Current Issue

Vol. 55 No. 2, 2013

Editorial
Peter Mouncey pp. 175–184 [PDF]
Peter Mouncey introduces IJMR volume 55, issue 2 with a summary of two recent conferences: SRA 2012 annual conference 'Social Research in the Digital Age' and Warc Next Generation Research, and introduces the papers in the issue.
Published 22 March 2013

Viewpoint: What's (brand) love got to do with it?
Jenni Romaniuk pp. 185–186 [PDF]
In this Viewpoint, Jenni Romaniuk critiques measuring of brand love, stating that there is no evidence that building brand love leads to higher market share, sales or profitability.
Published 22 March 2013

Moving an established survey online – or not?
Tim Barber, Dave Chilvers and Sumran Kaul pp. 187–199 [PDF]
This paper details an experiment to migrate a long-established survey from a face-to-face to an online methodology. The survey – Ofcom’s Media Tracker – has been running for more than ten years and has generated a longitudinal dataset of great value for assessing trends over time. The value of this dataset needs to be protected against any discontinuity caused by methodological change. A novel technique was developed to determine which variables in addition to demographics should be used to reweight the data from an offline survey to best replicate what would have been achieved had the traditional data collection method continued. The results helped Ofcom to make a decision about migration for this particular survey and, more generally, provide a useful addendum to existing knowledge regarding successful modal migration.
Published 22 March 2013

It's all in the mind: changing the way we think about age
Lisa Edgar and David Bunker pp. 201–226 [PDF]
In this paper we explore the validity of using chronological age as a primary targeting factor. We show that the majority of people do not identify with their own chronological age group, perceiving themselves to belong to a younger age group. We explore how this varies across the age ranges, and identify the attitudinal and behavioural factors that determine how old (or young) people see themselves as. We then go on to demonstrate how our perceived age construct has been used to understand the way people consume and, in this case, how they consume TV and radio, using real data from the BBC.
Published 22 March 2013

Towards a better measure of customer experience
Philipp Klaus and Stan Maklan pp. 227–246 [PDF]
Defining and improving customer experience is a growing priority for market research because experience is replacing quality as the competitive battleground for marketing. Service quality is an outgrowth of the total quality management (TQM) movement of the 1980s and suffers from that movement’s focus on the provider rather than the value derived by customers. Researchers today state that customer experience is generated through a longer process of company–customer interaction across multiple channels, generated through both functional and emotional clues. Our research with practitioners indicates that most firms use customer satisfaction, or its derivative the Net Promoter Score, to assess their customers’ experiences. We question this practice based on the conceptual gap between these measures and the customer experience. In IJMR 53, 6 (2011), we introduce a new measure appropriate for the modern conceptualisation of customer experience: the customer experience quality (EXQ) scale. In this article we extend that work and compare EXQ’s predictive power with that of customer satisfaction. We establish that EXQ better explains and predicts both, loyalty and recommendations, than customer satisfaction.
Published 22 March 2013

Market research within 3D virtual worlds: an examination of pertinent issues
Tracy G. Harwood and Janet Ward pp. 247–266 [PDF]
This paper presents a review of extant literature about virtual worlds market research. We discuss the need for greater recognition of differences to traditional online and e-commerce web services, including social media. Our review considers what makes virtual worlds different and of particular interest to market researchers, including an overview of Second Life. We examine the issues faced and analyse how these link to research processes. We conclude that there is a need for a deep understanding of how user-participants behave ‘in-world&rsquo. This article contributes by raising awareness and informing the market research community of pertinent issues.
Published 22 March 2013

Using response surface methodology to optimise factors in conjoint experiments
Rubén Huertas-Garcia, Juan Carlos Gázquez-Abad, Francisco J. Martínez-López and Irene Esteban-Millat pp. 267–288 [PDF]
Identifying relevant attributes or variables is the first objective of conjoint analysis in market research. As a result of technological development, today it is common for researchers to use sequential experimental methods for adjusting design factors in successive phases. In particular, in the field of consumer behaviour these models are used predominantly for assessing subjective perceptions relating to the attributes of different products with high sensorial components (e.g. food, drinks and personal care products). This paper illustrates the use of response surface methodology in conjoint experiments, allowing sequential research in which the evaluation of a choice set determines the weight of factors in the next choice set and continues until the optimum combination is achieved. To this end we have carried out a computer simulation to determine the optimal combination of ingredients for a sauce. The simulation shows that the model needs only a few steps to reach the optimal combination of ingredients. This result indicates that response surface methodology can be considered a useful tool in the field of market research and, in particular, in studies on consumer behaviour.
Published 22 March 2013

Strategic management of new products: ex-ante simulation and market segmentation
Jae Young Choi, Jungwoo Shin and Jongsu Lee pp. 289–314 [PDF]
Among various methodologies for demand forecasting of new products, the random-coefficient discrete-choice model using stated preference data is considered to be effective because it reflects heterogeneity in consumer preference and enables the design of experiments in the absence of revealed-preference data. Based on estimates drawn from consumer preference data by structural hierarchical Bayesian logit models, this study develops the overall, strategic, demand-side management for new products by combining market share simulation and a rigorous clustering methodology, the Gaussian mixture model. It then applies the process to the empirical case of electronic payment instruments.
Published 22 March 2013

What research can we trust?
Rachel Kennedy pp. 315–317 [PDF]
These conference notes from the 2012 IJMR Research Methods Forum covers the emerging developments in bio­metrics, neuroscience and virtual environments, and their applications in marketing research but cautions researchers about adopting new technologies without fully understanding the issues and likely impacts.
Published 22 March 2013

From mixed-mode to multiple devices: Web surveys, smartphone surveys and apps: has the respondent gone ahead of us in answering surveys?
Mario Callegaro pp. 317–320 [PDF]
In these notes from the 2012 IJMR Research Methods Forum, the author examines the impact of mobile technologies and the issues that arise for online quantitative research, and raises concerns about whether agencies are paying sufficient attention to the device respondents are using when attempting to complete surveys.
Published 22 March 2013

A fresh look at consulting and collaboration
Mike Petch and Julie Wheals pp. 320–322 [PDF]
These conference notes examine the debate about whether market research agencies should adopt a consultancy approach. Overall, the interviews conducted showed that research agencies are moving from product supplier to service provider and, with that, comes a change in strategic marketing and a focus on building a brand: most market research companies would do well to provide professional consultancy services.
Published 22 March 2013

Book Review: Seducing the Subconscious: The Psychology of Emotional Influence in Advertising, by Robert Heath
Chris Barnham pp. 323–324 [PDF]
This book review of Seducing the Subconscious by Robert Heath recommends it as an excellent book which should be read by everyone in marketing or advertising who is involved in the business of advertising development. At the core of the book is the assertion that advertising can be effective and build brands without adopting a persuasive stance. The book has plenty of examples and case studies to illustrate the arguments as they are developed.
Published 22 March 2013