Q - Can you tell me how your function is organized and how you fit into that organization?
A - We have two functional groups; we have a sales research function that handles most of the audit information from Nielsen and SAMI, and we have a consumer research function that handles everything else. The sales research area also does distribution checks. They would also do forecasting, control store tests, and anything that is not directly related to questioning consumers. There is a lot of crossover because we try to train our people to have a comprehensive grasp of everything that concerns marketing research. So, someone may work as an assistant analyst in consumer for six months and then work in sales research for six months.
We are organized by product lines as opposed to a type of research. There are companies that have their research departments organized by project, so you may have two or three experts on copy testing or two people who are experts on tracking studies. One large company had that structure for a while, and they switched back to a more product line group. What happens is that you become an expert in one specific area, and that is fine, but when you look for a new job, you have to have something to offer your new company. You can't just go in and say, "Hi,! I'm an expert on copy research!" because there are many other types of research that one must know to become an effective member of a marketing group.
Q - With whom do you deal, and what is your relationship with them?
A - We interact with the financial people, the manufacturing people, the operations types, the packaging people, and our consumer communications group, (those are the people who answer consumer questions). We deal with different products, with advertising agencies, planning, virtually every field. We are not only doing projects on a day-to-day basis, but we are trying to do some basic strategic planning. I forgot the engineers!
Q - Who usually initiates a study?
A - Who initiates studies? It works both ways. We see things happening in the market, we see changes, and we see trends over a period of time. It is my responsibility to go to senior management and say that we are noticing a certain trend; that we think we can do well in a certain area, so let's look into it; or that a certain area might be profitable for us.
It's usually the brand group that initiates a study, but it could be the brand manager, the group project manager, or the president. For example, when they do their cost analysis of the brand, they might find that if we could come out with a new ingredient for the product, we could save a certain amount of dollars, so they will propose a consumer test to see what the consumers who actually use the product feel about this ingredient, and so forth. I would then design a study, locate the prospective users, and do a product test. I think most of the research comes from the brand group. The reasoning I can give you is that they are "hands on" in all aspects of the business. I don't see financial statements of the business, so I can't say that this would be a nice piece of research. If I have an idea, I propose it to the brand group, but typically I don't propose research.
It also happens that the president's wife may say, "I would really like to have something like this," and before you know it, you have a whole R&D team working on it!
Q - What role do marketing research suppliers play?
A - The supplier with whom I am dealing has a relationship with a tab house or a computer house. So, while I work with the supplier, it is the supplier's responsibility to interface with the tab house or the computer house. When I was working with a supplier that was one of the areas I handled. Where I am now as a manufacturer, I deal with the supplier; I don't deal with his vendors. I interface with my marketing group, but my supplier does not communicate with my marketing group.
We have an approved list of suppliers, and we invariably put out our jobs on three bids. Now if we had ten suppliers, it might be that four are good for a certain kind of job and another four, for another type of job. We solicit bids from the ones that we know are best suited for a particular kind of work. There are people in the supplier end of the business who have many, many years of experience, and one of the things I do is that I pick their brains. For example, I call them and say that I have a certain problem and that I have a couple of ideas for a design. They let me bounce ideas off of them, and they tell me what they like or dislike about them. They come back to me and tell me what their thoughts are. Sometimes they agree with me, and sometimes they don't. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I don't. But I have a good relationship with my suppliers, and they will give me the information.
