Read this article to learn about using the Internet to get information for marketing information systems.
Technology and Marketing Information Systems/Research
Dateline: 02/07/00
Marketing information systems and market research are two important tools to a marketer. In a predictable and stable environment in which marketers know exactly who their competitors and consumers are, little effort is needed in designing comprehensive information systems and performing rigorous research. On the other hand, the unpredictable, constantly changing business world of today (where competitors can pop up from any country and consumers think and act in more complex terms) require marketers to have more powerful information systems and research.
Technology is the key to getting the information marketing decision-makers ultimately need to analyze, evaluate, and act upon. So, what technologies are available for a marketer to use? First, most of us already know how much the Internet has helped in spreading information. A marketer can use the Internet to:
* Research competitors' Web sites (basic company information, marketing tactics, press releases, etc.).
* Find secondary sources like government publications, business magazines, and commercial data (saves time on subscribing to some of these resources, spending time at a library, creating mounds of paperwork, etc. Allows marketers to follow trends and news in foreign countries like never before.).
* Conduct online focus groups (savings in costs, increase in honest answers, etc.).
* "Listen in" on conversations in chat rooms at relevant sites.
* Read messages on bulletin boards/forums at relevant sites.
* Conduct online surveys and informal polls (savings in costs and time).
* Utilize Web "cookies" to find out more about the consumer and track their Web usage.
* Analyze click-throughs on banner ads and other advertising-related links.
* Utilize email for surveys, business communication, etc.
Other technologies used by marketers include various decision support systems and software that allow forecasting, statistical analyses and modeling, and other marketing-related modeling/simulations. Marketers can use geographic information systems to help analyze population density or other data that can be represented on a map. Marketers can also use data mining where they can extract information from data warehouses that have a large mass of information on consumers.
Ultimately, marketing decision makers should strive for an integrated marketing information system where market research data, market intelligence information, and decision support data can be stored in one place and retrieved on demand. The integration should also benefit the customers. Some companies are using the information collected on consumers to create better relationships with them (relationship management). In essence, technology is a key tool for marketers, and integration is the treasure box they can open.
Complete the following:
1. Select a company and product (real or imaginary).
2. Use Internet to find 5 websites that provide the types of information and data that you would use in a marketing information system for that company. You need to find information, data, and/or statistics that should be used in the company's marketing information system. Examples include demographics or trend data. (Do not include websites that are listed in your textbook as sources for marketing information. The websites that you find should contain freely available information that would be useful for marketers. Note that this assignment does not ask you to find websites of companies that sell decision support software. Rather, your goal is to find sources of useful marketing information.)
3. Explain what type of information each site offers as well as why this information would be useful to the organization.
* For each website, cite the URL using the APA format, and write 3-4 sentences describing the type of information that the site offers.
I need even the slightest idea about what to do, please. Thanks!
Thank you for using the Jiskha Homework Help Forum. Look at the "Complete the following" which is a guide for what you are to do. First of all, establish the types of information that would be useful for marketers. Then follow the steps 1., 2., 3.
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