ResearchProposal

AllieLerman
IndependentResearch
20152016

ResearchTitle:
TreatMeLikeYouKnowMe:TheImpactofPersonalizedMarketing
Campaigns

OverviewofResearch:
Thefieldofinvestigationforthisresearchprojectisbusiness,specifically,generalized
andpersonalizedmarketingstrategies.Ithasnotbeenclearlydefinedwhetherpersonalizedor
generalizedmarketingstrategiesgeneratemorebusiness(revenueandmarketshare)fora
company.Traditionalmarketingstrategiestendtobemoreexpensivethanpersonalized
marketingstrategies,but,aretraditionalmarketingstrategiesworththeextramoney?The
researchtobedonewilladdressthisquestionandanalyzetheeffectivenessofbothpersonalized
marketingstrategiesandtraditionalmarketingstrategiesintodaysworld.Thesynthesispaper
forthisprojectwillinclude:backgroundinformationonthehistoryofmarketingpracticeand
thought,informationonpersonalizedandgeneralizedmarketingwithexamplesofeach,a
summaryoftheinformationthathasbeenfoundsofar,andabreakdownofwhatmakesan
advertisementeffective.Thefinalproductoftheresearchwillbepresentedtoacollege
marketingclassandwilladdresswhichformofmarketingissuperior.


Background/HistoryoftheIssue:
Thefirsteraofmarketingevertoexistwascalledoutboundmarketing.Thisstrategy
consistedofacompanytalkingataconsumerasopposedtowiththem.Theuseofthisstrategy
beganin1450whenmassprintingwasmadepossibleforthefirsttime.Companiesbeganto
marketthroughnewspapers,magazines,andbillboards(Eridon,2012).Then,astelephones,
radios,TVs,andcomputersbegantoemerge,companiesfoundwaystomarketthroughthose
mediums.Astimewenton,marketingthroughtechnologicalmediumsbecamemoreadvanced,
allowingpeopleaccesstomoreinformationandmorechoiceinwhatinformationwasbeing
presentedtothem.Therapidadvancementoftechnologyledtothebeginningofaneweraof
marketing:inboundmarketing.

Inboundmarketingfocusesonengagingtheconsumerandcreatingcontentthatis

relevanttothem.Technologyhasservedasagreatplatformforinboundmarketingassocial
media,digitaldata,andavarietyofotherfactorsallowmarketerstostartaconversationwiththe
consumerinordertoconnectthemtothebrand(Byrne,2015).Technologycanhelpmarketersto
reachabroaderaudienceinashorteramountoftimewithmorerelevancetotheindividual
consumer.Technologydoesnotlimitwhoabusinesscantargetatagiventimedigitalmediums
havelargerglobalaudiencesinteractingwiththeminrealtime.Thisdiffersfroman
advertisementonaTVchannel(traditional,outboundwaytomarket)whichisonlyabletoreach
thepeoplewatchingthatchannelatthetimetheadvertisementisshown.Outboundmarketing
aimsattargetingalargeaudiencewhileinboundmarketingfocusesontargetingtheconsumers
mostlikelytopurchase.Intodayssociety,bothoutboundandinboundmarketingstrategiesare

widelyused,so,itisuptobusinessestodecidewhichmarketingstrategywillgeneratethe
highestreturnoninvestmentfortheirproducts.
ProblemStatementandRationale:
Thismarketingmysteryisimportantbecauseinboundmarketingisbecomingcrucialto
businesstoday.Becausetechnologyisbecomingofincreasingimportanceinconsumerlife,itis
criticalformarketerstoknowhowtoadvertiseappropriatelyonthesenewmediumsinorderto
improvecustomerexperienceandgeneratemoresales.Outboundmarketinghasalwaysbeen
acceptedasthetraditionalwayforabusinesstomarketbecauseithasbeenaroundthelongest,
but,inpresentdaysociety,itisexpensiveandnolongerreachesthemajorityofconsumers.
However,thewidereachofoutboundmarketingisappealingtomanybusinessesandoften
overshadowsthenegativeaspectsofthistypeofmarketing.Asidebysidecomparisonofthese
twostrategieswouldnotallowforthesenegativeaspectstobeoverlookeditwouldenable
businessestounderstandthattargetingtherightpeople(inboundmarketing)ismoreeffective
thantargetingalargernumberofpeople(outboundmarketing).
Withouteffectivemarketingstrategies,thesmallandlocalbusinessmangetscrushed
becausenobodyknowsabouttheirproductsorservices.Additionally,consumersdonothave
brandloyaltybecausecompaniesdonottakethetimetomakeaconnectiontothem.Brand
loyaltyiswhenconsumersrepeatedlycomebacktothesamebrandorbusinessregardlessofthe
competitionbecausetheyhavearelationshipwiththatcompany.Marketingandadvertising
impactallpeoplelivingintheUnitedStates,so,inordertogaincustomers,businessesneed
updatedinformationexplainshowtomarketinawaythatiseffectivewithamajorityofpeople
intheUS.


ResearchMethodology:
ResearchQuestionandHypothesis:
Doconsumersrespondbettertopersonalizedorgeneralizedmarketing
campaignsbasedontheuseoftechnologyavailableintodayssociety?
Intodaystechnologicalsociety,personalizedmarketingcampaignsaremore
effectiveingeneratingbusinessforcompaniesthanaregeneralizedmarketing
campaigns.
BasisofHypothesis:
Thehypothesisfocusesonpersonalizedadvertisementsasthemosteffectivemarketing
strategybecauseoftheroletechnologyplaysinsocietytoday.Technologyallowstheconsumer
tohaveaccesstoagreatamountofinformationandtoconnectwithpeopleinamuchdifferent
way.Asnotedintheprevioussource,globally,overonethirdofpeople(2.1billionpeople)use
theinternet,makingitaneffectiveandcheapwaytoreachalotofpeopleatonce(Ryan&
Jones).Becauseofthis,itisimportantformarketerstoadapttothedigitalworld.
Literatureshowsthatconsumersexpecttobetreatedlikebusinessesknowtheminorder
toensurethatbusinessesvaluethem(Rothman,2015).Generalizedadvertisementsthatare
meantforeveryonejustdonotseemtobeenoughanymore.Technologyallowsanypersonto
generatehisorherowncontent,andwhattheygeneraterevealsalotaboutwhotheyare
(Youyou,Kowsinski,&Stillwell,2015).Furthermore,apersonwillinglygivesuppersonal
informationwhenheorsheusestechnology.Thispersonleavesdatashowingwhereheorshe
hasbeenandwhatheorshehasdoneonline,but,somethingoftenoverlookedisthatvaluable

informationcanalsobegatheredfromthispersonsbiographyand/orposts..Bylookingata
personsFacebookProfile,onecantakenoteoftheirage,location,job,relationshipstatus,and
muchmore.Manymoderncompaniesareusingthisinformationtocreatepersonalized
advertisements,afairlynewtechniquethathashadgreatsuccess.
Theaveragepersonisexposedtoover3,000advertisementsperday,withjusttwelve
makinganimpressionontheperson(Johnson,2014).Mostpeoplewouldratherseean
advertisementthatisrelevanttothembecausetheyfindtheseadvertisementsmoreinteresting
andrelatable.Researchhasshownthatpersonalizedadvertisementsareeffectivebecausepeople
feelmoreofaconnectiontothebrand,buttherehavenotbeenmanystudieswhereasingle
companyhastriedbothpersonalizedandgeneralizedadvertisementsandcomparedtheirresults
directlyinordertodeterminewhichwasbest.
ResearchDesign:
Theresearchthatwillbecollectediscorrelationalresearchthatshowsadirectconnection
betweenatypeofmarketingandgrowthinbusiness.Thiswillbeaccomplishedbydesigninga
questionnairethatallowsmillennials,peopleages1834,toanswerquestionsregardingtheir
interests.Basedontheiranswers,anadvertisementthatreflectstheirinterestswillbeshownto
themandthenanadvertisementthatdoesnotreflecttheirinterestswillbeshowntothem.
Followingthis,theywillbequestionedonwhichadvertisementtheylikedbetterandwhich
producttheyaremorelikelytobuy.Millennialsarethetargetgroupforthisresearchbecause
mostmillennialsareonlyresponsibleforthemselvesandarelookingforproductsthathelpto
bettertheirlifeasnewadults,so,thisgrouphasalotofspendingpower.Thisresearchwillbe
comprisedofquantitativedatafromquestionnaireresults.


OperationalDefinitions:
PersonalizedMarketingCampaign:
Anadvertisementintendedforaspecific
consumerbasedontheconsumersdemographics,onlinesearch/purchasehistory,
andpersonalfactors(job,age,interests,etc.).
GeneralizedMarketingCampaign:
Anadvertisementthatisthesameforall
consumers.
Technological:
Digitallybased
ProductOverview:
Theoutcomeforthisyearlongresearchprojectwillbeanhourlessontobedeliveredtoa
college marketingclass.Thislessonwill encompassbackgroundonpersonalizedandgeneralized
marketing and case studies of each. Then, an activity will be completed by the students. They
will be shown a company scenario, and in groups, will develop and present an effective
marketing campaign for that company.Whattheywillnotknow,isthatthisbusinesswillbereal
and have actual results to show fortheirmarketingefforts.Oncethestudentshavepresented,the
actual marketing strategy the company executed will be shown and the results of thatcampaign
will also be displayed and discussed. Then, the primary researchcollectedwill bepresentedand
discussed as it relates to the casestudiestalkedaboutearlierinthelesson.Thisactivitywillhelp
to drive home the conclusion of the research by showinghoweitherpersonalizedorgeneralized
marketingimpactedthebusinessthatarealworldcompanyreceived.
College marketing students have been selected for the intended audience of this lesson
because they already have an understanding of marketing and consumer behavior. This will

allow the research to be themainfocusofthelessonratherthanthebackgroundinformationthat

led to the research. In addition, these students will either be forming their own businesses or
working as marketersinthefuture,so,theyarenotalreadysetonaspecificmethodofmarketing
based on prior experience. What the audience takes away from this lesson will hopefully be
applicable to their future plans. The lesson can be evaluated by the students in the form of an
exit ticket that asks them questions that refer to what they are taking away and how well the
lesson was taught. Overall,thiswillbethe audiencethatwillbemostlikelytoapplytheresearch
presentedtothem.

LogisticalConsiderations:
Challenges for the final research product include generating a contact for a college
marketing professor that is willing to give up class time for the presentation and finding a class
that meets after the school day. Finding a professor that will allow thepresentationforanentire
class period is likely to be a challenge because professors do their planning months in advance
and are already operating on a condensed timeframe. In addition, the time the class meets is
likely to be an issue. Most classes occur during the morning and early afternoonwhichare time
periods that will not work for the presentation. Finding a day when Howard County does not
have school might be a key way to work around this problem. These challenges are goingtobe
the major things that have to be taken into consideration in order to make the final product
successful.

Timeline:

For my data collection, I plan on creating aquestionnaireformillennialstotakethatwill

show me whether personalized or traditional advertisements are more effective with that group
of people. The questionnaire will ask them a few questions about themselves such as their
interests and hobbies.Then,theywill beshownone advertisementbasedoffoftheiranswers and
one completely random advertisement. After this, the people surveyed will answer questionson
which product they would be more likely to buy and which advertisement they liked better.
Using this data,Iwillcreatea presentationandlessontobedeliveredtomillennials,specifically,
a college class. First, I will briefly present my initial background research and then I will have
the class split into groups for an activity. I will give them a scenario that they must create a
marketing campaign for andthenhavethempresenttheircampaigns. Whattheywillnotknowis
that this company will be real, so, I will be able to show them how the campaign the company
actually choose fared.Then,Iwilldiscussmyprimaryresearchandgooverthefinalconclusions
gathered fromit.Sofar,IhavefoundaprogramthatIwanttousetocreatemyquestionnaireand
have done a lot of planning in my head about what I want my questionnaire to looklike.Ihave
also started to brainstormwhichadvertisementsIwanttouseasapartofmyquestionnaire.With
that said, I still have a lot of work to do, but, if theresults turnoutasexpected,itwilldefinitely
beworththeextratimeandeffort.

Date

Tasktobecompleted

Weekof
March21

Questionnaire

Whathastobedonetocomplete
task
Createquestionnaire
questions
Findadvertisementstouse
forquestionnaire
Formatquestionnaire

Completed
?

Weekof
March28

Distribution

Contactnumerouscollege
marketingandbusiness
professorsabout
distributingmy
questionnaire
Testquestionnairewith
classmatesbefore
distributingtoany
professors
Beginsendingoutmy
questionnaireforstudents
toanswer
Askoneofthesecontacts
aboutcomingintopresent
myfinalproduct

March
28April22

SLCPresentation

Presentprojectand

findingsofprojectina
clearandinterestingway
Makepresentationvisually
appealing
Contactpartnertoaddjoint
componentstopresentation
Addsomesortofactivity
topresentationtoengage
audience
Practicegiving
presentation

April411

Analyzesurveyresults

Createchartsandgraphsto
displayresultson
Analyzevalidityofresults
Drawconclusionsfrom
results

Weekof
April11

Revisesynthesispaperand
addnewsections

Makechangesbasedon
feedbacktooriginalpaper
Addabstract,data
collection,anddata
analysissectionstopaper

April15

Thankyoucardsand
invitationtoGTdinner

Filloutthankyoucardsto
thankanybody
(particularlyadvisor)who
hasassistedinproject

 InviteadvisortoGTdinner
April20

Completeddisplayboard

Addinformationtoboard
toconveyprojectwithout
beingoverwhelming
Haveinformationeditedby
peersandthechangesfrom
thoseeditsmade
Makeboardvisually
appealing(back
everything,addpictures,
maketitlelooknice)

Weekof
April20

Createpresentation/lesson
tobedeliveredtoacollege
class

May

Completefinalproduct

Deliverlessontocollege

class
Analyzefeedbackfrom
class
Makefinalconclusions
regardingprojectand
research
Preparetoturninresultsof
finalproduct

May

Deliveroralpresentationto
classatLongReach

Createafinalpresentation
todelivertoaclassat
schoolthatdiscusses
researchandresults
Makepresentationvisually
appealing
Practicepresentation

Summarizeinitialresearch
andmyownfindings
Creategroupactivityto
drivehomeconclusions
Makepresentation
interestingandvisually
appealing
Practicepresentingto
classmates

10