ASA – Advertising standards agency

Audience information

Audience information – market research techniques

Advertising agencies have to use different methods of Geo-demographical research to target their market strategies at the correct people.

The use techniques dependent on if they want Quantitative information [ Quantitative information is used to measure how many people feel, think or act in a particular way. These surveys tend to include large sample – anything from 50 to any number of interviews. Questionnaires are usually closed questioned {Question with set responses – 'Yes' or 'No' ect}.]

Or

Qualitative information [Qualitative information is used to help us understand what people feel, and why they feel as they do. Collecting in-depth information is ideal when gaining this information. Question askers will often retaliate to answer with such replies as; so why do you feel that way or how did you feel with the service.

Types of generating audience information include;

Focus groups- Gathering a group of people into a room and asking qualitative information about the personal experiences and events of the interviewees.  

The information is very quick and usually adequately truthful since people are asked to give personal feeling directly in-front of you.

You have the advantage of asking more questions after the original is asked and ideally generating more information than needed.

Often these types of interviews are ideal for gaining subjective information on a particular product with may have just been released.

Personal interview – Much like focus groups but with but a single person, the questions are usually open ended. Often these types of interviews are also ideal for gaining subjective information on a particular product with may have just been released.

Although these types of data collection don't stack up demographically large the market researcher does get straight to the point from an actual person experience of a product or service therefore gaining relevant information what to improve from real-world situations.

Surveys/Questionnaires- Questionnaires are the most common method of getting quantitative information from and audience since you can give many out  and get a quick return since they only take a few minutes to complete.

Although you don't get much qualitative information you do get a mass amount of relevant information to research large demographical audience.

Online voting polls- Voting polls are ideal for getting a real quick return on demographical statistics from traffic through a particular website. Often used by advertising agencies to ask about what features a consumer would like most to see in the next release of a product.

They also usually  allow consumers to see what other people voted as after they vote a statistics chart comes up with past users votes.

Field trials- These are often done in super market to give customers a free trials of a product, much like how the Colgate toothpaste adverts are laid out. The person/s at the stand are usually dressed in white coats to give some what experience and authority to influence the consumer to come over and try. Often information about the product will be given to the consumer after they try the potential two products to influence how their experience was, this information will often be a scientific comparison to another product.

The person may ask the consumer to fill out and additional survey about their experiences with the product after their sample testing.