> Hi Taylor,

> You have asked a mighty big question. One to
> which there are a thousand answers!

> Research is vital, I agree, but beware of
> researching yourself into a hole.

> Look at what happened to Coca Cola. They
> researched, and researched and decided that
> what the public REALLY wanted was a new
> flavor. Of course, the public wanted no such
> thing and the company had to make a
> humiliating and expensive stand-down.

> Over the years I have been involved with
> dozens of major companies that have spent
> vast sums of money, time and effort on
> research into marketing strategies.
> Sometimes it works, but often it is a
> resounding failure.

> Take British Airways, for example. Three
> years ago research indicated that the ONLY
> way for them to make money long term was to
> effectively ignore the tourist 'back of the
> bus' traffic and to concentrate all of their
> marketing efforts on the more lucrative
> business travelers.

> And it worked. Until three unforeseen
> factors became more important: low cost,
> no-frills carriers walked away with almost
> all of BA's short-haul tourist business,
> September 11th decimated transatlantic
> passenger numbers, and the global recession
> (coupled with an increasing emergence of
> electronic communications) stopped the few
> remaining businesspeople from wanting or
> needing to travel.

> So what value was all that research?

> All research into marketing and markets can
> tell you is about the situation RIGHT NOW,
> based on the quality of the questions asked.

> Ask the wrong question (as Coca Cola did)
> and you get a very misleading answer.

> Before you start any research, ask yourself
> what you want to know. Give yourself a
> focus. The five 'W's' and two 'H's' are a
> perfect starting point:

> Who
> What
> Where
> Why
> When
> How
> How Much

> Ask each one as many times as you like until
> you can't find another way of asking it.

> Then conduct your research to answer those,
> and only those questions.

> How do you research? Any way you can.

> You have a great resource - your
> subscribers. Ask them.

> The most valuable research tool that
> advertising agencies use (sometines
> over-use) is the focus group. You get 8
> people together and get them to focus on
> your problem. The solutions often jump right
> out. And usually, because they are being
> thought up by real live consumers, rather
> than marketing whizz-kids, they are
> eminemtly sensible, practical and do-able.

> Finally, never be afraid to throw a golden
> nugget of a research finding out if it runs
> contrary to everything you know and believe.
> You can test stuff in the market until the
> cows come home, but the first and most
> important test should be inside your brain.

> If it feels totally wrong, the odds are that
> it is.

> Now, get yourself back to the library and
> focus on what it is you REALLY need to find
> out!

> Have fun!

> Martin
nm