International Journal of Market Research - Call for Papers



Sep 3, 2010

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CALL FOR PAPERS


	Measuring the value added by marketing: what is the role for market research?
	Measuring the value added by market research
	Research in the public sector
	Valuing content in a digital world: the role of market research

ABOUT MRS


	The Market Research Society is the world's largest international membership organisation for professional research practitioners.

CALL FOR PAPERS

IJMR are pleased to announce four important new themes for 2010 that we would like to see covered in submissions.

Theme 1. Measuring the value added by marketing: what is the role for market research?
Marketers are under increasing pressure to demonstrate a financial return on their activities – already the norm for other business areas. In addition the International Standards Organisation (ISO) is currently finalising ISO/DIS 10668 for brand valuation methods (see www.ISO.org). It is therefore not surprising that the Marketing Science Institute rates marketing productivity - measuring the impact of marketing on financial outcomes - as a top research priority (Rust et al, 2004).

Traditionally, market research methods have been used at a tactical level to measure the performance of advertising campaigns, especially the ‘intermediate’ factors such as awareness and attitudes etc. At a more strategic level, market research helps identify the health of a brand and how this changes over time. But is this enough?

Ten years ago, Shaw & White (1999) were highly critical of the market research industry’s ability to either educate management in using market research information to predict and provide early warning indicators, or, help evaluate marketing decisions. Has the situation changed? More recently, Reicheld (2003) argued that the only number needed to grow a business is the Net Promoter Score®, ostensibly collected via market research methods. Binet & Field (2007) in their in-depth analysis of entries to the prestigious UK Institute of Practitioners of Advertising (IPA) Effectiveness Award argue that the intermediate measures often cited in award entries provide inappropriate evidence for measuring the real impact of marketing activity, and submissions also focus on the wrong business metrics – sales rather than market share, volume rather than value and return on investment instead of profit. Finally, will evidence based on current market research methods be acceptable in supporting a brand valuation under the new ISO/DIS 10668?

Suggested topics for papers might include:

Describing and discussing market research methodologies or models derived from market research, designed to measure the effectiveness of marketing in achieving business goals, or provide robust evidence of brand health/value;
Case studies showing how evidence derived from market research demonstrated the effectiveness of marketing in achieving business goals or increasing shareholder value;
Examples of research sourced measures used in balanced scorecards and ‘dashboards’;
Theoretical developments in this field or submissions based on academic research;
Practical advice for those planning to use market research for this purpose;
Reviews of existing knowledge in this field;
Likely trends, challenges and future developments.

We would welcome submissions from agencies, clientside researchers, clients and academics with an interest in this field.

References
Binet L & Field P, Marketing in the Era of Accountability, IPA/WARC, 2007

Reicheld F, The one number you need to grow, Harvard Business Review, December 2003.

Rust RT, Ambler T, Carpenter GS, Kumar V, Srivastava RK, Measuring Marketing Productivity, Current Knowledge and Future Directions, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 68 Issue 4 (section on ‘Linking Marketing to Financial Performance and Firm Value’ sponsored by MSI), October 2004

Shaw R & White C, Improving Marketing Accountability through Better Management of the Market Research Process, Journal of Marketing Management, Vol.15 No.8, 1999

Theme 2. Measuring the value added by market research
Market research expenditure is also facing increased scrutiny. For example, a recent report from Morgan Stanley (2009) raises concerns about the UK market research industry’s ability to defend its position in the current economic situation:

“We are concerned that market research pricing may remain under significant pressure even in a recovery scenario due to pressure from online competition that is driving down prices,” Morgan Stanley’s report said.

Edward Hill-Wood, author of the report, told Research that in recent years ‘traditional’ MR agencies have been undercut by start-ups using purely online data collection methodologies and new approaches such as social media analysis. In response many agencies shifted their focus to ‘value-added’ analytical and consultative services, only to find that it is precisely these discretionary services that are now being cut amid the recession’

Whilst this report is based on the situation in the UK, the issues referred to are international ones facing the sector worldwide. Traditional methods appear to be under fire and researchers need to demonstrate that they provide real added-value for their clients. Can the value added by market research be measured, and if so, how?

Submissions might address the following questions:

Where, and how, is value created within the research process?
Where does quality fit into the argument?
How can market researchers demonstrate to clients that they deliver a positive return on the investment made in their services?
How can researchers add more value to what they provide to clients?
What methods are currently being used, or could be used, to measure the value added by market research, or whether expenditure is justified;
How might clients assess whether they are getting value for money when they invest in market research?
Will online surveys and social media analysis complement or replace other methods?

We would welcome submissions from agencies, clientside researchers, clients and academics with an interest in this field.

References
Morgan Stanley, Advertising Agencies: Cost Reflation Dilutes Recovery Prospects, 2009, available from Thomson Research, tel. (US): 888 989 8373)

Theme 3. Research in the public sector
In 1899, Seebohm Rowntree conducted his famous pioneering study investigating the causes of poverty in York. Since then, quantitative, qualitative and ethnographic research methods have been increasingly applied in investigating the attitudes, opinions, behaviour and needs of citizens and helping inform, influence and shape government policy.

Mandatory policies, such as public consultation and measuring the attitudes of citizens towards the delivery of public services, have widened the application of research methods. In addition, research is increasingly commissioned by governments to evaluate the success, or otherwise, of their policies and other initiatives. Projects in the public sector have become international, such as the European Social Survey and Eurobarometer, and these have led to the need to explore and implement multi-mode data collection methods. Similar solutions are also being applied to address the challenge of falling response rates and ensure that studies deliver representative findings. Finally, the current economic climate introduces a further set of challenges with possible cuts in funding and the need to counter the impact with innovatory approaches to maintain the quality of evidence.

Submissions might cover:

Ensuring research is inclusive and representative of increasingly multi-cultural societies and reflects the views and needs of all difficult to reach groups;
Discussing the challenges of conducting multi-country studies, the creation and use of cross-national social indicators and how countries can learn from each other;
Exploring methods which enable the public to form meaningful views on complex policy issues;
Ethical considerations;
Balancing the requirement for robust and reliable research with the fast moving demands of ministers and politicians;
The relevance of new media and web 2.0 approaches to social research;
Discussing the impact, or influence, of research on government policies;
Illustrating how new approaches to communicating research methodologies and findings can increase the impact of research findings within government;
Demonstrating how research helps governments develop and evaluate new policies, initiatives and social marketing programmes designed to change people’s behaviour (e.g. encourage healthy eating or smoking cessation campaigns);
The role of national statistics institutes versus those of the academic and private sectors;
The impact of the recession on government commissioned research and how are researchers responding to any resulting challenges.

We would welcome submissions from public sector researchers, market research and social agencies, clients and academics with an interest in this field.

Theme 4. Valuing content in a digital world: the role of market research
Content providers in the digital age - in particular publishers of newspapers, magazines and books, as well as the music industry, and the traditional distribution channels of their products – are facing many major challenges that are undermining the value of their products and services, and threatening the profitability, or even the survival, of their businesses., Consumers access content, often freely, outside the control of providers and have also been gradually reducing their usage of traditional channels to market in favour of the new. People increasingly want their news, music and comment for free. Social networks have also created new opportunities to distribute news, opinions and comment that are replacing traditional sources, such as local newspapers. Anyone with any skills to use this media can now become a journalist. Advertisers are also deserting traditional media for the new digital channels, further undermining the rationale for the printed word, and, increasing media fragmentation means advertising budgets are more thinly spread and targeted at highly specific audiences. Media and other product owners worldwide are struggling to develop new business models that create value for consumers, and profit for the provider.

How can market research help address these challenges, and assist content originators establish what consumers want, what they are prepared to pay for – and what price they are prepared to pay? What methodological challenges do researchers face in this field? Are traditional methods and consumer demand modeling techniques able to provide the information that clients need, or are new research solutions needed? Are there case studies that demonstrate what can be achieved?

We would welcome submissions from agencies, clientside researchers, clients and academics with an interest in this field.

Submissions
Submissions for all four themes could be in the form of Viewpoints (opinion pieces), Forum articles or formal papers – see www.ijmr.com for details of these categories of content, and submission details. Experiences from countries other than the UK would be welcomed. We also welcome submissions that demonstrate collaboration between practitioners and academics. Please include the name of the theme you are addressing by the title of your submission.

Submissions will be published as and when they are accepted for publication, rather than in special themed issues. The closing date for all submissions is September 30th, 2010.