Marketing Methodologies for Gold Class Cinema to Assess the Satisfaction of Its Customers - Research Proposal Example

Marketing Research Methodologies for Gold Class Cinema: A Report Introduction The purpose of this report is to present an evaluation of various research methodologies to Gold Class’ management. The content of this report is to help the management to understand representativeness, likely response rate and non-response problems associated with the proposed methodologies. The proposed methodologies include observational research, which is supposed to be conducted on every fourth viewer who goes to the company’s cinema situated in Marion, self-completion questionnaires placed at the entrance of the Gold Class, online questionnaires placed on the Gold Class website, face-to-face administered questionnaires, and pop-up surveys done via the Events Cinemas website. The report also suggests how these methodologies can be improved. For the best results in marketing research, this report proposes another methodology for the Gold Class management. Use of Observational Research Observational research is the first research methodology that is intended for use in assessing the satisfaction of the Gold Class movie goers. The movie goers’ satisfaction is supposed to be assessed based on the following aspects: special seasons, movie mix, the company’s website and refreshment services. The researcher is supposed to observe and record what every fourth visitor does for the entire duration they spend at the cinema. The observational research proposed has a number of advantages to Gold Class. Firstly, it has a high representativeness since the research is supposed to involve one out of every four visitors as a participant of the study. The participants in this method are picked in a consistent manner, which implies that the findings are a proper reflection of the whole population. Secondly, the method is cost-effective as the management of Gold Class is not required to pay outside researchers to conduct the study. Lastly, the quality of data obtained in observational research is enhanced as it only depends on the effectiveness of the researcher (Beri 2008, p. 104). Although the observational research seems to be a good methodology for Gold Class to use in the study, it has a few shortfalls. The main limitation of this method is the difficulty involved in observing the motivations, attitudes and state of mind of the selected visitors. This method may also fail to yield good results since it directly depends on the effectiveness and motivation of the researcher (Housden 2007, p. 112). The management can improve the efficacy of this method by motivating the researcher and ensuring that he/she is properly trained, and able to observe and record every detail concerning the selected visitors (Belk 2006, p. 255). Use of Self-Completion Questionnaires The self-completion questionnaires are another way that the management can use to assess the satisfaction of Gold Class’ customers. The self-completion questionnaires are to be placed at a strategic point at the entrance of the cinema to attract most of the visitors. To encourage the respondents to fill and return the questionnaires at the right place, they should be given a chance to win a book of ten movie tickets that are not from Gold Class. The use of the self-completion questionnaires can assist the management of Gold Class to acquire the most accurate information from the customers. The visitors or respondents are more likely to answer the questions honestly as there is no room for the researchers to influence their response. The customers are also likely to give accurate information as a result of the confidentiality they will enjoy. Lastly, the method can assist Gold Class to save a significant amount of money in research as the management does not have to pay researchers to assist the customers to fill the questionnaires (Brace 2008, p. 29). The main shortcomings of this methodology are uncontrolled response rate and time and the possibility of getting inaccurate information. Since the visitors are supposed to fill the questionnaires in the absence of the researchers, the response rate is difficult to control. Another problem that is associated with this method is the possibility of obtaining inaccurate answers, which mostly happens when the respondents do not understand the questions (Roe 2004, p. 31). The management of Gold Class can improve the efficiency of this method by offering attractive incentives to every questionnaire that is properly filled and returned to the right place (Nykiel 2007, p. 9). Use of Online Questionnaires The online questionnaires, like the self-completion questionnaires, are intended to be filled by the Gold Class movie goers in the absence of the researchers. The visitors should be informed about the online questionnaires by use of a short advertisement that can be shown on the screen before any movies are shown. To encourage the customers to visit the company’s website and fill the questionnaires, an incentive of a chance to win a weekend in Robe should be promised. The online questionnaires have a number benefits when used to assess the satisfaction of the of the Gold Class customers. Firstly, the online questionnaires are cost-efficient as the Gold Class management does not have to spend money on hiring researchers to monitor the process. The method offers the most convenient method to the customers as they are allowed to fill the questionnaires at their own time (Zikmund & Babin 2012, p. 4). The main problems that are associated with this methodology are: poor representativeness and inaccuracy of the data that is likely to be obtained. It is evident that online questionnaires can only be filled by the movie goers who have adequate know-how in information technology. This can be viewed as biased and cannot be used to make a generalisation of all movie goers. The presence of an interviewer who can guide the responses is not enough to make the data obtained by means of this methodology accurate, especially in cases where the respondents do not understand some questions (Zikmund & Babin 2007, p. 5). The only way to improve the shortfall is to design questions that are clear and easy to understand. Use of Face-to-Face Questionnaires This methodology involves employing interviewers to administer the questionnaires to customers in or around the Gold Class Cinema. The interviewers are supposed to issue the questionnaires to movie goers of their choice on Sundays. This method has a high degree of representativeness as the interviewers have the power to choose the respondents, which ensures an evenly distributed sample. The data obtained in this method is of high quality since the interviewers ensure that the respondents understand the questions fully. Since this method involves a face-to-face encounter, there is a high possibility of increasing the response rate (Petrick 2009, p. 185). Although administering questionnaires face to face may assist the management of Gold Class to obtain high quality data, it may not be accurate; this may fail to reflect the real feelings and perspectives of the Gold Class customers. The interviewers may confuse, persuade or coerce the respondents to give information that suit the interviewers’ expectations (Petrick 2009, p. 185). To improve the effectiveness of this method, the management should install mechanisms that can prevent the problem. The problem can be evaded by motivating and training the interviewers on the importance of allowing the respondents to express their views freely. Use of a Pop-up Survey The pop-up survey is posted on the Events Cinemas website where the Gold Class movie goers are supposed to post their opinions with regard to the services offered by the company. The pop-up survey provides Gold Class’ management with an opportunity to obtain information from its customers regarding their interests. The information obtained from this methodology is of high quality since the customers are likely to give it willingly and without any influence from the interviewers (Zikmund & Babin 2007, p. 423). However, the pop-up survey has a great limitation on the representativeness of the information given by the customers. It is obvious the participants in this methodology comprise only those movie goers that can to access the internet. Unfortunately, their feedback may not represent the feelings and views of the customers that cannot access the internet. However, this shortfall can be improved by complementing the pop-up surveys with questionnaires placed at the entrance of the cinema hall to cater for the customers who cannot access the internet (Zikmund & Babin 2007, p. 425). Mail Survey: The Proposed Methodology The Gold Class management can also use mail survey to obtain information from the customers. In this methodology, the researchers approach the first five and the last five movie goers who visit the cinema hall every Saturday for one month and half months. The researcher is supposed to ask the ten customers for their e-mail addresses. The researchers are the required to send the customers open-ended questions that assess their satisfaction on Gold Class’ services. The mail survey has a number of visits and can assist the Gold Class management to obtain the necessary information from their customers. Firstly, this method is cheap and can help the management to save money spent on marketing research. It does not require any interviewers as the questions are sent to the customers through emails. Secondly, the data obtained through this method is of high quality since the respondents have full freedom when filling the questionnaires (Kolb 2008, p. 225). The main problems that are associated with this methodology are low response rates and poor representativeness. The method can only use participants with email accounts who are also willing to participate in the surveys. The responses of the customers who own mail accounts may not represent the interests of those who do not have them. Secondly, the method is likely to have a low rate of response as there is no incentive to motivate the respondents (Kolb 2008, p. 226). Conclusion This report evaluates the marketing research methodologies that the Gold Class management can use to assess the satisfaction of its customers. The report outlines how the methodologies can be used in Gold Class to gauge the interests of the customers regarding the movie mix and other services that the company offers. The methods evaluated include: observational research, self-completion questionnaires, online questionnaires, face-to-face questionnaires and pop-up surveys. These methods were evaluated based on the advantages and disadvantages they can bring to the Gold Class management. The report proposes the use of mail surveys to the management because it is cost-effective. References Belk, RW 2006, Handbook of qualitative research methods in marketing, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham. Beri, GC 2008, Marketing research, Teta McGraw-Hill, New Delhi. Brace, I 2008, Questionnaire design: how to plan, structure and write survey material for effective market research, Kogen Page, London. Housden, M 2007, Official CIM course-book: marketing research and information, Routledge, Oxford. Kolb, BM 2008, Marketing research: a practical approach, SAGE, Los Angeles, CA. Nykiel, RA 2007, Handbook of marketing research methodologies for hospitality and tourism, The Haworth Press, Binghamton, NY. Petrick, N 2009, Current questionnaire generation tools: a marketing and product overview, GRIN Verlag, Norderstedt. Roe, M 2004, Market research in action, Thomson Learning, London. Zikmund, WG & Babin, BJ 2007, Exploring marketing research, Thomson Learning, Mason, OH. Zikmund, WG, & Babin, BJ 2012, Essentials of marketing research, Cengage Learning, Mason, OH. Read More