THE BRIEF:
You have been appointed as the Project Manager for your chosen organisation and have been tasked with identifying and defining their market research requirements and then developing a market research plan for the Marketing team to approve.
At your initial briefing session, the Marketing Manager has indicated a need for the expansion of the company’s Social Media presence. They are however nervous about any major financial investment in Social Media as their main marketing tools until now has been focused on mainstream media including radio, magazines and billboards.
Detailed market and customer usage data regarding Digital and Social Media platforms is therefore required to help them develop an integrated marketing approach as they more into the 2020’s.
A budget of $15K has been allocated for this project.
ASSESSMENT TASK 1: STATEMENT OF MARKET RESEARCH NEEDS
Your first task is to identify (for your chosen enterprise/organisation) its market research needs. This will require to prepare a statement of market research needs which will need to put into context the following elements:
- Identify the role that market research will play in the enterprise/organisation
- Any specific needs of the enterprise (marketing/sales/finance/logistics/HR) that may require market research to help determine future strategic or operational direction
- The proposed methods of communication for the project
- Any enterprise planning or performance-based documentation to be analysed and used
- The relevant personnel that may need to be consulted as part of the project
ASSESSMENT TASK 2: MARKET RESEARCH SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES
Your second task is to prepare a project scope document that will help determine your market research project objectives. This document should include the following elements:
- Proposed title of the market research project
- The parameters (framework) for the scope of the project
- A record of evidence (diary notes/minutes) of all consultations you conduct with relevant personnel to ensure relevant and useful information is gathered
- The development of a set of draft research objectives
ASSESSMENT TASK 3: DATA GATHERING APPROACHES
Your third task is to identify and define the data gathering approaches and methodology you will adopt for your market research project. You will be required to determine the following as part of your market research project:
- Types of data, including combinations of data required
- Sources of data required
- Quantities of data required
- Most appropriate data gathering methods
- Most appropriate data processing methods
