Ace advertising associates

B.R.M House, Kensington Church Street, London W8 4BN

Preliminary Market Research Report for Date 1 April 20—

Katz Electric Ltd.

We have completed our market research on testing consumer reaction to your brands and products, and attached you will find a statistical analysis which is the result of that research. This preliminary report is a summary of our findings, conclusions, and suggestions which you might like to discuss with us after you have considered the results.

Our survey was based on discussions moderated by a psychologist who took a number of groups, some who used and some who did not use your products. On the results of the discussions we constructed a questionnaire which was presented to a random sample of 500 people reflecting the population distribution of this country. We asked them about their preferences and awareness of your products compared to others on the market, and from this Usage and Attitude Study we produced a profile of your brands compared to other companies' brands.

The lists attached show the statistical breakdown in answers to our questions, and in summary they suggest the following:

1. Although your products are stocked in leading stores and your name is well known, there is a feeling that in spite of their dependability, they are over-priced and old-fashioned. Younger people, 15-25 age group, associate your brands with appliances used by their parents, and the 25-35 age group associate the brands with the 1970s.

2. Your name featured very low on the list when people were asked to name a brand of electric fire, vacuum cleaner, iron, and refrigerator. You will see from the attached survey that less than 10% of the sample knew that you had recently put the 'Popup' toaster on the market.

We believe that poor marketing is the mam reason for the old-fashioned image people have of your products, and there is a lack of brand identification which we are sure can be overcome with a well-presented advertising campaign. So we have compiled the following suggestions which we think will develop a new image for you.

1. Establish a symbol that will be identified with all your products.

The most obvious appears to be a cat, a domestic animal for domestic products, which is also associated with your name.

2. Your present advertisements give the impression of functionalism. We suggest glamourizing the ads, maybe with an exotic cat and girl which will always be recognized when seen.

3. Improving the packaging of the products, perhaps by using bright colours, and maybe even eccentric designs, with your symbol always standing out.

4. We noticed you have not been selective in placing your advertisements. For example, it would be better to concentrate on women's magazines rather than national newspapers, and we would suggest afternoon television commercials rather than just evenings, as more women are at home and that is the market you are aiming for.

You will also get a cheaper rate than during prime time.

There are many other points we could make, but we think they could be better illustrated at a presentation. So if, after studying the information enclosed, you are interested in us going ahead with a full presentation, please let us know. I am sure that if we handle your account we could effectively improve your sales.

G. Grover

Marketing Director

15.4.3

Agency report

The next report comes from an outside agency and is written at the request of the company, Katz Electric, who are manufacturers of domestic appliances. They are losing ground in the market and have employed an advertising agency, with their market research resources, to find out why. The Agency has submitted a preliminary report based on their market research, which they hope will persuade Katz Electric to attend a presentation in which the Agency will propose a campaign to advertise Katz.

Questions

1. How did the market research people get their information about Katz Electric's products, and what reaction did they find to them?

2. What does the list attached to the letter show?

3. Why does the advertising agency think that Katz does not have a good image on the market, and what do they suggest to improve it?

4. Which symbol do they suggest they use?

5. How should the products be packaged?

6. Which media do they suggest they concentrate on?

7. What does the advertising agency say it could do if Katz allows them to handle their account?

8. Which words in the report correspond to the following: investigation; data breakdown; brief details; controlled; out of date; poor selling techniques; put together; associated; material and design of product; prominent?

15.5

Points to remember

1. A memo should indicate clearly at the top who it is to, who it is from, what it is about, and the date it was written.

2. Memos can be addressed to one individual or a group of people within a company.

3. Reports prepared by market researchers and advertising agencies are often aimed at improving the efficiency and profitability of a company.

4. Reports tend to follow a fixed pattern, thus enabling the readers to locate easily the sections which are of particular interest to them, and to refer to them quickly in meetings.

15.6

Words to remember

a memorandum

a memo

internal mail

a report

to report

agency report

internal report

market research

16 Personnel appointments

Applications; curriculum vitaes; unsolicited applications and replies; covering letter for c. v; invitation for interview; offering a position; conditions of employment; confirming acceptance

16.1

Advertisements

Advertisements (ads) for employment appear in all the media including radio and television. However, newspapers and magazines are usually the main source for vacancies. Most 'ads' use abbreviated forms to announce conditions of employment, especially in the 'small ad' section for appointments, e.g. Wntd sec. full-time frsmll mnfg со. Gd slry. 5-day week, hrs 9-5 usl bnfts. (Wanted, secretary for full-time employment for small manufacturing company. Good salary, five days a week, hours of work 09.00 to 17.00, and the usual benefits in terms of conditions and holidays.)

Other abbreviations that might appear include elk (clerk), accnts (accounts), mngr (manager) assf (assistant), vacs (vacations). Terms like m. (male), f. (female), are no longer permitted by law.

16.2

Date: 2016-01-03; view: 905