Applied Marketing Research in the Digital Era

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Customer focus is now one of the keys to success in any kind of modern business venture, from Twitch streamers to major corporations. Developing products that serve customers’ needs in the best possible way, increase customer satisfaction and engagement and build unforgettable experiences requires considerable data collection efforts and how-to knowledge.

This course aims to introduce the key priorities to be taken into account when building successful marketing strategies and to provide students with working knowledge and firsthand experience of running offline and online marketing research campaigns. Students will learn about the key principles of how to design and plan marketing research, explore relevant research designs for B2B and B2C sectors, learn about the particular features of data transformation and analysis, as well as discussing new trends in marketing research, including neuromarketing. Students are expected to work individually and in groups on several marketing research campaigns and to present their work to their peers.

This course will quickly go beyond general concepts and ideas and provide students with indepth understanding of critical details of modern marketing research. It aims to equip students with practical tools they will be able to apply in real-life situations.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students will be able to design, structure and conduct marketing research with particular focus on digital channels. They will be able to decide on the structure of a research project and choose an appropriate research methodology, building on their firsthand experience of conducting different types of marketing research. They will also learn how to present their research projects and findings.

COURSE CONTENTS

This subject is structured around a large number of business case discussions, lectures and exercises/simulations. This course places great importance on in-class participation and aims to take many of the conceptual aspects of marketing research discussed in class/cases and make them fully operational. Students should be aware that they will be required not only to discuss cases conceptually, but also to prepare and submit structural analyses for business cases and exercises.

Following the process of marketing research in organisations, this course is organised around four main areas:

1. Planning and designing marketing research process.
2. Conducting marketing research with particular focus on the particular features of modern consumer behaviour and methods of B2B research.
3. Using new marketing research tools and methods.
4. Analysing collected data and putting forward meaningful business recommendations.

The course will be divided into the following 10 topics:

1. Foundations of Applied Marketing Research in the Digital Era

2. Planning and Designing Marketing Research

3. Understanding Modern Consumer Behaviour

4. Sampling and Data Collection

5-7. Observations, Focus Groups and Surveys

8. New Tools and Methods of Marketing Research and Neuromarketing

9. Data Analysis and Web Metrics

10. Business-to-Business and International Research