Diary panels involve samples of households that have agreed to provide specific information regularly over an extended period of time. For this reason they are often referred to as continuous panels. Respondents are asked to keep a specially designed dairy.
a. Media panels are primarily used for establishing advertising rates for radio, television and printed media.
Purchase panel data can be used to forecast sales levels or market shares of new products, for identifying trends and establishing demographic profiles of specific user groups, for evaluating test markets, for testing different advertising campaigns and for estimating brand switching and repeat purchase rates.
Although the discussion has focused on consumer panels it should be noted that panels can, and have been, successfully established using farmers.
b. Consumer Purchase Panels or Omnibus Panels
Of these types of panels, the consumer purchase panel is the most often used and has the widest range of applications. Such panels have been established by many different organizations, including the government, various universities, newspapers, manufacturers, and marketing research firms.
The typical consumer purchase panel furnishes information at regular intervals on continuing purchases of the products covered. The type of product, brand, weight or quantity of unit, number of units, kind of package or container, price per unit, whether a special promotion was in effect, store name, and date and day of week are reported for each product bought.
Advantages of consumer Panels
Can Provide Information On:
Aggregate Sales Activity
Brand Shares
Shifts in Buyer Characteristics
Shifts in Retail Outlets
Limitations of Consumer Panels
Possibility of Selection Bias
Mortality Effect
Testing Effects
4. Focus group discussions (F.G.Ds):
The standard focus group interview involves 8 and 12 individuals and lasts about 2 hours. Normally each group is designed to reflect the characteristics of a particular market segment.
The respondents are selected according to the relevant sampling plan and meet at a central location that generally has facility for taping and/ or filming the interviews. In Europe, focus tend to consist of 6 to 8 respondents, vary in length from 1.5 to 4 hours and are often conducted in the home of the recruiter. Otherwise the interviewers are similar.
The discussion itself is “led” by a moderator. The moderator attempts to progress through three stages during the interviewer:
(1) establish rapport with the group, structure the rules of group interaction, and set objectives;
(2) provoke intense discussion in the relevant areas; and
(3) summarize the group’s responses to determine the extent of agreement.
The general either the moderator or a second person prepares a summary of each session after analyzing the session’s transcript.
Focus Group Interviews can be applied to:
1. Basic- need studies for product idea creation,
2. New product idea or concept exploration,
3. Product positioning studies,
4. Advertising and communications research,
5. Background studies on consumer’s frames or reference,
6. Establishment of consumer vocabulary as a preliminary step in questionnaire development and,
7. Determination of attitudes and behavior.
Advantages
1. Each individual is able to expand and refine their opinions in the interaction with the other members. This process provides more detailed and accurate information than could be derived from each separately.
2. A group interview situation is generally more exciting and offers more stimulation to the participants than the standard depth interviews.
3. The security of being in a crowd encourages some members to speak out when they otherwise would not.
4. As the questions raised by the moderator are addressed to the entire group rather than an individual the answer contains a degree of spontaneity that is not produced by other techniques.
5. Focus groups can be used successfully with children over five. They are also very useful with adults in developing countries where literacy rates are low and survey research is difficult. 88
6. A final major advantage of focus groups is that executives often observe the interview (from behind mirrors) or watch films of the interview.
Disadvantages
1. Since focus group interviews last 1.5 to 3 hours and take place at a central location, securing cooperation from a random sample is difficult.
2. Those who attend group interviews and actively participate in them are likely to be different in many respects from those who do not.
3. There are chances that participants may go along with the popular opinion instead of expressing their own which may be contrary to the popular opinions.
4. The presence of a one-way mirror and /or an observer(s) has been found to distort participant’s responses.
5. The moderator can introduce serious biases in the interview by shifting topics too rapidly verbally or nonverbally encouraging certain answers, failing to cover specific areas, and so forth.
6. Focus groups are expensive on a per respondent basis.
a. Media panels are primarily used for establishing advertising rates for radio, television and printed media.
Purchase panel data can be used to forecast sales levels or market shares of new products, for identifying trends and establishing demographic profiles of specific user groups, for evaluating test markets, for testing different advertising campaigns and for estimating brand switching and repeat purchase rates.
Although the discussion has focused on consumer panels it should be noted that panels can, and have been, successfully established using farmers.
b. Consumer Purchase Panels or Omnibus Panels
Of these types of panels, the consumer purchase panel is the most often used and has the widest range of applications. Such panels have been established by many different organizations, including the government, various universities, newspapers, manufacturers, and marketing research firms.
The typical consumer purchase panel furnishes information at regular intervals on continuing purchases of the products covered. The type of product, brand, weight or quantity of unit, number of units, kind of package or container, price per unit, whether a special promotion was in effect, store name, and date and day of week are reported for each product bought.
Advantages of consumer Panels
Can Provide Information On:
Aggregate Sales Activity
Brand Shares
Shifts in Buyer Characteristics
Shifts in Retail Outlets
Limitations of Consumer Panels
Possibility of Selection Bias
Mortality Effect
Testing Effects
4. Focus group discussions (F.G.Ds):
The standard focus group interview involves 8 and 12 individuals and lasts about 2 hours. Normally each group is designed to reflect the characteristics of a particular market segment.
The respondents are selected according to the relevant sampling plan and meet at a central location that generally has facility for taping and/ or filming the interviews. In Europe, focus tend to consist of 6 to 8 respondents, vary in length from 1.5 to 4 hours and are often conducted in the home of the recruiter. Otherwise the interviewers are similar.
The discussion itself is “led” by a moderator. The moderator attempts to progress through three stages during the interviewer:
(1) establish rapport with the group, structure the rules of group interaction, and set objectives;
(2) provoke intense discussion in the relevant areas; and
(3) summarize the group’s responses to determine the extent of agreement.
The general either the moderator or a second person prepares a summary of each session after analyzing the session’s transcript.
Focus Group Interviews can be applied to:
1. Basic- need studies for product idea creation,
2. New product idea or concept exploration,
3. Product positioning studies,
4. Advertising and communications research,
5. Background studies on consumer’s frames or reference,
6. Establishment of consumer vocabulary as a preliminary step in questionnaire development and,
7. Determination of attitudes and behavior.
Advantages
1. Each individual is able to expand and refine their opinions in the interaction with the other members. This process provides more detailed and accurate information than could be derived from each separately.
2. A group interview situation is generally more exciting and offers more stimulation to the participants than the standard depth interviews.
3. The security of being in a crowd encourages some members to speak out when they otherwise would not.
4. As the questions raised by the moderator are addressed to the entire group rather than an individual the answer contains a degree of spontaneity that is not produced by other techniques.
5. Focus groups can be used successfully with children over five. They are also very useful with adults in developing countries where literacy rates are low and survey research is difficult. 88
6. A final major advantage of focus groups is that executives often observe the interview (from behind mirrors) or watch films of the interview.
Disadvantages
1. Since focus group interviews last 1.5 to 3 hours and take place at a central location, securing cooperation from a random sample is difficult.
2. Those who attend group interviews and actively participate in them are likely to be different in many respects from those who do not.
3. There are chances that participants may go along with the popular opinion instead of expressing their own which may be contrary to the popular opinions.
4. The presence of a one-way mirror and /or an observer(s) has been found to distort participant’s responses.
5. The moderator can introduce serious biases in the interview by shifting topics too rapidly verbally or nonverbally encouraging certain answers, failing to cover specific areas, and so forth.
6. Focus groups are expensive on a per respondent basis.