The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the GfK MRI University Internet Reporter Find a brand or activity in the University Internet Reporter that interests you, and create a profile of the demo
Application Forum Instructions – Module 3
Summer 2018
Overview
The purpose of this forum is to demonstrate the GfK MRI University Internet Reporter, a resource you may find helpful as you complete Part One of the project.
Sign in to the database using your email address, and your recently created password. The screen should look something like the next page.
https://www.gfkmrismartsystem.com/home.aspx
Click the University Reporter icon.
The next screen will show three reports.
Select the 2017 Spring GfK Reporter MRI
This launches the University Internet Reporter.
The database defaults to the category view. Use the scroll bar on the right to view the major categories. Ultimately, you will choose a category that interests you, and within that category, you will select a brand or activity to investigate.
The Assignment
Find a brand or activity in the University Internet Reporter that interests you, and create a profile of the demographic, geographic, media behavior, and potential psychographic characteristics of the target market. Specifically,
Identify the brand or activity you have chosen to investigate. For example, as an avid angler, I might choose one of the following five reports (the reports are listed in black type):
While you can choose any brand or activity you would like to use for this assignment, it may be helpful to combine the application forum with some research for Part One of the project.
For example, suppose I’ve thought about transforming the solar blanket into seat covers that could be placed on the bass boat seats when not in use while I and my partner fish from the front and back deck. The seats would warm up while we fish, and provide heat on cold days when we sit down to run the boat to a new location, or to go home. (This is not a project idea you can use. It is being used for illustration purposes only).
I plan to use the data in the University Internet Reporter to estimate the market size (‘000 column), identify key demographics, and gain potential insights into the activities, lifestyles, and interests about those who fish regularly.
But is “Fishing Regularly” the best report? Perhaps I should boat ownership (16 foot or more) instead?
Make certain that you review the available reports, and that you choose the best one for your purposes. Justify why you selected the report you chose.
READ the University Internet Reporter Tutorial that was attached. This document explains how to use the Internet Reporter, as well as how to interpret the data. Note that you can download University Internet Reporter data as an Excel Spreadsheet.
See the Sample Report attached. The Sample Report is not your assigned project; it is only an example. You must pick a different brand or activity to use for the discussion forum questions. Remember that an index of 100 is normal. Higher numbers indicate a greater presence of the characteristic in your target compared to the general population.
Select your brand or activity, generate your report, save your report as an Excel file, and answer the following questions.
Question 1:
What is the market size? (Sample report: 3,028,000 households own Bass/Fishing boats 16 feet or longer.)
Question 2:
What are the key demographics that describe the target market?
Pay attention to both the ‘000 column and the Index Number. In the sample report, 1,697,000 of bass/fishing boat household owners are men, and men are 16% more likely to own a 16 foot, or larger bass/fishing boat then is the general population. Woman are 15% less likely, though their households own 1,332,000 bass/fishing boats.
How did I get these percentages? Subtract 100 – the norm for people in the U.S., from the index number of 116 for men (116-100 = 16). Conversely, 85-100 = -15 for women.
NOTE: IF you were using the sample report, other demographic characteristics to include in your profile would be education, age, occupation, income, and race. In the sample report, it is worth noting that ethnic groups are significantly less likely to own a bass/fishing boat, as none of the index numbers approached 50, much less 100. Bass/fishing boat owners are white or white only.
Question 3:
What behavioral characteristics describe the target market? Check cable vs. satellite subscriptions, website/app usage, and other items on the list.
Question 4:
What assumptions can you make about the target market’s lifestyle (activities, interests, and opinions) based on their media consumption habits? Did anything surprise you? Spend some time reviewing the data and think through the implications of their media preferences.
Answering this question will require a little more creativity and interpretation on your part. For example, in the sample report, the Index number of 198 seems to indicate that many individuals who own bass/fishing boats 16 feet or longer enjoy listening to Country Music. (See Cable Services: CMT). Plus, they are 209% more likely to watch the Outdoor Channel and 215% more likely to watch the Sportsman Channel, both of which indicate that they not only enjoy fishing, but that they also enjoy the outdoors, hiking, and hunting. The latter conclusion is further validated by the high magazine subscription index numbers for 4 Wheel & Off-Road Magazine, American Hunter, American Rifleman, Bassmaster, and many other magazines appealing to specific activities.
Question 5:
Considering both the number of people reached (‘000), and efficiency of reaching target market members, as demonstrated by high index numbers, develop a list of media that you would use in your marketing communications strategy. Remember, the goal of IMC is to surround consumers with messages where they work, play, and live. Look for media that don’t exactly duplicate, but which different subsegments and interests within the market.
Assignment
Do not include an abstract.
Write the forum assignment in paragraph form.
Do not include a title page with your name, class, date, etc. Instead, list a title at the top of your post.
Use headings and subheadings to address the various questions, but don't label them "Question 1" and don't repeat the questions themselves as your headings or subheadings. Doing so could inflate your Turnitin score. Instead, use a subhead for each question that summarizes the essence of the discussion.
Use single-spacing.
Make certain that you double-space between paragraphs so that a blank line separates each paragraph.
Keep your paragraphs short, so they are easy to read online.
Provide an in-text (parenthetical) citation for both direct quotes and any information that is summarized, paraphrased or otherwise not your own thoughts;
Provide a full reference for all sources at the end of the post;
Use the APA style for all citations. Don’t forget to check out the resource advocated by your classmate found at https://www.citefast.com/?s=APA
It is critical that you use the word "References" before listing your full reference citations at the end of your post. If you forget, Turnitin will not ignore the references, and they will match something somewhere, artificially inflating your score.
Limit the use of direct quotes to no more than two quotes, and place quotation marks around the material quoted if six words or more are used (even if you change a word in the middle of a longer sentence);
If you have not done so already, I strongly recommend that you install the Grammarly extension for your browser and the add-in for Microsoft Word (grammarly.com).
Proofread your work!
Proofread your work carefully once you finish writing your answers to the application forum questions as the Grammarly extension will not catch all errors.
Make certain that the words are spelled correctly for the context (e.g., their vs. there) and the words themselves are correct for the context (e.g., for vs. from).
Reread the content requirements and make certain that you answered ALL points and all questions in your response.
When you use outside sources to help justify your viewpoint or to provide supporting evidence for opinions contained in your post, make certain they are cited properly in APA format.
Submit the Word document containing your assignment and Similarity Check link to get your initial similarity report. If you haven’t used Turnitin assignments before, watch the video entitled “Uploading your Assignment to Turnitin” before attempting your submission.
The suggested deadline for your submission is Saturday, May 26th, at 12 pm.
If your similarity percentage is greater than 5%, you must revise your answers and resubmit it to this link. PLAN YOUR TIME ACCORDINGLY.
FAQs
My report shows a lot of lines in red. What does this mean and should I be concerned? The red lines indicate that the data is based on fewer than 50 unweighted responses. Technically, the sample size is too small to use to conclude any meaningful results. For this exercise, we are going to ignore the small sample size and make use of the available data.
