awareness for comparable internet providers according to 51 of the respondents are word of mouth and provision from place of residence (Table 4.7). Only four people out of 58 respondents actually made an effort to look at social media outlets for their current internet providers (Table 4.5). Because of this, increasing awareness through social media may not be the most beneficial way. TV advertising and ad sheets have proven to be more effective so development should be made in these areas. It is also interesting to note that the majority of respondents found their current provider because a friend recommended it to them. Socket offers a wonderful referral program, and it would be extremely beneficial for them to market this, considering that regardless of the provider, referrals are the most common way for customers to choose their own provider.



Cases

Valid Missing Total


How did you hear of

Socket? * Have you ever

heard of Socket?

58 93.5% 4 6.5% 62 100.0%

Table 4.2How did you hear of Socket? * Have you ever heard of Socket? Cross tabulation

Count

Have you ever heard of Socket?

TotalYes No

How did you hear of

Socket?

2 37 39

A friend 1 0 1

Ad sheet 1 0 1

ads 1 0 1

Classmate 1 0 1

Friend 1 0 1

Friends 2 0 2

Friends on campus and

campus promotions

1 0 1

Friends work there 1 0 1

I knew someone who 1 0 1

worked for Socket

freshman year

Living in the Columbia Area

since I was a child, drive

past the building many

times

1 0 1

On campus events 1 0 1

Rando 1 0 1

Roommate 1 0 1

Roommates work there 1 0 1

Sister worked there 1 0 1

TV 1 0 1

TV/billboard 1 0 1

work there 1 0 1

Total 21 37 58

Chart 4.1

Table 4.3Case Processing Summary

Cases

Valid Missing Total


Which social media

account of theirs did you

visit? * Did you visit any of

your current provider's

social media before

purchasing their services?

58 93.5% 4 6.5% 62 100.0%


Cases

Valid Missing Total


Which social media

account of theirs did you

visit? * Did you visit any of

your current provider's

social media before

purchasing their services?

58 93.5% 4 6.5% 62 100.0%

Table 4.5

Which social media account of theirs did you visit? * Did you visit any of your current provider's social media before purchasing their services? Cross tabulation

Count

Did you visit any of your current provider's

social media before purchasing their

services?

TotalYes No

Which social media account of

theirs did you visit?

2 54 56

Web Site 1 0 1

Website 1 0 1

Total 4 54 58


Cases

Valid Missing Total


How did you find your

current internet provider? *

What is your gender?

51 82.3% 11 17.7% 62 100.0%

Table 4.7How did you find your current internet provider? * What is your gender? Cross tabulation

Count


TotalMale Female Other

How did you find your

current internet provider?

0 3 0 3

Apartment 0 1 0 1

apartment complex 0 1 0 1

Asked around 0 1 0 1

Came with a utilities 0 1 0 1

bundle

commercials 0 1 0 1

Complex told us about it

and we have to login to

their portal every so often.

1 0 0 1

Didn't have a choice 0 1 0 1

friend 0 1 0 1

Friend 1 1 0 2

Friends 0 1 0 1

I didn't, the landlord takes

care of it

0 1 0 1

I wanted a good cable

service that provided

internet as well and did

research and found

CenturyLink was my best

offer

0 1 0 1

I'm not sure, most known

name

1 0 0 1

included 0 0 1 1

It was provided 2 0 0 2

it was provided by my

apartment complex

0 1 0 1

It was the only one

available

1 0 0 1

It's taken care of by

apartment

0 1 0 1

Landlord 0 1 0 1

Landlord recommended 0 1 0 1

My apartment complex

provided it

0 1 0 1

onljne 1 0 0 1

Only one available for our

house

0 1 0 1

paired with cable

company

0 1 0 1

Previous experience with

family internet

0 1 0 1

Previous residents 0 1 0 1

Provided 0 2 0 2

Provided by apartment

complex

0 1 0 1

Provided for me 1 0 0 1

provided for me through

apartment complex

0 1 0 1

Recommended by

landlord

0 1 0 1

recommended to us last

year from a friend

0 1 0 1

referred by friend 0 1 0 1

Research best deals 0 1 0 1

Roomie 0 1 0 1

Roommate did the

research

0 1 0 1

roommate set it up 0 1 0 1

Sufficient 1 0 0 1

through brookside 0 1 0 1

Through my apartment 0 1 0 1

Was forced into it 1 0 0 1

Word of mouth 2 2 0 4

Total 12 38 1 51

Table 4.8Statistics


N Valid 58

Missing 4

Table 4.9Have you ever heard of Socket?


Valid Yes 21 33.9 36.2 36.2

No 37 59.7 63.8 100.0

Total 58 93.5 100.0


Total 62 100.0

Chart 4.2

Objective 5:How satisfied are students with their current phone/ internet services?

Survey Questions:Question 5 - Could you please select the current quality of service which you are receiving at your complex?Question 16 - What are some things you like about your current provider?Question 17 - What are some things you dislike about your current provider?Question 18 - Did you have to sign a year-long contract?Question 20 - Would you and your roommates be interested in a 9-month contract if it was prorated? (i.e. one free month of internet)Question 27 - Would you be willing to pay more for better services?Question 29 - Does this speed meet your needs?

Findings:According to the data analysis, there is no significant difference between gender and satisfaction with internet services. There is a significant difference, though, between gender and whether someone would pay more for better services. Seven out of twelve men that were surveyed would pay more better services while only 16 out of 36 women that were surveyed would pay more for better services (Table 5.7). This could mean that Socket might have a better opportunity marketing to men rather than women. What was shocking was that only 9% of respondents found their service quality to be superior (Table 5.2). This being true, there was also 41% that found it to meet their needs and 29% reported having services that did not meet their needs. Socket should try to market to those who rank their satisfaction as neutral, does not meet my expectations, and terrible. These would be the people who would be interested in switching internet providers. Because more people gave responses to question 17 in comparison to question 16, it is safe to assume that there tends to be more dissatisfaction with the current providers (Tables 5.4 and 5.5).

Tables and Figures:

Table 5.1Statistics

Could you please select the current quality of service

which you are receiving at your complex?

N Valid 34

Missing 28

Table 5.2Could you please select the current quality of service which you are receiving at your complex?


Cumulative

Percent

Valid Superior 3 4.8 8.8 8.8

Meets my expectations 14 22.6 41.2 50.0

Neutral 6 9.7 17.6 67.6

Does not meet my

expectations all of the time

10 16.1 29.4 97.1

Terrible 1 1.6 2.9 100.0

Total 34 54.8 100.0


Total 62 100.0

Chart 5.1

Table 5.3Statistics

What are some things

you like about your

current internet provider?

What are some things

you dislike about your

current provider?

N Valid 62 62

Missing 0 0

Table 5.4What are some things you like about your current internet provider?


Cumulative

Percent

Valid 17 27.4 27.4 27.4

Already installed into my unit 1 1.6 1.6 29.0

cheap 1 1.6 1.6 30.6

Cheap 2 3.2 3.2 33.9

Customer service 1 1.6 1.6 35.5

easy to connect to 1 1.6 1.6 37.1

Easy to set up 1 1.6 1.6 38.7

fairly cheap 1 1.6 1.6 40.3

fast 1 1.6 1.6 41.9

Fast 1 1.6 1.6 43.5

Fast and reliable 1 1.6 1.6 45.2

Fast usually 1 1.6 1.6 46.8

Fast, mostly reliable 1 1.6 1.6 48.4

High speed and somewhat

cheap

1 1.6 1.6 50.0

I don't have many problems 1 1.6 1.6 51.6

I have wireless and Ethernet

capability

1 1.6 1.6 53.2

it doesn't go out, it's fast 1 1.6 1.6 54.8

It is the same as our cable,

so it's only one bill to worry

about

1 1.6 1.6 56.5

It provides internet 1 1.6 1.6 58.1

it works 1 1.6 1.6 59.7

It works 1 1.6 1.6 61.3

It works most of the time 1 1.6 1.6 62.9

It works usually 1 1.6 1.6 64.5

It works well with a lot of

roommates on it, no contract

needed, good customer

service

1 1.6 1.6 66.1

Just satisfactory 1 1.6 1.6 67.7

n/a 1 1.6 1.6 69.4

never have faulty or slow

connection

1 1.6 1.6 71.0

No contract 1 1.6 1.6 72.6

None 2 3.2 3.2 75.8

Not too expensive, never

cuts out

1 1.6 1.6 77.4

not very expensive 1 1.6 1.6 79.0

Nothing 2 3.2 3.2 82.3

nothing-they're pretty shitty. 1 1.6 1.6 83.9

paired with cable 1 1.6 1.6 85.5

quality service 1 1.6 1.6 87.1

Rarely disconnected 1 1.6 1.6 88.7

Reliable 2 3.2 3.2 91.9

Reliable internet service 1 1.6 1.6 93.5

They have wireless 1 1.6 1.6 95.2

They're ok 1 1.6 1.6 96.8

Wireless, HD 1 1.6 1.6 98.4

Works fine 1 1.6 1.6 100.0

Total 62 100.0 100.0

Table 5.5What are some things you dislike about your current provider?


Cumulative

Percent

Valid 14 22.6 22.6 22.6

customer service is poor 1 1.6 1.6 24.2

cuts out sometimes 1 1.6 1.6 25.8

Doesn't always have the best

reliability

1 1.6 1.6 27.4

Doesn't work sometimes 1 1.6 1.6 29.0

Everything 1 1.6 1.6 30.6

For some reason it is really

slow at odd times when no

one is on it 2:00 am - 5:00

am

1 1.6 1.6 32.3

frequently does not work 1 1.6 1.6 33.9

It doesn't always work 1 1.6 1.6 35.5

it doesn't work all of the time 1 1.6 1.6 37.1

It often doesn't work or is

incredibly slow at certain

times of day.

1 1.6 1.6 38.7

It was the only choice we

had so we couldn't rate shop

1 1.6 1.6 40.3

It's slow 1 1.6 1.6 41.9

Many glitches, DVR doesn't

always work

1 1.6 1.6 43.5

mediacom just kind of sucks 1 1.6 1.6 45.2

my netflix/hulu/hbo go takes

forever to load, stops and

starts

1 1.6 1.6 46.8

n/a 2 3.2 3.2 50.0

no TV guide/hard to find

channels/don't offer all

1 1.6 1.6 51.6

channels I would like

not the best wifi 1 1.6 1.6 53.2

Occasionally stops working 1 1.6 1.6 54.8

service skips out and

wireless radius is awful

1 1.6 1.6 56.5

slow 1 1.6 1.6 58.1

Slow 3 4.8 4.8 62.9

Slow connection, spotty

connection, poor customer

service

1 1.6 1.6 64.5

slow inet speeds 1 1.6 1.6 66.1

slow service, poor

maintenance, and they

literally told me that their

internet boxes are awful

1 1.6 1.6 67.7

Slow sometimes 1 1.6 1.6 69.4

Slow speeds at times 1 1.6 1.6 71.0

Slow, rude, unhelpful, poor

quality and service

1 1.6 1.6 72.6

SO SLOW 1 1.6 1.6 74.2

Sometimes it doesn't work 1 1.6 1.6 75.8

sometimes slow. Goes in

and out

1 1.6 1.6 77.4

Sometimes spotty service,

difficult to be connected to

customer service

1 1.6 1.6 79.0

sometimes super slow 1 1.6 1.6 80.6

Sometimes the customer

service people are jerks

1 1.6 1.6 82.3

Sometimes very slow 1 1.6 1.6 83.9

Spotty service, unreliable,

had to provide my own hot

spot to make I wireless

1 1.6 1.6 85.5

spotty wifi, half the time

cable doesn't work

1 1.6 1.6 87.1

sucky quality throughout

three floors

1 1.6 1.6 88.7

the name 1 1.6 1.6 90.3

the price 1 1.6 1.6 91.9

There are times when it is

very slow

1 1.6 1.6 93.5

They shut off our internet! 1 1.6 1.6 95.2

When I can't connect 1 1.6 1.6 96.8

when it crashes takes awhile

to fix

1 1.6 1.6 98.4

You have to register your

MAC Addresses for each

product you have so that's a

hassle, their wireless access

points are so slow that I have

to use my own, and they

have a lot of network issues.

1 1.6 1.6 100.0

Total 62 100.0 100.0


Cases

Valid Missing Total


Would you be willing to pay

more for better service? *


49 79.0% 13 21.0% 62 100.0%

Table 5.7Would you be willing to pay more for better service? * What is your gender? Cross tabulation

Count


TotalMale Female Other

Would you be willing to pay more

for better service?

Yes 7 16 1 24

No 5 20 0 25

Total 12 36 1 49

Chart 5.2

Objective 6:How can Socket better reach its target customers?

Survey Questions:Question 15 - Could you please rank which is the best way for advertisements to reach you. (Scale of 8. 1= Best, 8= Worst).Question 19 - Could you please rank which campus events would be most beneficial for Socket to attend so that they can spread their brand. (Scale of 6. 1= Best, 6= Worst)

Findings:When respondents were asked to rank how to best reach them with advertisements, social media was surprisingly not the first choice. Ranking first was billboard's followed then by personal referrals, radio commercials, and emails (Table 6.1). 29% of the 55 respondents ranking billboards highly should be a sign that Socket should invest in the area of highway advertising. This data shows that, in the long run, social media plays a very small role in the awareness of internet providers. Socket’s budget should therefore be allocated to other areas. Socket should expand upon their presence at the housing fair because 36% of the 53 respondents to question 19 report that the housing fair is the most beneficial campus event (Table 6.2). Because Speaker’s Circle is a very high traffic area, it would also be beneficial to pass out flyers representing the Socket brand, especially since 19% of the respondents ranked this occurrence highly.


Could you please rank which is the best way for advertisements to reach you. (Scale of 8. 1= Best...-Ad Sheets


Valid Social

Media

2 3.2 3.6 3.6

Ad Sheets 5 8.1 9.1 12.7

Radio 9 14.5 16.4 29.1

Billboards 16 25.8 29.1 58.2

Referrals 10 16.1 18.2 76.4

E-mail 7 11.3 12.7 89.1

Snail Mail 5 8.1 9.1 98.2

Other 1 1.6 1.8 100.0

Total 55 88.7 100.0


Total 62 100.0

Chart 6.1

Table 6.2Could you please rank which campus events would be most beneficial for Socket to attend so that t...-

Housing Fair


Valid Housing Fair 19 30.6 35.8 35.8

Greek

Philanthropic

Sponsorship

9 14.5 17.0 52.8

Event in

Quad or Tiger

Plaza

7 11.3 13.2 66.0

Flyers in

Speakers

Circle

10 16.1 18.9 84.9

Mizzou 7 11.3 13.2 98.1

Sporting

Events

Other 1 1.6 1.9 100.0

Total 53 85.5 100.0


Total 62 100.0

Chart 6.2

Objective 7:How much do students actually know about internet packages and how can we more effectively market to them based on this knowledge?

Survey Questions: Question 6 - Is your service wireless? (No ethernet cords)Question 21 - How comfortable are you with discussing internet packages?Question 28 - Are you aware of what speed of internet you are currently receiving?

Findings:According to the results, 93% of 58 respondents have wireless internet provision (Table 7.2). This could be beneficial for Socket because they provide wireless services. What’s interesting is that 3.4% of these respondents don’t even know whether they have wireless service. On top of that, 76.9% of 52 respondents don’t know what speed they are getting through their wireless internet (Table 7.6). It would seem that survey respondents, who are between the ages of 19 and 23, are fairly uninformed when considering their internet services (Table 7.4). Because of this, it is important that Socket emphasizes on qualitative information when marketing toward college students instead of focusing on quantitative information.


Statistics

Is your service wireless? (no Ethernet Cords)

N Valid 58

Missing 4

Table 7.2Is your service wireless? (no Ethernet Cords)


Cumulative

Percent

Valid Yes 54 87.1 93.1 93.1

No 2 3.2 3.4 96.6

I don't know 2 3.2 3.4 100.0

Total 58 93.5 100.0


Total 62 100.0

Table 7.3


Cases

Included Excluded Total


How comfortable are you

with discussing internet

packages? * How old are

you?

52 83.9% 10 16.1% 62 100.0%

Table 7.4Report

How comfortable are you with discussing internet packages?

How old are you? Mean N Std. Deviation

4.00 1 .

19 1.00 1 .

20 2.50 4 1.291

21 2.94 17 1.249

22 2.48 25 .963

23 1.67 3 .577

that's quite intrusive 2.00 1 .

Total 2.58 52 1.109

Table 7.5Statistics

Are you aware of what speed of internet you are

currently receiving?

N Valid 52

Missing 10

Table 7.6Are you aware of what speed of internet you are currently receiving?


Valid Yes 12 19.4 23.1 23.1

No 40 64.5 76.9 100.0

Total 52 83.9 100.0


Total 62 100.0

Objective 8:What should Socket’s target market be if it were to rebrand to college students?

Survey Questions:Question 23 - How old are you?Question 24 - What is your gender?Question 25 - Who is your current internet provider?

Findings:Socket currently markets to local Columbia residents who tend to have a higher average age than college students. If Socket wants to look at targeting college students, they’ll be marketing towards an age group between 19 and 23 years of age. The 58 respondents within this age group are fairly unaware of Socket’s current marketing efforts (Table 8.4). Of these respondents, only 21 of them have heard of Socket. Of the people that have heard of Socket, 12 of them are of the age 22. Within the market of college students it would seem that the older students tend to more aware of the company. This could be due to prolonged residence within the city or it could be because these older students are in grad school and living further from campus where the brand is more recognizable. More effort will be needed in order to market to the younger proportion of college students. Like stated previously, Socket should look at Mediacom and CenturyLink users as well. These users tend to have the highest rates of dissatisfaction among current internet providers (Table 8.2).



Cases

Valid Missing Total


Who is your current

internet provider? * Does

this speed meet your

needs?

12 19.4% 50 80.6% 62 100.0%

Table 8.2Who is your current internet provider? * Does this speed meet your needs? Crosstabulation

Count

Does this speed meet your needs?

TotalYes No

Who is your current internet

provider?

Century Link 2 1 3

Mediacom 3 4 7

My housing unit takes care

of it

0 1 1

Other 0 1 1

Total 5 7 12


Cases

Valid Missing Total


How old are you? * Have

you ever heard of Socket?

58 93.5% 4 6.5% 62 100.0%

Table 8.4How old are you? * Have you ever heard of Socket? Crosstabulation

Count


TotalYes No

How old are you? 2 5 7

19 0 1 1

20 2 2 4

21 2 15 17

22 12 13 25

23 2 1 3

that's quite intrusive 1 0 1

Total 21 37 58

LIMITATIONS, SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS a. Major limitations of the project

This project’s main limitations involved getting respondents to not only initiate taking the survey but also to get them to complete the survey. Distributing the survey to numerous trusted students whom could return valuable responses required great effort and time. With that, these respondents had to complete the entire survey which had many short answer response. Questions involving these types of answers often can be challenging and annoying for respondents. Also, the survey was very comprehensive therefore it was not short by any means and required some time to complete.

b. Summary and key findings-Media.com controls market share of college students-East/West Campus Students = Optimal Target Market for Socket

-Socket is under-marketed towards college students-Many reports of slow internet speed among college students-Students are willing to pay for better service

These results provide possible solutions to the initial problem which our research is to address, that being how can Socket do a better job of marketing towards college students/penetrate the market. These findings make it clear that there is a need for quality internet, like Socket, within the college community here in Columbia. These findings also make it clear where the need is and who the top competition is. Also, these findings indicate the competitions performance in the eyes of students.

c. Recommendations:

These recommendations directly address what the findings have suggested. Through actions such as these, Socket can have tremendous success within the student market here in Columbia.

Recommendations:

-Target Media.com Customers -Campus Events/Promotions-Social Media Campaign-Continue to avoid using internet “jargon” when advertising/make said advertisements available on campus to students

Appendixa. A copy of the questionnaire that is identical to the one used in the study.

1. Where do you live?a. Greek Housingb. Apartment Complexc. Dormd. East Campuse. West Campusf. Other

2. Does your Landlord or apartment complex provide you internet services?a. Yesb. No

3. Did they recommend a certain provider to you?a. Yes

b. No4. What internet provider did they recommend?5. Could you please select the current quality of service which you are receiving at your complex?

a. Superiorb. Meets my expectationsc. Neutrald. Does not meet my expectations all of the timee. Terrible

6. Is your service wireless? (no Ethernet Cords)a. Yesb. Noc. I don’t know

7. Which provider do you or your apartment complex use?a. CenturyLinkb. Mediacomc. Socketd. Dishe. My housing unit takes care of itf. Otherg. Unaware

8. Which complex are you currently a resident at?9. Are rates for internet included in your monthly rent, or a separate cost?

a. Included in rentb. Separate costc. They do not provide internet services

10. Have you heard of Socket?a. Yesb. No

11. How did you hear of Socket?12. How did you find your current provider?13. Did you visit any of your current provider’s social media before purchasing their services?

a. Yesb. No

14. Which social media of theirs did you visit?15. Could you please rank which is the best way for advertisements to reach you? (Scale of 8.

1=Best, 8= Worst)a. Social mediab. Ad Sheetsc. Radiod. Billboardse. Referralsf. E-mailg. Snail mailh. Other

16. What are some things you like about your current internet provider?17. What are some things you dislike about your current provider?18. Did you have to sign a year-long contract?

a. Yes b. No

19. Could you please rank which campus events would be the most beneficial for Socket to attend so that they can spread their brand. (Scale of 6. 1=Best, 6=Worst)

a. Housing Fairb. Greek Philanthropic Sponsorshipsc. Sponsor their own event in the Quad or Tiger Plazad. Flyer pass-out in speaker circlee. Mizzou sporting eventsf. Other

20. Would you and your roommates be interested in a 9-month contract if it was prorated? (i.e. one free month of internet)

a. Yesb. No

21. How comfortable are you with discussing internet packages?a. Extremely comfortableb. Somewhat comfortablec. Uncomfortabled. Completely Cluelesse. Other

22. Out of you and all your roommates how many devices do you usually have using your internet service at the same time? (This includes smart phones, tablets, computers, gaming systems, etc.)

23. How old are you?24. What is your gender?

a. Maleb. Femalec. Other

25. Who is your current internet provider?a. CenturyLinkb. Mediacomc. Socketd. Dishe. My housing unit takes care of itf. Other

26. How much do you pay monthly for your current internet provider? (total bill with all roommates included)

27. Would you be willing to pay more for better service?a. Yesb. No

28. Are you aware of what speed of internet you are currently receiving?a. Yes

b. No29. Does this speed meet your needs?

a. Yes b. No

b. A research objectives summary

Objective Survey Question

Are students purchasing their own internet packages or is it being provided by their leases/ landlord?

Question 1Question 2Question 8Question 9Question 25

How much are students willing to pay for their phone and internet services?

Question 22Question 26

Is Socket more likely to sell to off-campus housing or apartment complexes?

Question 3Question 4Question 5Question 7

Is Socket’s social media presence more effective than other forms of advertising media?

Question 10Question 11Question 12Question 13Question 14

How satisfied are students with their current phone/ internet services?

Question 5Question 16Question 17Question 18Question 20Question 27Question 29

How can Socket better reach its target customers?


How much do students actually know about internet packages and how can we more effectively market to them based on this knowledge?

Question 6Question 21Question 28

What should Socket’s target market be if it were to rebrand to college students?


Question 25

c. SPSS output for each research objective, neatly labeled and organized and keyed to the corresponding research objective in the results section (professor’s copy only; you do not need to provide this to the client).

SocketFinalPaper

Documents