Topic selection of graduation thesis of marketing major

Marketing combination factors and the collection of marketing management information

This paper analyzes the functions of information in marketing management, sums up the requirements of information collection, and introduces three main methods of information collection: investigation, investigation and observation.

Marketing mix; Factors; Marketing; Management; Intelligence gathering

First, market portfolio marketing factors

Marketing combination factors mainly refer to the factors in the process of enterprise marketing activities. However, there are many controllable factors in the marketing activities of enterprises.

Classification is also very complicated. In order to facilitate analysis and application, people have put forward many classification methods, among which the most popular is the "4P" classification proposed by Professor MacArthur, an American marketing scientist. There are four types: products, pricing, distribution channels and promotion. These English words are called "4P" for short, because they all start with P.

The following will briefly describe the "4P" combination elements as follows:

1. products represent products and services provided by enterprises to their target markets. Including: product quality, appearance, style, brand name, trademark, packaging, trading rights, services, guarantees, etc. The design and development of products must be based on meeting the needs of consumers.

2. Pricing represents the price of goods purchased by customers. Including: price, discount, payment method and credit terms listed in the price list. This is a very sensitive factor in the marketing mix. First of all, the price setting must generate profits. Secondly, when competitors launch similar products, the price must be adjustable and competitive.

3. Distribution (place) or marketing channel refers to

The whole process of product entity transferring from producer to consumer (or user). It is a commodity circulation network composed of all manufacturers and middlemen. If it is consumer goods, it usually goes through wholesalers, distributors and retailers, which is a long and wide channel; Generally, the channels through which industrial means of production pass are dealers to users, or manufacturers directly to users, which is a shorter channel.

4. Promotion refers to various activities carried out by enterprises to publicize the advantages of products and persuade customers to buy their products, such as personnel promotion, advertising promotion and commercial promotion. Here, it is important to organically combine various methods to produce overall good results.

In a word, market portfolio Marketing regards the enterprise as a system by means of system analysis, and all kinds of marketing factors and means within the enterprise are subsystems of this system. According to the factors of target market and external environment, enterprises should make the subsystems of this system interact and coordinate with each other in the dynamic and complicated operation process to optimize the overall strategy.

Second, the role of information in marketing management

The low degree of information processing is not as good as comprehensive and in-depth information processing, and the collection cost is high. It has the following advantages:

1, timeliness. There is a time lag in processing information in the process of classification and organization, which affects the value of information, especially conventional literature information. The information has not been processed, so it has an advantage in timeliness. Because market opportunities are fleeting, this information advantage helps enterprises to take the initiative in the competition.

2. exclusivity. Processing information is often obtained through formal channels, which is not only lagging behind, but also may be obtained as public information by competitors of enterprises. Information is obtained through informal channels and can be enjoyed exclusively by enterprises for a long time. For example, the results of market research can only be mastered by enterprises engaged in such research, so they know more about the needs of consumers than other competitors, thus making products competitive.

3. objectivity. Information comes directly from the participants in economic activities, and the information has not been processed, which avoids the possible information distortion in the process of information processing and sorting, and is more objective than second-hand information. These advantages of information make enterprises pay more and more attention to information collection while paying attention to information processing.

Three. Requirements for information collection

1, comprehensive. The effect of marketing activities is influenced by many factors, and the individual consumers who are the marketing targets are also very different. If the collected information can't fully reflect these factors and differences, it may lead to wrong decisions. Therefore, the representativeness of samples is emphasized in the investigation activities. In the experimental method, information personnel are required to distinguish various possible factors affecting the experimental results and take measures to exclude non-research variables to ensure the causal correlation between the experimental results and the selected variables.

2. authenticity. This is the most basic requirement for economic information. In the survey method, the information is required to reflect the true thoughts of the respondents, so they must be dismissed and less questions are designed. In the observation method, the observed person is required to be natural and his behavior reflects their real psychological activities, so the observer should avoid attracting the attention of the observed object.

3. Be targeted. Pay attention to pertinence when selecting the collection objects and contents, which can not only reduce the collection cost, but also help to improve the efficiency of information sorting, eliminate the interference of irrelevant information and improve the quality of information analysis.

4. Economy. The collection of marketing information serves to improve the economic benefits of enterprises, so the relationship between cost and income must be considered. The cost of information collection includes not only the actual monetary expenditure, but also the opportunity cost, such as the income that can be obtained by using time and energy for other purposes. In addition, the difficulty of information processing will also affect the cost. In addition to considering their own costs, we should also consider the costs paid by information providers. For example, in the survey, if the questions are complicated, the respondents need to spend more time and energy, which increases the cost of providing information and will inevitably affect the recovery rate of the questionnaire and the quality of the survey.

5. timeliness. Marketing information requires high timeliness. Although the basic information has the advantage of timeliness compared with the processed information, there are still differences in timeliness among various specific collection methods. For example, the timeliness of questionnaire survey is not as good as interview survey. Therefore, in specific applications, enterprises can choose according to the urgency of information demand.

Fourth, the main information collection methods

1, market research method

The method of obtaining information through direct communication with the object of information collection is called investigation. In market survey, survey is a widely used information collection method. This method is mainly used to understand concepts or conceptual information. According to different communication methods, survey methods can be divided into two categories: interview survey and questionnaire survey. The former belongs to oral communication, while the latter belongs to written communication. Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, and are suitable for understanding different information.

1) Interview survey is to obtain information through oral communication between information personnel and respondents. The main advantages of this method are: ① The identity of the respondent can be determined. This advantage helps to improve the accuracy of information analysis, and the authenticity of information analysis results will be affected because the identity of the questioner cannot be determined. For example, the analysis of the questionnaire filled by men who are mistaken for women will inevitably lead to the deviation of the analysis results. (2) It is helpful to get more information. During the interview, investigators can adjust the content and method of questions at any time according to the other party's reaction, which is helpful to deepen the problem. Respondents can correct their misunderstandings in time. The authenticity of the answer can also be judged by the other person's expression and tone, which is helpful to improve the effectiveness of the answer. Because of the interaction of communication, the two sides can inspire each other and expand their thinking. ③ The obtained information is easy to process. Because the question is designed in advance, the respondent answers the question according to the designer's idea, and there is little irrelevant information, so the obtained result is easy to analyze and deal with. The selection and control of samples can improve the representativeness of answers, and also help to carry out classified statistics and comparative research. ④ The possibility of rejection is small. Out of politeness or affection, respondents are less likely to refuse interviews and investigations. Especially in home interviews, the respondents can better cooperate with the investigators and improve the quality of the survey because of making an appointment in advance. ⑤ Timely feedback. Answer-and-answer survey can shorten the survey period.

However, there are also some shortcomings in the interview survey: First, the survey cost is high and the scope is narrow. Secondly, it is difficult to investigate sensitive issues. Third, the subjective factors of investigators have great influence. Different investigators have different questioning skills and understanding abilities. Asking questions may induce the way, tone and expression of the investigator, thus affecting the objectivity of the answer.

2) Questionnaire survey is to collect information by asking respondents to fill out questionnaires. This method has simple procedures and low requirements for investigators. Its main advantages include: ① low cost. Questionnaire survey is a way of writing communication, which does not require one-on-one conversation between investigators and respondents, and requires less personnel input. Design a questionnaire for countless respondents to fill out, so that the cost of unit investigation is very low. ② The scope of investigation is wide. Because the cost of unit survey is low, this method can survey more people. In particular, the mail questionnaire survey can not be limited by time and space, and both the number of people surveyed and the geographical scope of the survey can be greatly improved. ③ It can be handled conveniently. Questionnaire survey is generally standardized, and the designer controls the range of respondents' answers. The information collection is targeted, and the survey results are easy to handle, which is suitable for quantitative research, especially the closed questionnaire can be processed by computer.

There are two main shortcomings of the questionnaire survey: First, the authenticity of the answers is relatively poor. There are differences in the understanding ability and expression ability of the respondents, so it is difficult to achieve ideal results when investigating some complex problems. Second, the refusal rate is high. Therefore, the questionnaire survey is suitable for understanding the views and attitudes towards questions, choosing the known answers, and making simple suggestions or requirements for questions, especially for quantitative research with a large number of data for comparative analysis.

2. Market observation method

Observation is a collection method in which information collectors go to the scene of economic activities in person or use certain instruments to observe and truthfully record the words and deeds of information collectors. This method can be used not only to collect consumer information, but also to understand competitors and subordinate enterprises.

1) the application of observation method includes: ① understanding the problems existing in management as the basis for rewarding and punishing employees. This method is widely used in chain operation. In order to know whether the service of franchise chain enterprises is standardized, the head office often sends people to subordinate enterprises to observe, including the in-store environment, service level, customer feedback and so on. This method has a strong purpose and can understand the daily service level, but because of being in it, it may have personal subjective emotions and sometimes affect the objectivity of observation. ② Understand consumer demand and buying habits. In western countries, customer observation has become a special service provided by investigation institutions. The investigator dressed as a customer or a staff member, tracked and recorded the customer's purchase process, the time spent in front of the shelf, the customer's gender, age and clothing, and observed the order of goods and the customer's route. Through observation and analysis, it is helpful for enterprises to improve their services, such as determining the best placement position of goods, understanding the characteristics of buyers of certain goods, dead corners in stores, and the focus of consumers' attention. (3) the use of goods. Usage not only reflects consumers' attitudes and consumption habits (dosage and frequency), but also helps to discover new uses of products and help enterprises to improve and publicize products. Observation of consumption environment. Before developing new products, understanding the consumption environment can improve the adaptability of products. Before Japanese cars entered the American market, car dealers sent many investigators to understand American life, such as garage size, driving distance, carrying items, seat height and so on. These data play a key role for Japanese car dealers to design cars suitable for American demand.

2) Advantages and disadvantages of observation method. Observation method is widely used in commerce and manufacturing, and the information obtained by observation method mainly has the following advantages:

① objectivity. Observation is generally carried out without the knowledge of the observed object, and their words and deeds are the true reflection of their psychological activities. Compared with investigation and experiment, the observed person's words and deeds are less concealed, and he will not give untrue answers out of politeness, nor will he make unnatural reactions because of nervousness. 2 intuition. The information obtained through observation can often be used directly, and the information conveyed by language, the expressive ability of information providers and the understanding ability of users may distort or consume information. ③ extensiveness. Through observation, we can obtain some information that is difficult to obtain by other channels: consumption environment information, consumer use information, competitor price information, promotion mode information and service level information. This information can be used as an important supplement to other channels.

The observation method also has many shortcomings, which need to be improved or supplemented by other methods: ① It is difficult to reveal the deep-seated reasons. In the process of observation, in order not to attract the attention of the observed object, the information personnel cannot influence and control the environment and the observed object, so it is difficult to distinguish the influencing variables. For example, through observation, we can find that consumers are interested in a commodity, but whether it is caused by income, occupation, advertising or other reasons, observation itself cannot reveal. ② Information is difficult to quantify. Consumers' purchasing process, consumption environment and conversation content are all qualitative information. Without the control environment, the words and deeds of the observed objects are often not expressed according to the investigators' ideas, and the information obtained is chaotic and there are a lot of irrelevant information, which increases the difficulty of information processing and analysis and is not suitable for quantitative research. ③ The information collection scope is limited. Due to the limited vision and attention of information collectors, they need to observe in the same place for a long time, with limited observation objects and limited information. Because the instruments used are immobile, the information collected is limited. 4 the cost is high. Due to the need for more personnel and instruments, the cost of observation is usually higher.

3. Market inspection methods

Both market investigation and market observation put the research object in a natural state, with no or little intervention. Although this feature can provide more objective information for information personnel, it also has some shortcomings: ① It is difficult to determine the true causal relationship of things. Because there are various reasons for a phenomenon, it is sometimes difficult to determine the main reason through observation and investigation in the natural state. It is difficult for market observation to reveal the deep-seated reasons, while it is difficult for market survey to reveal some hidden factors. For example, many consumers' behaviors are influenced by psychological factors, especially subconscious concepts, so it is not easy to understand the survey methods. (2) review and inspection difficulties. Because market research and market observation are a natural process, changes in the environment make it difficult to re-investigate or observe.

The biggest feature of market inspection method is that it can give full play to the subjective initiative of information personnel, simplify the environment according to the needs of research, delay or accelerate the phenomenon through special arrangements, so as to observe more carefully and eliminate the interference of irrelevant factors, thus better revealing the causal relationship. The biggest disadvantage of market inspection method is that it is difficult to design, and it is necessary to consider all possible influencing factors and exclude non-research factors, otherwise the result is likely to be the result of non-research factors.

The above three methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, and the information personnel of enterprises should choose according to the research purpose, their own level, research funds and other factors.

refer to

Philip kotler. Marketing management [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai People's Publishing House, 2007.

[2] Wang Xingbang. International marketing [M]. Gansu People Publishing House, 2002.