Stonecloud Report

Karina Arnold, Paris Frattone, Julia Muller, Carlie Bryant,

Kameron Robinson, Lauren Anderson, Veronica Delgado
Client: Guestroom Records

April 12, 2018

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Will Muir
Manager
Guestroom Records
guestroom records@gmail.com
(405) 701-5974

Dear Mr. Muir,

Thank you so much for letting us work with Guestroom records this semester. Our group has
appreciated the opportunity to learn more about a popular Norman business. Through you letting
us work with your company, we have gained a greater understanding of how advertising research
benefits from data collection and analysis.

Professor Nate Fisher’s spring 2018 Advertising Research class has given us a platform to
conduct meaningful research and data analysis to provide beneficial feedback for Guestroom.

After our initial interview, we decided to look further into the music purchasing tendencies of
underclassmen, specifically freshmen, at the University of Oklahoma. Our group wanted to find
the best way to advertise your company to this demographic who makes a large portion of
Norman’s population.

Attached is a full report demonstrating the current market analysis as well as detailed
information on our research findings. Our hope is that Guestroom Records will be able to use
this information to make advertising and marketing decisions that will reach the ultimately
untapped group of OU underclassmen.

We appreciate your support and cooperation through this process and look forward to hear about
the success you will have in the future.

Sincerely,

Paris Frattone Karina Arnold Veronica Delgado Julia Muller

Kameron Robinson Carlie Bryant Lauren Anderson

Table of Contents:

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Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………... Pg. 4
Background………………………………………………………………………………….. Pg. 5
Method…………………………………………………………………………………….... Pg. 12
Findings…………………………………………………………………………………….. Pg. 14
Recommendations, Limitations, Next Steps……………………………………………… Pg. 27
Appendices………………………………………………………………………………….Pg. 30

List of Illustrations/Figures:
Figure 10- Survey Question 2
Figure 11- Survey Question 26
Figure 12- Survey Question 8
Figure 13- Survey Question 11

Executive Summary
Since their humble beginnings in 2003, Guestroom Records has seen significant success
and has grown to become a popular Norman business. An initial interview with manager Will
Muir brought up his concerns that even though Guestroom has a loyal fan base with an older
demographic, they were struggling to tap into the ever-changing, young demographic that is
students at the University of Oklahoma. Because of this, our research team concluded that

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research is needed to diagnose why underclassmen OU students are not visiting Guestroom,
explore the motivations and inhibitions of the target audience, and identify potential strategies on
how Guestroom can draw in new underclassmen customers.
From there, our researchers conducted exploratory research and found the following five
main ideas emerged in focus groups. The preconceived notions of record buyers as either young
“hipsters” or middle-aged father influenced the college students’ perception of their need to visit
a record store. Exposure and knowledge about Guestroom and other record retailers was limited
and focus groups expressed they didn’t consider record stores as an option for modern music.
There is a lack of portability with records and a higher startup and upkeep cost compared to more
flexible and economic sources of music such as Spotify or iTunes. The most effective media to
advertise through is technology, namely Instagram and Twitter, with some reception to
traditional media such as posters or chalking the South Oval. Finally, students at OU tend to
listen to music to pass time so their methods of listening are based on convenience and
portability.
Our researchers ran univariate data on every survey question. The bivariate data was
categorized into basic demographics, things that pertain to our client, client competition
statistics, and statistics on social media use. For the bivariate data, researchers decided to run chi
square and t-tests using nominal and ratio level data. Our researchers found that survey
respondents who use Spotify as a music medium have a 71.6% chance of being likely users of
Guestroom’s products. This shows that the problem isn’t losing competition to technology, but
lack of awareness or interest in physical music.
From this data, our researchers suggest that Guestroom Records adhere to the following
recommendations in order to take advantage of the large pool of potential customers at the
University of Oklahoma. Bring Guestroom to OU; have a few free concerts a year on campus
instead of in store to ensure a greater number of students know about the store. Many students
find Guestroom while waiting for breakfast at Syrup, so a partnered event would be a mutually
beneficial move. Finally, focus on increasing social media presence on channels like Instagram
and Twitter to appeal to a younger audience.

Background
Industry/Company Analysis
According to their mission statement, Guestroom Records “is about getting good music
to people who want it.”1 Since July 2003, Justin Sowers and Travis Searle have been distributing
records from their storefront in Norman, Oklahoma on Main Street, adjacent to Syrup Pancake

1
http://www.guestroomrecords.com/

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House. The founders and owners Justin Sowers and Travis Searle had humble beginnings, selling
records from their dorm room at the University of Oklahoma. They combined their personal
collections of records and CDs to open their first storefront in Norman. Their combined
collections at that time consisted of 1,600 LPs (long playing vinyl records) and 1,900 CDs. Since
then, “it’s been fairly uphill” with a 25% growth in inventory and sales. Yelp reviews support
this claim. Their vinyls include: punk, indie-alternative, 60’s garage, soul-funk-hip-hop, and
blues-jazz. Customers have given Guestroom a five-star rating and think their prices are
“moderate”, and that they offer “great service.” These reviews are similar to Guestroom’s
Facebook reviews. On Facebook they have 6,944 followers and 6,811 likes on their page. The
general range of followers amongst other small-record store pages is 1-8K, the highest is 35K
followers. Therefore, Guestroom's 6K followers falls in the middle amongst their competition on
Facebook.
Guestroom has expanded its inventory since the stores opening to include modern hits
and artists like Taylor Swift and Adele. They have also added genres like country and classic
orchestra. Will Muir, manager of the Norman location, states that they have expanded their
turntable collections to accommodate for higher demand. In addition, Guestroom has reduced the
number of hard copies in their inventory due to the decline in hard-copy sales. In the fiscal year
2017, 20-25% of their sales were vinyl and the rest were CDs and now its completely “flip
flopped” meaning, that Guestroom now sells mostly vinyl rather than CDs.
Currently, Guestroom has two locations in Oklahoma, one in Norman, which opened in
2005, and another in OKC that opened in 2007. Their third location is in Louisville, KY. When
co-founder Travis Foster moved to Louisville in 2013, he and Justin Sowers decided to close the
third Oklahoma Guestroom location in UCO in Bricktown. According to a 2013 NewsOK
article,2 “Guestroom gained national attention for opening this third location and helping to keep
the tradition of independent record stores a vital part of our communities” and “has come to
serve the needs of many of our regular customers who live and work in the downtown area”.
Although locals mourned the loss of the Bricktown location, Sowers and Foster are confident in
the Louisville location because it provides the best environment for Guestroom’s growth. The
Louisville location has, “a thriving local business community, a great local music culture, and
good community of vinyl purveyors already at work.” The owners assert that Guestroom’s store
fronts thrive best not in a vacuum but in an already-established vinyl culture. According to
Austin, TX Vinyl Library owner Elly Randall, vinyl culture involves “tactile engagement with
music.3 ”
Guestroom is a member of the Alliance of Independent Media Stores alongside 30 other
stores. Guestroom has gained online and national legitimacy and awareness by being a part of

2
https://www.creativeboom.com/inspiration/vinyl-culture-photographer-meets-the-people-who-
collect-sell-and-love-vinyl-records/
3
https://www.creativeboom.com/inspiration/vinyl-culture-photographer-meets-the-people-who-collect-sell-
and-love-vinyl-records/

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this alliance. This alliance also gives them credibility amongst record producers so that producers
and musicians trust Guestroom to promote and sell their products.
Guestroom’s peak seasons include November, December and the first part of January, but
April has the highest sales peak. April’s high profits are due to Record Store Day and Norman
Music Fest. Slow seasons include football season, especially if OU is having a strong season.
With successful football, students spend more money and time on campus or at games than
wandering through Main Street or OKC.
According to the BLS CE survey, the average household spent $1,085 on audio visual
equipment services in 2016.The vinyl record trend in 2017 will be the biggest record selling year
since 1981.4 There was a resurgence in the buying of physical media revealed in the cross-
examining generations’ vinyl/cassettes purchases.
Baby Boomers have a 101 weighted index, Gen Xers dips to 101, while millenials’ have
a weighted MRI index of 105, indicating they have an above average propensity to be purchasers
of vinyl and cassettes.
In 2005, 0.9 million people were buying and using vinyls. Today, 3.6 million are buying
and using vinyl records.5 Online record retailers, brick and mortar shops, and department stores
have all experienced growth in the 20176 fiscal year for vinyl sales “accounting for 14 percent of
all U.S. physical album sales in 2017, an 11 percent increase from 2016” according to Nielsen
Media data.
Many believe that vinyl is a superior form of listening to music, therefore people are
continuing to buy vinyl even though there are simpler options available. The manager, Will
Muir, mentioned that Guestroom Records’ name is “out there nationally so people will stop by,”
when they are driving through Norman to check out their collection. Guestroom Records’ biggest
problem is that they are not able to reach students who attend the University of Oklahoma. They
are interested in figuring out how they can make new students, who may not have physically
purchased music, want to come to Guestroom.
Target Prospect Analysis
According to the MRI data, the typical buyer for vinyl records and cassettes are men
because their index of buying any product at all is 120 and the women’s index is at 81. The
category is a purchase of any vinyl record, cassette, etc, in the past month. Women are less likely
to buy records, cassettes, etc. The largest index for male and female was ages 18-24 with an
index of 135. Men ages 18-34 the index is just above the average at 141. The highest index for
women was ages 18-34 at 107, this index is just under the average. The typical consumer lines
up with who they are trying to target.
The people who come into Guestroom Records are “fans” that are invested in the store.
They have an emotional, nostalgic connection to the records, the salesmen and the location. This

4
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanpassman/2017/01/12/vinyl-is-officially-booming-the-new-billion-
dollar-music-business/#78555c784054
5
https://blog.unifiedmanufacturing.com/6-reasons-people-buying-vinyl-records/
6
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/01/us-vinyl-album-sales-hit-record-high-in-2017.html

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is typical for the average, young record buyer. According to a 2006 Teen Purchasing survey,
42% of teens enjoy the process of buying physical copies of records/tapes/CDs. When consumers
search for records, over 43 percent visit no more than one store to make their purchase.
Consumers generally spend in the range of $1-$25 when making a purchase.
Guestroom has a wide range of customers including older locals and younger college
students, but their main customers are the older regulars who come in at least once a week
according to Muir. Acquiring young customers is difficult because Muir believes there is
stereotype of vinyl-purchasers being “high-fidelity jerks, and elitist about certain music” or that
these stores are just for “hipsters or old people”. According to the MRI, the typical buyer of
physical music agree with the following VALS statements: I am often interested in theories
(index: 137), I’d rather make something than buy it (129), I dress more fashionably than most
people (132), I like making things from wood, metal, and other materials (123), I’m always
looking for a new thrill (130), I like to look through hardware or automotive stores (128), I’d like
to understand more about how the universe works (124), I like outrageous people and things
(127), I must admit I like to show off (128), I’d like to spend a year or more in a foreign country
(125). After analyzing these VALS statements, one can infer that the stereotype Muir describes is
not inaccurate. Typical consumers enjoy critical thinking, quirky trends and enjoy tactile
involvement.
Guestroom’s target market of OU underclassmen is similar to the MRI and other
statistical data presented. When comparing the available data of our target market to the general
vinyl consumer, college students make up a subset of consumers. According to Muir,
underclassmen customers usually hear about Guestroom through word-of mouth and purchase
one record per visit.
Consumers in the age range 18-24 spend $197 on “Audio and Visual equipment and
services” compared to the average 2032. This is low compared to other age groups, which have
expenditures in the 200 and 400 range in ages 45+. However, when comparing the educational
levels of audio and visual equipment purchasers, those who are college-educated have the higher
index of 596 versus those who did not graduate high school, who have an index expenditure of
$264. It should be noted that purchasers with no college education have the highest expenditures
of $861 spent per year.
It is difficult to bring in new consumers to the store because of the biased opinion of the
record stores and the foreign idea of purchasing physical music averts many college
underclassmen. These college students are already consumers of new technology that allows
them to purchase and stream music online and listen from their phone, computer, or iPod. These
individuals want music fast and wherever they desire. The idea of going to buy music takes more
time and money. This is what makes recruiting these consumers difficult because the competition
for fast digital music is growing and relevant. Customers who buy records/ tapes/ CDs mainly
hear about these products through radio or by word-of mouth.7
Product Analysis

7
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/EUM0000000002599

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 Guestroom Records sells a wide range of vinyl records as well as CD’s and turntables.
Most of their stock (85%) is vinyl records. This model has changed within the past couple years
meaning the store used to sell more CDs than vinyls. However, the store soon realized that their
vinyls were selling better than CDs and changed their product strategy. Their vinyl record genres
range anywhere from pop artists like Taylor Swift to rappers like Drake. Typically, vinyl record
prices depend on whether they are considered used or new. Used records range from $7 to $25
while new records can range from $12 to $30. CD’s range from $1.99 to $9 and turntables range
from $50 to $300. They also have a wide range of old records, new and used like Led Zeppelin
and The Beatles. According to the manager of Guestroom Records, people perceive their
products as being hipster or “old age.” What they’re wanting to do is to reduce the stigma of
vinyl records being only for a specific group of people. Something that the manager emphasized
is how friendly their customer service is. They want to draw away from the stereotype that you
have to act and dress a certain way in order to shop at record stores. Guestroom Records products
are typically fairly priced if not lower than the competitors.
Drawing from Vaughn’s FCB Planning Grid, Guestroom Records would fall under the
Affective (Feeler) category. Products in this category usually involve an emotional,
impressionable experience to customers, one they will remember and retell. Because the store is
based around music, consumers buy their products because they’re wanting to get an emotional
arousal from the vinyls and CDs that they purchase. Music makes the consumers feel a certain
way that they wouldn’t feel without having bought the product. As mentioned previously in the
target analysis, record purchasing is an emotional, social experience that usually involves in-
depth thought during the purchase, resulting in one, thoughtful purchase rather than buying
multiple records.
Market Analysis
According to the client, the target market for Guestroom Records are individuals of ages
25 or younger who attend college. Since the client's location in Norman, OK is home to a major
university, their proposed target market saturates the local population. Norman is composed of
approximately 110,925 people, and of those, 25.1% are between the ages of 15-24, compared to
the national average of 13.7%, according to 2014 U.S. Census data. The concentration of youth
in Norman bodes well for the client
The Football season, unfortunately, causes Guestroom records a decrease in business and
sales due to the 25.1% ages 15-24 who attend university football games all day rather than shop
at Guestroom. Although football season causes Guestroom a weak sales season, they have a
strong season in April, as mentioned previously. Guestroom increased sales due to university
students attending Record Store Day and the annual Norman Music Festival. In general, 34% of
people ages 18 to 24 shop at music stores and 91% of those are college students.8 In addition to
seasonality of customers, Guestroom has different customers depending on the day of the week.

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Citrix website- men/women (18-34), 18-24, attended college, musical genres, and musical
buying/listening options

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Since Guestrooms TA is undergraduate students, they would most likely only shop during the
weekends due to school on the weekdays.
The typical college income is $14,400 according to the National Center for Educational
Statistics. Currently, there is no available data for Norman student-specific earnings. However,
OU awards $9,660 in financial aid9 a year compared to the $7,535 national average. Only 38% of
students take out loans, thus one can infer that students enjoy some disposable income, allowing
for them to purchase records.
Competitive Analysis
Vintage Stock is a direct competitor who sells records in Norman. They are a home-
entertainment chain that buys and sells movies, music and games, books, comics, toys and
memorabilia. They also host Magic the Gathering tournaments/ Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments and
Pokémon leagues. On their website, they have photos from events of their customers. They also
have a “news” tab with “news releases” of what’s going on in the store and links to actual
articles that have been written about them. Their website is very current and has links to their
other social media accounts. They have 1,253 followers on Twitter but no interaction on tweets
and they mainly tweet links to their Facebook page. On Facebook, 12,052 people like their page
and they have 11,900 followers. On Facebook, they use very simplistic ads and posters for items
that are on sale, but put relatable captions on them, which drives interaction in the form of
comments and likes. Other advertisements they use are memes that are of characters from video
games, movies and TV shows that they sell. These also gain a lot of interaction in the form of
likes, shares, comments and tags on their posts. They share photos that aren’t taken inside their
store and are not necessarily of their products. Instead, some posts are of art that has been created
to look like a character from a movie, TV show or video game that they sell. They also post
“insider content” of the reconstruction of one of their stores and give updates to their customers
when things are either back in stock or when new items are coming to the store. They share
events on their Facebook page that have to do with items they sell. For example, they share
cosplay events in the Norman/OKC area. They have consistently put their logo on all of their
original content. They respond to comments on Facebook very fast with links back to their
website if someone has questions or with GIFs which gain a lot of interaction in the form of likes
and comments. They have a lot of video content on YouTube that ranges from tours in the store
and of merchandise to customer produced videos of visits and of them opening their mystery
bargain long boxes. The price range for the vinyls they sell differs depending on if it's new or
used. If its new then the price ranges from $25- $30, but if it's used then the price will range from
$20- $0.99. They carry a variety of different genres that range from Pink Floyd and Nirvana to
rap. Their stock depends on what people come in to sell to them.
Trolley Stop Record Shop is a direct competitor who sells records in OKC. They are
“Your One Stop Shop for Vintage Vinyl Records, 78s, 45s, and Albums”. Like Guestroom they
also have artists that come to do live performances in their store. The ads that promote these
shows are usually very simple and include the picture of the band on a color background with

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https://www.niche.com/colleges/university-of-oklahoma/cost/

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black writing on it that says who, where and when. In conjunction to this, they also create events
on Facebook for when different performers are coming to their shop, so you can plan ahead.
They also share news articles about other famous artists, their lives and their music on their
Facebook profile. They do not have a website, but on their Facebook page, they have a lot of
links to articles that have been written about them in multiple different newspapers like The
Oklahoma Gazette, NewsOK, KFOR and FOX25 News. These stories have received a lot of
interaction on Facebook in the form of likes and shares. They use low quality, vintage looking
photos of artists and albums to promote their “Rock n Roll History Today” series which
celebrates milestones in rock history and rock performers on Facebook. They do have some
video content on their page which includes drone footage of their store on the outside and inside,
and there are a few news coverage videos with their owner. Their vinyl stock is expansive and
ranges from Broadway music to hip-hop. However, the bulk of their stock consists of records
that are from the 80s or older. According to Facebook and Yelp reviews, customers have said
that their prices range from cheap to moderate.
Overall, Guestroom Records does not have any direct competitors in Norman. Vintage
Stock isn't seen as competition to them because they have a very small selection of music as
compared to Guestroom Records. Their only real competition is in OKC with Trolley Stop
Record Shop and other record stores in the area. However, Guestroom Records has a storefront
in OKC. Nonetheless all the records stores are very friendly, and buy records from one another.
They are more of a friendly community rather than competitors. They all seem to advertise in the
same manner with very simplistic ads that have their logo and copy on them. They all use other
bands posters to advertise events that are located in their stores, and share articles from other
pages that have to do with local artists and when popular bands are going to release music. They
all post photos of the people and performers that come into their stores and photos of new
products. Nonetheless, Guestroom does advertise free items from local vendors that you can get
if you come into the store, and they also sell local artists’ art.
Opolis is an indirect competitor because it is the first related search result on Google
which could drive traffic to their website rather than to Guestrooms. Like Guestroom, Opolis
hosts live bands which could cause a competition amongst the two stores for obtaining the same
artists. Opolis also hosts weekly trivia nights. They sell organic, vegetarian and vegan food. They
have no links from their website to any of their social media platforms. Their website only has
their menu and a list of people playing at their restaurant. On Facebook, 5,189 people have liked
their page and they have 5,166 followers but no one likes or comments on the content that they
produced which consists of announcements of events dates for performers. On Instagram, they
have 2,262 followers but averaged about 22.6 likes and 1 comment on their last 5 posts. On
Instagram, they only post the graphic for the artist that is coming to perform that week. That
same graphic is also on their website, so the graphic is not formatted especially for Instagram.
On Twitter, they have 3,156 followers but average about 1 favorite and 0 retweets for their last 5
tweets. On Twitter, they only link to their Instagram so there is no original or specifically
formatted content on their Twitter.

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 Norman Music Center is an indirect competitor because it is the second music-related
topic search that comes up in related searches for Guestroom Records. They also have people
consistently playing their display instruments so customers can not only hear music but also be
able to play music as well. This leads to more customer interaction and allows for the customer
to be more immersed in the experience of hearing music by also being able to play on an
instrument. You are also able to buy and get instruments repaired there. They are the “Home of
the PLEK machine” which is computerized analysis, fret dressing and fret crowning for your
guitar and is free on all guitars $500 and over that are purchased in store. They have a blog that
has video content within it, but it only has three posts on it and the last post was in May of 2014.
On Facebook, they 1,374 likes on their page and 1,344 followers. They averaged about 5 likes on
their last 5 posts. They post live videos of customers using their instruments in store. However,
they mainly post photos of what’s back in stock and of new products. On Twitter, they have 179
followers. On average 0 favorites 0 retweets on their last 5 tweets. They post the same content
that’s on their Facebook account. On Instagram, they have 340 followers with an average of 20
likes on their last 5 posts.
Other indirect competitors include Barnes & Noble, discount stores, and online
stores/digital music like Urban Outfitters and Spotify. These large retailers provide a wider
selection of vinyl and wider distribution, but Guestroom matches their prices.

Method
Problem Statement and Rationale
The client, Guestroom Records, is aware that it is failing to reach a target market
consisting of University of Oklahoma students, most of whom are underclassmen and recently
moved to Norman, Oklahoma. Guestroom’s Norman location manager Will Muir acknowledges
that Guestroom has a loyal and consistent customer base from older generations; however, Muir
believes they are missing out on potential customers that come with being located next to a large
university like OU. Muir believes Guestroom has been unable to reach incoming students
because they are part of a generation which substitutes physical music purchasing for streaming
music services and value portability. However, Muir is still vague on exactly why Guestroom is
unable to raise awareness amongst a younger demographic since Guestroom’s current
infrastructure provides a wide-variety of music, fair prices and experiences little competition. He
is unsure how Guestroom could improve in order to target OU students. Therefore, research is
needed to diagnose why underclassmen OU students are not visiting Guestroom, explore the
motivations and inhibitions of the target audience, and identify potential strategies on how
Guestroom can draw in new underclassmen customers. Guestroom needs a strategy to retain
current customers while simultaneously reaching out to new students. The primary research
conducted will provide more localized data, specifically in the attitudes, emotions and habits of
OU students in contrast to the ecumenical data in the secondary research. Finding out students’

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current awareness status specifically amongst OU students is pertinent to solving Guestroom’s
local expansion problem. Failure to conduct this research will put Guestroom at risk of
generating less sales as regulars diffuse. Not acquiring new customers while simultaneously
maintaining current clientele procreates Guestroom’s profit dependability on a small segment of
regulars. Furthermore, failure to amass the target demographic puts Guestroom at risk of losing
these customers to direct competitors like big-box stores and indirect competitors like online
music streaming.
Data Collection and Rationale
The secondary research reveals that Guestroom must develop their market to reach OU
students to capitalize on the opportunity new young customers. Secondary data collection and
analysis oriented the researchers about Guestroom, the record industry and Guestroom’s
competitors. The inability to specify and narrow in on attitudes and current awareness amongst
underclassmen at OU led to primary research, which included two focus groups and a survey.
The two Focus groups were conducted in the Gaylord focus group rooms and both
consisted of six University of Oklahoma students. These students included under and
upperclassmen studying a variety of majors and have had different experiences with physical
music. The first and second focus group had a gender ratio of two males and four females.
Participants answered a demographic questionnaire prior to the moderator’s questioning.
Moderator Paris Frattone followed the questionnaire guide (see appendix) which resulted in two
sessions under 60 minutes. Food was provided to provide a relaxed, conversational atmosphere.
After transcribing and categorizing the sessions, researchers used the recurring themes to
form a survey on Qualtrics. This survey was sent to a random set of 2,000 OU student emails.
The survey included nominal, ratio and interval level questions regarding music mediums, social
media usage, prior experience with physical music, and awareness of the client Guestroom.
Nominal and ratio level questions were used for demographic questions at the end of the survey.
The focus group addresses more specific beliefs and attitudes towards what a vinyl
purchaser looks like. The rationale for this research is that the survey gives quantitative,
numerical evidence while the focus group gives qualitative, emotional reasoning for vinyl
purchases. The primary research conducted identifies potential mediums and messages of how
Guestroom can draw in new underclassmen customers.
Sampling
For the survey, a random sample of 2,000 OU students were reached in order to
maximize external validity. The focus group sampling population included underclassmen who
heard about the focus group through RA’s and upperclassmen found studying and were willing
to participate. The focus groups included a sample of 6 undergraduate students who have heard
of Guestroom, bought records and those who have not heard of Guestroom nor bought records.
This mix simulated conversation and provided direct comparisons between the two
classifications of students. The survey reached the target audience of all underclassmen OU
students to achieve as much numerical data as possible.
Data Analysis

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 The responses collected from the two focus groups were transcribed and categorized
conceptually. The quotes from participants were sorted under each category to examine attitude
frequency and overarching themes. The categories of common attitudes expressed established
perimeters for survey questions. There were 144 responses from the survey, which was available
for one week and included an Amazon gift card drawing as an incentive. The numerical evidence
received from the survey validated the responses from the focus groups, proving that those
students were representative of the target demographic. The researchers were able to use focus
group responses in addition to survey results to shape the strategy. SPSS was used to analyze
quantitative data in a univariate and bivariate fashion. Researchers confirmed the qualitative
findings with a quantitative approach and analysis. With the qualitative and quantitative data, a
strategy was formulated to answer the question of how to best attract and target the student
demographic.

Findings
In order to solve Guestroom’s problem in acquiring underclassmen at the University of
Oklahoma, primary research data is needed to disclose the current awareness levels,
understanding the best mediums to increase awareness, and what content draws the most
attention and action to visit Guestroom. As mentioned in the methodology, the researchers first
conducted two focus groups in order to explore the motivations and current perception the target
demographic has of Guestroom. After establishing a sample of current attitudes and awareness,
the research was then preceded by quantitative data obtained through a Qualtrics survey.
Qualitative Findings
Two focus groups were conducted to obtain deep insight into the perception of current
OU students about our client. Both focus groups were conducted in the Gaylord focus group lab
with the same moderator, Paris Frattone, and had six OU students. After transcribing the focus
groups, the following themes emerged: Preconceived perceptions with the record industry and
record buyers; exposure and knowledge about Guestroom and other record retailers; portability
or lack thereof of music mediums, practicality and cost amongst different music mediums; what
media mediums for the message are most effective; and different music settings and purposes.
Preconceived perceptions with the record industry and record buyers
The interview with Will Muir revealed that current Guestroom clientele include older
regulars and few young, wondering students. Compared to the older regulars, the younger
visitors are less likely to purchase records. Both focus groups revealed that students believed a
“typical physical music buyer” was one whom was “hipster, lives in Brooklyn, edgier” according
to a female freshman who has never been to Guestroom. Freshman boy who has visited
Guestroom graded record buyers as “someone wearing vans,”or “ enjoys physical form of
music” and appreciates music as an art in the order its presented and requires attention to
appreciate. This comment received approving nods of the other underclassmen in focus group
one. Resurfacing attitudes amongst both groups included “hipster,” someone before the
advancement of technology, egotistic, wanting aesthetic and someone that “appreciates music

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more than others therefore wanting the physical version” according to junior media student who
lives near the store. A female student from focus group one and two both connected record
buying to their fathers. The female freshman in group one had records passed down from her
father while the female senior in focus group two remembers going to stores with her father.
Thus, they associated record buyers “as a typical dad that appreciates his music from the 80s
because that was his prime time.” The two groups described buyers as educated to their tastes
and preferences and concerned about “aesthetic.” Aesthetic, according to these students means
“artistic” and “more than just music.” Both a female freshman in focus group one and female
senior in group two stated they displayed their records as art and were drawn to albums that they
could show off in their apartments. They agreed that the current generation is starting to
reconnect with the age of physical music due to increased concern about maintaining an aesthetic
lifestyle.
These attitudes supported Muir’s predictions that the target demographic has a strong
perception of what a “typical record buyer” looks like. The secondary data and qualitative
primary data both indicate that people associate records and physical music with a certain type of
person. This data also supports the thesis that it is difficult to bring in new customers if they feel
like they do not fit their perception and feel out of place or intimidated in a record shop.
In addition to feelings that they do not exemplify a record buyer, attitudes about the
physical music industry itself prevents the target audience from purchasing records. Both focus
groups expressed that it was not financially feasible to invest in physical music since technology
makes physical music obsolete. Furthermore, physical music is not often “compatible with
different types of devices. I don’t buy records because I don’t have a record player” stated a
junior female in focus group one. However, she did mention merit to physical music in that,
“physical music is always there, if you have it all on your phone and you lose your phone, your
music is gone unless you have it synced, a CD will always be there unless you break it.” Two
freshman males in focus group one agreed. One of the two who has bought from Guestroom
stated that he is more inclined to buy physical music in the wake of advancing technology and
notes that “the more advanced our technology gets the more people crave the way it used to be,
nostalgia, you can see everyone’s trying to go back to the 90s, records benefit from that bc they
resemble how it used to be.” Although participants acknowledged the merits of physical musics,
the overall consensus from groups one and two was that they listen to music through bluetooth in
their cars and all the new music they would want to listen to is already on another platform. The
two groups attitudes toward the stereotypical record buyer were very similar; however, the
stigma attached to regular record buyers not what prevents the target audience from purchasing
records.
Exposure and knowledge about Guestroom and other record retailers
Guestroom Records is interested in expanding their client base to the students who attend
the University of Oklahoma. The research revealed insight into the student body and their
opinion on Guestroom Records. Less than half of the total focus group participants have actually
purchased records. Three total have bought records and two others had received records through

14
hand-me-downs. Over half have purchased CD’s, but stopped when more cars came with aux
chords. Regarding records, participants like the antique feel of vinyl but are shocked that record
stores still exist. Many don’t expect record stores to carry modern music, but there are actually
records for almost every modern album. One female participant mentioned that they would
consider buying a modified record player if it has the option to plug in an aux cord so you are
able to, “play music from your phone and also play vinyl.” Some don’t want to purchase records
because of the high prices for record players and the records when there are other options to
download music for cheaper. After looking around Guestroom Records a male participant from
focus group one said that expensive records were “generally highly rated or ones that you would
want to collect and the vintage records were in good condition.” Records and CD’s have always
been expensive, but there is something special about physically purchasing music rather than
downloading it from the Internet, which is why people continue to go into record stores to
purchase music. There is a certain aesthetic and feel to having a record player and buying
records. The nostalgia that listening to vinyl brings people is a reason to continue buying records.
A male participant from focus group one shared that it is “a more fine listening experience,” vs
listening to music on your phone or another music playing device.
Record stores often have vintage records and a variety of genres. The main reason
participants said they would venture to a record store was if they had a “specific purpose,” and
know what they want to buy. When discussing students, the study showed that underclassmen
are less likely to drive to a record store because they do not have cars. This is a common problem
when reaching out to underclassmen. A few of the participants knew about Guestroom Records
prior to the focus group, mostly by word of mouth. Those who had been, said that Guestroom
Records seemed like, “a music library of sorts,” where you could go to look around and find new
artists. Another participant said that they, “like to look around,” but don’t usually purchase
anything because they do not own a record player and can’t afford to purchase CD’s. A record
player is large and hard to make space for if a person is living somewhere small such as a dorm
room. A freshman girl said that she “has a record player but didn’t have room to store it” in her
on campus dorm room. Guestroom Records is located right next door to a popular breakfast spot
in Norman called Syrup. Syrup usually has a long line, so while customers are waiting they often
venture into Guestroom Records to browse around before their table is ready. Many participants
confirmed this insight in the focus groups. If it is convenient to stop into Guestroom Records
while on Main Street, then many participants would. Guestroom Records has a variety of records
with a large selection and felt that the store was “calm and full of records,” with not much going
on, similar to a library. One recognized Guestroom Records while at the Norman Art walk
because they had seen concerts there. A general consensus among the focus groups was that an
incentive for people to visit Guestroom Records would be a free concert. Overall, the feedback
received from those who had been to Guestroom Records was positive and more specifically had
a chill, 90s grunge atmosphere with a great selection on music and a good place to find new
artists.
Portability or lack thereof and practicality, cost amongst different music mediums

15
 Guestroom Records is aware that their physical music offers more of an experience, but
want to know how the different music mediums are keeping people from buying their products.
In the interview with Guestroom, manager Will Muir discussed that the store faces issues with
the younger demographic purchasing physical music. The overall consensus of focus groups one
and two was that when listening to music on different mediums it is typically cheaper and more
portable, private, and accessible. In both focus groups there was an agreement that Spotify is the
medium of choice. It was described as being financially practical, allows you options of artists
and songs, and is easy and portable so you can listen on the go. Both focus groups also revealed
that it is about the mediums but it is also about how you can listen to music in private. They
acknowledged that when they do listen to this music it is typically through headphones, aux, or
bluetooth in their car. The main way these groups listen to music is difficult to do with physical
copies because most subjects in the focus groups listen to music on the go, going to class, in the
car and or studying. Another point was made from one individual from focus group one that
mentioned how with vinyl’s or CD’s you have to listen to the whole album whereas with Spotify,
Apple Music or Soundcloud you avoid listening to every song on the album and just listen to
songs you enjoy. A female participant from focus group two stated she thought buying/listening
to records was a whole different experience, “you have more of an experience with music” rather
than skipping through songs on an album you maybe didn’t prefer as much as the others. To
draw our targeted audiences of college students towards vinyls/CDs that are in Guestroom, you
have to provide them with an image of having an interest in true experiences with music and the
artist’s that created it.
What media for the message are most effective
In addition to gaining insight on the music medium usage, focus groups one and two
exposed the attitudes OU students held regarding what mediums for advertising are most
effective for music retailers to use. The most common mediums involved technology. The most
mentioned social media platforms mentioned among participants included Instagram, Facebook,
Twitter and YouTube. The focus group participants also utilized additional online platforms
including Spotify, online ADs, OU weekly “what-to-do” e-mail and Google notifications. These
technological tools were used amongst the under and upperclassmen in both focus groups. This
mutual sentiment exhibits that social media may be the most extensive and productive tool to
reach the target audience while maintaining awareness amongst current customers. Guestroom
currently has a typical social media presence and outreach in comparison to its competitors. The
secondary data reports that Guestroom has 6K followers on Facebook and has gained national
online recognition through their membership with the Alliance of Independent Media Stores.
The division between under and upperclassmen became apparent when questioned about
physical mediums for advertising. The underclassmen in focus group one were most likely to
visit local businesses or go to local events they learned through sidewalk chalking or word-of-
mouth. According to Muir, underclassmen customers usually hear about Guestroom through
word-of mouth and purchase one record per visit. Through more social media engagement,
Guestroom could potentially retain these underclassmen customers as expressed by a male

16
participant. He stated that “an online presence through pictures and promos would give
underclassmen a small preview of what Guestroom offers in their store on campus in order to
entice underclassmen to go out of there way to go to the physical store.” Many underclassmen do
not have a car, thus they are less likely to “stumble” or “drive” past Guestroom. This student
expressed that knowing what Guestroom has and where it is located prior to visiting would
encourage him and his friends to visit more often. In contrast to the underclassmen in focus
group one, the upperclassmen in group two “became numb” to the chalking and were more apt to
noticing graphic posters that included illustrations of artists they are interested in, information
about concerts, and a Twitter or Facebook group viewers could join to receive more information.
One participant stated that “poster placement is key” and good locations would be doors,
bathrooms or study lounges. Furthermore, both groups expressed an appeal to live music being
played on South Oval or by the storefront as a form of advertisement. The appeal of live music
coincides with what was revealed in the secondary research MRI and VALS data which is that
typical young customers enjoy critical thinking, quirky trends and enjoy tactile involvement.
Different music settings and purposes
Our client, Guestroom Records, is aware they do not need to change any of the
infrastructures of their business, but on how they can appeal to individuals at the OU campus.
The initial interview with the Norman location’s manager Will Muir reveals that Guestroom
faces issues with appealing physical music purchasing to a younger demographic. According to
MRI data, this generation generally does not purchase physical music and listens to music
through streaming services. The questions dedicated to when and how the target audience listens
to music contributed to answering why underclassmen in college were not apt to listening or
purchasing physical music including records and CDs. When asked “when do you listen to
music” the subjects agreed on the matter that they all listened to music out of convenience, to
void out silence and or time. According to a response from a male underclassman in focus group
one , he listened to music because he lived alone and had no one to talk to and “needs to hear
something, to fill up space.” Another respondent mentioned how he listened to music always
when he was traveling to and from somewhere. “If I’m like walking to class I’ll listen if I’m in
the car music is on. Usually, when I’m studying, I’m listening to music” These quotes we
gathered proved to us that OU students are very prone to using electronics because they only
listen to music out of convenience or to void out situations. Although that does not pertain to
most individuals, it does concern those who are audiences for Guestroom Records
Quantitative Findings
Demographics
Researchers sent out a survey to a randomized list of OU students, and it received a total
of 144 responses, 24.8% of the respondents were males and 73.8% were females. According to
the responses, 42.6% of the respondents recorded that they were between the age of 18-20, while
57.4% were 21 years old or older. The breakdown of classification was; 14.2% freshman, 18.4%
sophomores, 22.7% juniors, 22% seniors, and 22.7% of respondents were graduate students.
When respondents were asked if they lived on campus 29.8% responded that they did not live on

17
campus. However, 66.7% respondents recorded that they only attended OU, and another 35.5%
said they were from the OKC area. After taking these demographics into account the researchers
ran chi-square tests for each of these variables against respondents who were likely to be
Guestroom users. In order to see if there was a statistically significant relationship between the
different answers. For example, if women or men were more likely to be likely Guestroom users,
or if a particular classification was more likely to be a Guestroom user. All of the p-values for
each variable were above the .05 needed for statistical significance, so the researchers accepted
the null hypothesis that there were no statistically significant relationships between these
different variables and the likelihood of respondents being Guestroom users. Meaning that all of
the respondents’ answers to these question did not change the likelihood of them also being a
likely Guestroom user.
Client
Respondents were also asked if they had heard of Guestroom and 64.5% recorded that
they had not heard of them. However, 35.5% of respondents said they had heard of Guestroom,
and 32% of those respondents also recorded that they knew of them because they were waiting in
line for Syrup--which was the highest percentage among the available answer choices (6%
Norman Art Walk, 28% friend, 2% Google, 2% advertisement on social media, 4% other, 6%
stickers, 20% walking on Main). This illustrates Guestrooms main problem, the lack of
awareness amongst their community and identifies the habits of OU students. Furthermore, chi-
square tests were run to see if there were any statistically significant relationships between the
attendance of events that go on, on Main Street and increased likelihood of the respondent being
a likely Guestroom user. Because Guestroom is located on Main Street. There were no
statistically significant relationships between the attendance of Norman Art Walk or Norman
Music Festival and likely Guestroom users. Because all of the p-values were above the .05
needed for statistical significance. Nonetheless, over 70% of respondents reported not attending
Norman Music Festival, and another 68.1% reported not attending Norman Art Walk. However,
over 80% of respondents recorded that they had walked down Main Street before. Therefore the
researchers also ran a chi-square test against this variable and likely Guestroom users to prove
that there was a statistically significant relationship between the likely Guestroom user and
someone who had walked down Main Street before. The chi-square value for those two variables
was 4.307 with 1 degree of freedom, and a p-value of .038. Since the p-value was below the .05
needed for statistical significance the researchers concluded that there was a relationship between
respondents who had walked through downtown and likely Guestroom users. This helps
illustrate where Guestroom should allocate their relationship building. Instead of trying to gain
OU student awareness during events that draw in a larger crowd with outside vendors and
artists–like at Norman Art Walk and Norman Music Fest–they instead should focus on getting
the businesses that surround them to promote them. Essentially creating symbiotic relationships
with complementary businesses, that OU students already frequent. For example with Syrup,
inviting customers or even having the waiters recommend to customers to browse through

18
Guestroom while they wait to be seated. That way the customer doesn't get antsy waiting around
to be seated and provides Guestroom with a potential business transaction.
Researchers also gauged the respondent's awareness about products that are sold by
Guestroom. 65.2 % of respondents recorded that they were unaware that Guestroom sold CDs.
Another 64.5% were unaware that Guestroom sells modern music on vinyl, and 68.1% were
unaware that Guestroom offers modern and vintage music on vinyl and on CDs. Lastly, over
88% of respondents were unaware that Guestroom offers free concerts. This data helps to
designate what products or events Guestroom needs to advertise more, to OU students. For
example, the highest percentage of unawareness amongst students was about the free concerts
that are offered, so an advertising or public relations campaign could potentially be centered
around that concept. However, if wanting to focus on sales then a campaign could potentially be
center around the second highest percentage of unawareness which was about how Guestroom
offers modern and vintage music on vinyl and CD.
The researchers did find that more respondents, 54.2%, were more likely to buy vintage
music on a physical medium like CDs, vinyl, cassette tapes. While another 32.4% were more
likely to buy modern music on a physical medium. 13.4% recorded that they would buy neither
vintage or modern music on a physical medium. This helped to identify OU students attitudes
towards types of physical music. Therefore, the researchers ran a chi-square test to see if there
was a statically significant relationship between a respondents likelihood of buying
modern/vintage music on a physical medium and the likely Guestroom user. The chi-square
value was 15.421 with 2 degrees of freedom, and a p-value of .000. Therefore since the p-value
is below .05 the then researchers rejected the null hypothesis that there was no relationship
between respondents that were likely to buy vintage/modern music on a physical medium and a
likely Guestroom user. Meaning that more respondents reported being more likely to buy
physical music if it was vintage or modern music and were also likely Guestroom users.
Furthermore, this exemplifies Guestrooms product awareness problem. If the likely Guestroom
customer, who was an OU student knew, that Guestroom offered these products—vintage and
modern music on different physical mediums—they would be more likely to buy the
aforementioned product.
Researchers also ask the respondents if they had ever bought physical music before, and
82.3% said that they had. That same 82.3% were also asked what genre the physical music was
that they bought. The breakdown of genres responses was: 20.7% rap/hip-hop, 13.8% rock, 5.2%
classical, 5.2% jazz, 25% alternative, and 30.2% other. This helped to identify the respondent's
attitudes on different genres and previous physical music purchases. The researchers then ran a
chi-square test to see if there was a statistical significance between respondents who had bought
physical music before and likely Guestroom users. The chi-square value was 4.239 with 1 degree
of freedom, and a p-value of .040. Since the p-value was below .05 so the researchers rejected
the null hypothesis that there is no relationship between having previously bought physical music
and being a likely Guestroom user. Meaning if a respondent had previously bought physical
music then they were more likely to be a likey Guestroom customer. This provides substantial

19
data on the importance of targeting repeat customers and maintaining a relationship with people
that are already loyal to Guestroom or are loyal to buying physical music. Researchers also ran a
secondary chi-square test in order to see if there was a statistically significant relationship
between the genre of music the respondents reported to have previously bought and the likely
Guestroom user. This test would distinguish if there was one genre in particular that the likely
Guestroom user is more likely to have bought. However, the chi-square value was 5.370 with 5
degrees of freedom, and a p-value of .372. So, since the p-value is above the .05 needed for
statistical significance then the researchers could not reject the null hypothesis that there is no
statistically significant relationship between music genres bought and likely Guestroom users.
Meaning there isn't a statistically significant relationship between genre and likely Guestroom
users. This data means that there isn't one particular genre that the random sample of OU
students could all decisively say they are looking for when they bought physical music, which
means that variety can be a key motivator to respondents.
Respondents were also asked how many hours per day they listen to music in order to
gauge their habits. The breakdown of hours per day that respondents reported was: 33.1%
reported 1-2 hours, 43% reported 3-4 hours, 13.4% reported 5-6 hours, and 10.6% reported 6+
hours. Another habit that was gauged was how much they are willing to pay per month for
music, physical and online using a slider scale with “$0” and “$100” as the anchors. The mean
was 12.73 with a standard deviation of 9.82. The researchers then ran a t-test to test for statistical
significance between the dollar amount a respondent is willing to pay and a likely Guestroom
user. On a slider scale with “$0” and “$100” as the anchors, respondents who said they were
more likely to pay more were also more likely to be Guestroom users with a mean of 14.956 and
a standard deviation of 10.54821, than who responded who said that they would pay less
(M=8.2889, SD= 6.29438). The calculated t statistic was -3.906 with 134 degrees of freedom and
a p-value of .000. Since the p-value was below .05 the researchers rejected the null that there was
no relationship between willing to pay more for music and a Guestroom user. Meaning that there
is relationship between the respondents willingness to pay more for physical music and being a
likely Guestroom user. Thus OU students attitudes towards paying more for physical music is
positive.
At the end of the survey, the respondents were asked to rate how likely they were to visit
Guestroom on an eleven-point Likert scale. The mean score was 5.01 with a standard deviation
of 2.835. They were also asked how likely they were to buy a record or a CD from Guestroom on
an eleven-point Likert scale with a mean of 3.82 and a standard deviation of 2.97. This data
means that as of now, of the responses gathered, more students are willing to visit the store than
they are to actually buy something.
Competition
Researchers wanted to determine which mediums of listening to music on were most
commonly used by OU students in order to see if any competitors would arise and gauge the
listening habits of OU students. Therefore the researchers asked the respondents to identify all
the mediums of music they use to listen to music on. The breakdown of mediums was: 61.8%

20
listen to Spotify, 48.6% listen to Youtube, 11.1% listen to Soundcloud, 32.6% listen to Itunes,
14.6% listen to CDs, 6.9% listen to vinyl, 14.6% listen to Pandora, 5.6% listen to Amazon
Music, 34.7% listen to FM/AM radio, 8.3% listen to satellite radio, 6.9% responded other.

10

The researchers then ran chi-square tests on each of these variables to see if there was a
statistically significant relationship between any one of these mediums and a likely Guestroom
user. The p-values that were calculated in the chi-square tests for Youtube, Itunes, vinyl,
Pandora, Amazon Music, FM/AM radio, satellite radio, and other were all above the .05 needed
for statistical significance. Therefore the researchers accepted the null hypothesis that there was
no statistical significance between these particular variables and a likely Guestroom user.
However, the chi-square test did reveal statical significance for Spotify, Soundcloud, and CDs.
The calculated chi-square value for respondents who use Spotify and likely Guestroom users was
4.154 with 1 degree of freedom, and a p-value of .042. Since the p-value is below .05 we can
reject the null hypothesis and say that there is statistical significance between Spotify users and
likely Guestroom users. Meaning if they use Spotify they are more likely to also be a likely
Guestroom customer. The calculated chi-square value for respondents who use Soundcloud and
likely Guestroom users was 6.466 with 1 degree of freedom, and a p-value if .011. Since the p-
value is below .05 we can reject the null hypothesis, and say that there is a relationship between
Soundcloud users and likely Guestroom users. Meaning the respondents who said they used
Soundcloud are also more likely to also be likely Guestroom customers. The calculated chi-
square value for respondents who use CDs and likely Guestroom customers was 6.297 with 1
degree of freedom, and a p-value of .012. Since the p-value is below .05 then we can reject the
null hypothesis and say that there is a relationship between CD users and Guestroom’s likely

10
Survey Question 2

21
users. Meaning respondents that said they used CDs were also likely to be likely Guestroom
users. This data exemplifies OU students listening habits and allows us to exclude some online
music streaming services as competitors. For example, Spotify or Soundcloud aren’t necessarily
taking away Guestroom customers because the data proves that the OU students that reported
using Spotify were also likely Guestroom customers. So the problem is the lack of awareness
amongst the target group. Therefore it may be beneficial to do something on Spotify or
Soundcloud like creating a playlist on these platforms that is solely composed of physical music
that is sold in Guestroom’s store because Guestroom’s likely user is already listening to both
Spotify and Soundcloud.
Researchers also asked respondents to list retailers in Norman they think of to buy
physical music at. This was an unaided awareness question that was free response. The
breakdown of responses was: 9% Best Buy, 16.7% Walmart, 15.3% Target, 8.3% Vintage Stock,
and 27% responded Guestroom. The researchers wanted to test if there was a statistically
significant relationship between who the respondents thought of and likely Guestroom users in
order to identify potential big-box competitors and shopping habits of OU students.

11

After running individual chi-square test for Best Buy, Walmart, Target and Vintage Stock
there was not a statistical relationship between these retailers and likely Guestroom users.
However, there was statistical significance amongst the respondents who listed Guestroom and
likely Guestroom users. The chi-square value was 10.697 with 1 degree of freedom, and a p-
value of .001. Since the p-value was below the .05 needed for a statistically significant
relationship the researchers rejected the null hypothesis that there is no relationship between
respondents who thought of Guestroom and likely Guestroom users. This data provides the

11
Survey Question 26

22
notion that big-box stores aren’t necessarily competition as far as the likely Guestroom user is
concerned.
Social Media
Researchers tested for use across different social media platforms in order to gauge OU
students habits and evaluate how they get advertised to, and what they like to see on social
media. The researchers asked respondents to rate how often they use different social media
platforms on a Likert-type seven-point scale with “never” and “very frequently” as the anchors.
The different social media platforms the respondents ranked were Instagram (M=5.232,
SD=1.96), Twitter (M=4.05, SD=2.32), Facebook (M=4.32 SD=1.93) and Snapchat (M=4.91
SD=1.99998).

12

A t-test was then run individually on each of these different platforms against the likely
Guestroom user. These t-tests were run to see if the likely Guestroom user used any one of the
social media platforms more or less frequently than the other–this would then provide a social
media platform to focus on using in order to capture the target audiences attention. All of the p-
values the for each of the t-test were above the .05 needed for statistical significance. Meaning
that there was no relationship between the frequency of using any of the above mention social
media platform and a likely Guestroom user. This means no single social media platform
outranked the other for the likely Guestroom users attention. However, when respondents were
asked how they found out about local events the majority of respondents, 51.8%, said it was
through social media. The breakdown of the other choices is 4.3% chalking, 5.7% flyers, 22%
word of mouth, 12.8 online advertisements, 3.5 other. Meaning that social media is important to
OU students but they use a variety of different platforms to find out about local events.
Nonetheless, the researchers ran a chi-square test to see if there was a statically significant

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Survey Question 8

23
relationship between how respondents said they found out about local events and likely
Guestroom users. The chi-square value was 4.024 with 5 degrees of freedom, and a p-value of
.546. Since the p-value was above .05 so the researchers accepted the null that there is no
relationship between how a respondent find out about local events and likely Guestroom users.
Meaning that it didn't matter to the respondents that were likely Guestroom users how they
received the information/ advertisements, that they would find out about local events using all
the options that were provided (chalking, social media, flyers, word of mouth and online ads).
Respondents were also asked if they followed music retailers on social media 15.5%
responded yes while 84.5% responded no. The 15.5% of those who said they did follow music
retailers on social media were asked a secondary question where the respondent specified who
they followed. The breakdown of their responses is 10% Guestroom, 52.6% Spotify, 26.3%
Barnes and Noble.

13

The researchers then ran chi-square tests on each response (Guestroom, Spotify and
Barnes and Noble) against the likely Guestroom user to determine if there was a statically
significant relationship between these variables. Since all of the p-values for each chi-square test
was above the .05 there were no statically significant relationships between the different music
retailers and the likely Guestroom user.
The researchers also asked the respondents what kinds of posts would make them more
inclined to visit a business. The breakdown of answer choices is 16.2% aesthetic, cool graphics
or visual; 3.5% ticket/tour information, 2.8% new music information, 4.9% information on
special events, 26.8% information about sales or specials, 45.1% all of the above, .7% other. The
researchers then chose to run a chi-square test to test for a statistically significant relationship

13
Survey Question 11

24
between different types of posts on social media and likely Guestroom users. This data would
then provide an idea of what kind of posts on social media the target audience would like to see
and after seeing, which would make them more likely to visit Guestroom. The chi-square value
was 14.694 with 5 degrees of freedom, and a p-value of .012. Since the p-value was below .05
we can reject the null hypothesis that there is no relationship between the types of things posted
to social media and a likely Guestroom user. Meaning that the kinds of things that are posted to
social media can affect if the respondent would be a likely Guestroom user. This data helps to
gauge the respondent's attitudes towards particular posts and emotions on how they enjoy being
advertised to and provides an outline of social media posts for Guestroom.
Recommendations, Limitations, Next Steps
Recommendations
The primary and secondary research conducted resulted in data that helps solve the
problem statement. As mentioned previously, the client, Guestroom found obtaining a younger,
student demographic difficult. Specifically, Guestroom’s focus was increasing awareness and
obtaining clients from the OU underclassmen. The data obtained from the focus groups and
surveys confirmed the secondary data. As Muir mentioned in his interview, the younger
generation does not buy physical music at the same rate and quantity as older generations. MRI,
consumer expenditure reports and business articles confirm Muir’s assumption. American youth
generally buy physical music less frequently, but are willing to pay more for it when they do buy
it. However they also consume music more consistently through online streaming. Nonetheless,
the secondary data did not reveal specifically why younger generations do not purchase physical
music. The focus groups and survey revealed the overall attitudes of this generation, specifically
within the OU community. After analyzing and comparing the data, Stonecloud is confidant it
can provide relevant suggestions for Guestroom.
The overall attitudes in the focus groups revealed that physical music was less
economical and mobile while streaming services allowed for easier portability and sharing.
Amongst the participants in the focus groups, Spotify was the most frequently mentioned as the
prefered medium of choice. The survey paralleled the preference for Spotify, which ranked first
in usage at 61.8% where the second most used medium was YouTube at 48.6%. Although most
students use Spotify, there was a statistically significant relationship between Spotify users and
Guestroom users. According to the bivariate analysis, if respondents used Spotify they were
71.6% likely to be a likely Guestroom user.
Where the attitudes and the survey dissented, was over how to garner higher Guestroom
sales. In the focus groups, students expressed excitement over live music, aesthetic or artistic
appeal, and the social experience of going to the store and listening to records with friends.
These ideas were mentioned in the survey with nominal questions like “Are you aware that
Guestroom offers free concerts? Yes/No” and “Are you aware that Guestroom sells modern
music on vinyl? Yes/No”. However, when the survey asked if participants would visit on a ratio-
level scale, the data reveals that on a scale of 0-10, participants had a mean of 5.01 with a
standard deviation of 2.834, illustrating that the mean is accurate since the sample is relatively

25
homogenous. The mean expresses neutrality in relation to Guestroom’s business since the
anchors were not likely and extremely likely; however, when asked how likely participants
would buy a record or CD from Guestroom with not likely and extremely likely as the anchors,
the mean was 3.82 with a standard deviation of 2.97. In order to peak underclassmen interest and
spending, Guestroom needs to bring the experience to the buyers and illustrate the fiscal value of
physical music. Through interactive social platforms, on-campus activities and word-of-mouth,
Guestroom can become more than a retail store, but can also offer an intimate experience with
music, acquaintance with locals, and relaxing pastime with friends.
Furthermore, Instagram had the highest usage rate with a mean of 5.23 on a 7-point
Likert scale. Students were more likely to use Instagram as their predominant form of social
media usage while Guestroom uses Facebook, which was the third lowest usage rate with a mean
of 4.32. Guestroom must tap into other outlets of social media and promote a diverse set of
content in addition to Facebook. According to the focus groups and survey, students enjoy
diverse and informative social media content. Listing new albums, sales and offering free sample
listening in Instagram would be an effective tool to bring the record store to consumers. A valid
percent of 45.1 on the survey were likely to visit a business if you followed them on social media
if the business used promotional tools including aesthetic, cool graphics or visuals, ticket/tour
info, new music information, special events, and sales and specials.
Furthermore, both the focus groups and survey indicated that students who did not live on
campus or have a car were more likely to visit downtown. The focus groups stated that
downtown is hard to access as an underclassman on campus since OU creates a bubble and lack
of need to escape it with weekly on-campus activities and announcements. The survey reflects
this disposition. Of the total respondents, 80.9% have walked through downtown Norman. Of
this 80.9%, 11.4% were freshmen and 18.4% were sophomores, which grouped together equates
to total underclassmen. In contrast, 23.7% of juniors and 25.4% of seniors have walked through
downtown Norman. The survey and focus groups reveal that underclassmen were less likely to
visit downtown and additionally have less exposure to Guestroom. Thus, Guestroom should look
into utilizing social media and on-campus advertising.
Most respondents in the focus group heard about Guestroom by waiting for Syrup or
walking through downtown. Since the store is embedded in the local environment, participating
in local, specifically on-campus activities would best get Guestroom in the minds of
underclassmen. In addition, advertising on campus through social media, chalking or graphic
flyers in the dorms would increase awareness to underclassmen. Offering deals, sales, or
illustrating that Guestroom sells more than records could appeal to all music lovers rather than
just record buyers while simultaneously appealing to frugal freshmen.
Limitations
Although there were many aspects of the study that Stonecloud did accordingly to
achieve a successful outcome, there were, however, limitations to our research. One of those
limitations include the lack of survey respondents. The minimum number of respondents needed
to justify an accurate representation of the population is 200. We were only able to collect 144

26
respondents. Due to time constraints we were unable to achieve the 200 minimum, but if we had
sent the survey to a larger sample we would have more than likely reached the 200 minimum
needed for accurate representation.
We were aiming towards underclassmen respondents, however, 44.7% of respondents
were upperclassmen while 22.7% were graduate students. The reason for aiming towards
underclassmen was due to the Guestroom Records manager’s specific interest in gaining
underclassmen awareness and business. However, narrowing the study to a specific client based
on age and class doesn’t qualify as an accurate representation of the whole records and CD’s
population.
After conducting a chi-square test, we learned that our survey sample is not very
representative. 73.8% of survey takers were female while only 24.8% were male. The mean age
was about 24 years old which is considered to be over the target age for this study.
When it came to focus group interviews, we were limited by the amount of people that
were able to participate. We reached the minimum of six people for each focus group, however,
our research was limited because six can still be considered to be not be entirely representative or
the market. Although we advertised the focus groups through various GroupMe accounts, we
were still unable to reach the people we wanted for the study which led us to ask fellow Gaylord
students to participate, specifically in the second focus group. Because the majority of students
who participated were Gaylord students, their answers could be identified as skewed because
they’re aware of how focus groups are conducted and the kind of specific research the study is
trying to obtain.
Next Steps
After collecting all of the data and generalizing it to our target audience, the researchers
recommend that Guestroom implement the recommendations stated. It is important for
Guestroom to reach out to the students at the University of Oklahoma in order to broaden their
client base. Guestroom has struggled to reach students because of the competition with streaming
services. First, Guestroom needs to make themselves more present on campus. A suggestion for
this is to hold a free concert on campus. This will attract the student body and help make them
more aware of whom Guestroom Records is. Many respondents in the focus groups mentioned
that they had heard about or seen Guestroom when they were going to eat at Syrup because the
two are right next-door. The line to be seated at Syrup is always long and customers often walk
in to Guestroom while they are waiting. It would benefit Guestroom to partner with Syrup for an
event to bring in more customers. It would also benefit Guestroom to be more present on social
media sites other than Facebook, for example Instagram, in order to reach a wider variety of
students who may not check Facebook as much as they do Instagram or other social media
sights. If Guestroom is able to represent themselves on campus with a free live concert, partner
with local favorites like Syrup, and be more present on social media, they will have the
opportunity to be successful in attracting more students and widening their client base.

27
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Appendices

Focus Group Interview Guide

Moderator: Paris Frattone
Questions:
Welcome and Warm-Up
· Welcome: Paris introduces self
· Ground rules: How discussion will take place, Please speak one at a time so we can hear
everyone clearly!!!! note they are being filmed/recorded. Advise them to be honest and this is
no judgement zone.
· Pass out sheet
· Introduction of name, grade, where you are from, major, favorite genre of music
Music Preferences
· How frequently do you listen to music? (probe on when, where and what kind)
· When do you usually listen to music? Home, car, headphones?
· What medium do you usually listen to music on?
· Do you pay for this service/medium
· Where/how do you find out about new businesses, specifically concert listings or new music
releases?
· What social platforms, articles in the OU daily, flyers in other businesses, etc.
· Do you frequent live music concerts?
· If so/if not why?
· Have you ever bought a record? Does buying physical music seem appealing to you? (probe
on what they view as pros and cons to physical music buying; why they did/seem interested
in buying physical music)
· Describe what you imagine a “record buyer” to look like?
· How do you feel about record buyers in general?
· Will you expand on that?/What do you mean by that?
· Do you have a friend or family member that buys records/physical music?
Guestroom Records
· Have you heard of Guestroom Records Shop?
· If not, what do you think about the name/ preconceived notions about the shop?
· If so, how did you hear about them? Have you seen their logo?
· Have you or do you know someone who has purchased music here?
· If so in-store or online?
· If so what do you think of the stores organization/collection of records?
(variety?)
· If they have made an in-store purchase; What did you think of the
environment while shopping? (if they need examples, calm, hectic,
overwhelmed, underwhelmed)
· If you have purchased music from Guestroom what do you think of their prices?
Low/Moderate/High? Fair/Unfair?
· Guestroom provides a wide-variety of music, fair prices and is located next to Syrup.
· After hearing/learning about Guestroom, would you buy music or turntables there?

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 · Would you visit?
· If Guestroom were to hold an event, would you go/ what types might be appealing/
interest you
Group Summary
· Summary key ideas/general consensus
· Any additional questions or comments?
· Thank respondents

Focus Group Transcript 1

First half: 26 minutes 10 seconds

I’m Ray, freshman, Orange, Connecticut

I’m Ivy; I am also a freshman, Claremore, OK
I’m Brittany, I am a freshman, and I am from OK
Turner, freshman, Edmond, OK
I’m Kimmy, I am a junior and I’m from Houston
I’m Lindsey I’m a senior and I’m from Prosper, TX

Paris: we’re going to go ahead and start with some basic questions about music, we’re going to
go around, can you give me an explanation about how frequently you listen to music and how
you would describe your music listening
Ray: almost as much as possible, without being impractical
Paris: what do you mean by that?
Ray: like the only reason I didn’t listen to music on the four minute walk over here was because
my headphones ran out of battery
Girl: he plays music in the lounge, he plays piano and guitar and saxophone
Paris: so you don’t just listen to music you’re actually physically playing music
Girl: as a former saxophonist I can relate, I have Spotify, and I also just upload music on my
phone that I just constantly listen to, like even when I am walking to class
Paris: and ray when you listen to music is it through Spotify? Is it premium?
Ray: ya Spotify, ya premium
Girl: mainly listen to music when I’m going to or from somewhere, or when I drive home, I
drove home like every weekend last semester, it’s like a 2.5 drive there and back and I would
listen to music the whole car ride
Boy: if I’m ever walking somewhere i'll usually play music, if I’m playing video games i'll put
music on and just put my headphones in, whenever I’m trying to sleep I just listen to music to
help me fall asleep
Paris: and what platforms do you use for that
Boy: soundcloud, YouTube, Spotify, bancam (couldn’t understand what he said) I like variety
and some are easier to find stuff on
Girl: usually just when I’m in the car or studying, Spotify and CDs

30
Girl: I also listen to it almost constantly, like i'll just have my phone in my pocket or in my purse
because I live alone I don’t have anybody to talk to so i'll play it when I’m cooking and while
I’m doing homework or when I’m playing video games and I need to hear something i'll have
like one headphone connected to the computer and one playing music in the other, I don’t have
Spotify premium but I do have Spotify, apple music, neither have everything I want on it,
soundcloud, YouTube
Paris: out of all of u guys would you raise ur hand if u pay for ur music, okay 5 of out 6, Where
and how do you find out that new businesses, specifically content listings or concert’s
Girl: I know sometimes my Instagram will have commercials for local concerts
Paris: is that the only way you get information about music and concerts
Girl: around campus there are flyers for on campus stuff, there’s sometime stuff on the sidewalks
Paris: would you say you pay more attention to the posters or the sidewalk chalk?
Girl: probably sidewalk because if I’m walking it will be larger
Paris: and would you say you pay more attention to the social media posts or the sidewalk chalk?
Girl: probably sidewalk just because it's on campus because I know I can get there like anything
in OKC like oh that’s cool but I can't get there
Girl: well like Spotify since because of the artists I follow they’ll send me like oh this is in your
area and then sometime I hunt and i'll look up Norman, OKC, or Tulsa because I live in Tulsa,
and then like twitter, following the artists whenever they announce they’re going on tour and
look where they are touring
Paris: so how many concerts would you say you’ve been to since you’ve been here?
Girl: since I’ve been here, none, haha none of my people are on tour right now
Paris: does anyone else have something to say?
Boy: mostly through Spotify and just friends talking about it and YouTube, whatever comes up
in the suggested feed for like a music video and stuff, I used to pay attention to the sidewalk
chalk but I’ve stopped
Boy: I use Google notifications for bands I follow
Girl: Spotify has like a new music playlist, they’ll add new music that comes out
Paris: how frequently would you say you guys go to live concerts?
Boy: never gone to one
Boy: went to my first one last night
Girl: in high school I would go once a month, but now it’s a lot harder because they’re usually on
Wednesday or Thursday nights and also money
Paris: what role do you think knowing about these concerts plays in that
Girl: paramour is my favorite band and if I knew they were coming here on a Wednesday night I
would make it, Tulsa was a bigger hot spot for the bands that I listen to, they don’t come to OKC
and I also think that a lot of my trackers thought I was in the Tulsa area so I don’t think I get sent
as much information for OKC concerts
Girl: a lot of people skip Oklahoma so it's harder when I’m here
Boy: infrequently

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Girl: if it was on a Wednesday night I wouldn’t if it was on a Friday I would
Boy: also if a lot of people are going
Girl: I would travel for a band I really want to see but I don’t have the money for it
Girl: I would be willing to travel if it was someone I really liked and I knew people who were
going
Paris: what if there was a local concert in Norman for free and you’d never heard of he band
Girl: if a group was going, a couple friends
Paris: have you ever bought a record?
Boy: yep
Girl: I have a collection and I have one of the newer vinyl players, turntables
Girl: I don’t buy new music on records
Paris: would you say that buying physical music appeals to you? And that can be vinyl, castes,
CD’s
Boy: white cylinder
Girl: ya I would buy CD’s I like listening to them in my car, I bought one last year, just buy them
to fill up my consul, most CDs I have are older music
Girl: I don’t usually buy CDs or Vinyl’s or anything like that, I have a way to connect my phone
to my car, I don’t really expect places around here to have CD’s like that, I listen to foreign
music, not native music, if it was an artist I liked and they have a nice album on vinyl I might
buy it to display it, I have a couple of old vinyl’s that my grandparents use to have that are just in
my apartment, they just look cool to me
Paris: for you guys that do buy physical music, what would you say are the pros and cons to
having physical music vs Spotify or something?
Girl: I don’t have a CD player, my computer doesn’t have a CD player, when I was in high
school my car had a CD player, but I don’t have my car here, but it's cool
Girl: I personally like the collection, I have all paramour, almost all Panic at the Disco, and all
Ellie Goulding, I like that it supports the artist, the money, Vinyl’s I would buy it for aesthetic
purposes, I only buy 80’s music, it’s a way for me and my dad to bond, I know when I’m buying
that I’m buying vintage, collection purposes
Boy: economically it indirectly supports the artist by increasing demand
Paris: describe what a regular record buyer would look like to you
Girl: hipster lives in Brooklyn, edgier
Boy: someone who might listen to Panic at the Disco perhaps, wearing vans
Paris: how do you feel about record buyers in general?
Girl: I think it’s a cool thing that’s come back, that our generation is getting into, my dad was
really excited when I got mine and then I started playing it and he said that doesn’t sound as
good, I think it sounds great, it's odd that its come back because technology advanced and then
its like were going back to records
Paris: why do you think that is? What do you think people want?
Boy: ego

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Girl: aesthetic, hipster culture brought it back, my parents gave me their records
Girl: millennial
Boy: it’s just enjoyable to have a physical form
Paris: how would you say your experience differs between listening to something like Spotify vs
listening to something like records?
Boy: less casual, more effort per song, per album, going through the album in the way that it’s
formatted, its enjoyable, entire point of music
Girl: the way it’s set up that’s the way the audience should listen to it, if you just download some
songs you’re selecting your favorites
Boy: I don’t see the purpose of records, I like the availability of downloaded music, I don’t own
any CDs, inherited vinyl
Paris: have any of you gone into a store and purchased vinyl or CDs?
Girl: not vinyl but CD
Boy: vinyl not CD
Girl: not a record store but like Wal-Mart has CDs
Girl: I’ve gone inside without buying any
Paris: what do you do in music stores?
Boy: look in the genre that I like, and then illegally get my music online
Girl: I like going into antique stores so I think I would take a look around and see what’s unique
Girl: the only reason I would really go in one is for a specific purpose, I’ve never really been in
one
Girl: when I first saw a more recent vinyl I was like wow they still make these?
Paris: how do you guys feel about record buyers in general? Going back to the stereotype,
positive or negative feelings
Boy: more interest in music than average
Paris: have you guys ever heard of Guestroom records? Two people who have heard of them,
what do you think about them?
Boy: it’s a record store?
Girl: it seems like a library check them in check them out
Paris: how did you hear about guestroom?
Girl: I drove past it and saw it
Girl: oh I’ve actually been there with my sister
Paris: what made you want to buy the record?
Boy: I googled record store and Google maps popped up and I drove over with christin
Paris: what was your experience like in the store?
Boy: there were a lot of records, it was good
Paris: did you think it was calm or hectic? Were you overwhelmed or underwhelmed?
Boy: calm and full of opportunity because it was full of records, not much was happening, like a
library, it was quiet
Girl: He listens to music so much it's probably just background noise

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Paris: What did you think of the prices?
Boy: There were alot of things I did not buy because they were $40 but the ones that were in the
20s or teens
Paris: So when you were looking at the records that were priced in the 40s, were you not looking
at them or why do you think they were priced that way?
Boy: Bc they were probably highly rated. Like Pink Floyd. Generally ones that you would want
to have because they’re on vinyl.
Paris: what is it that you specifically look for in vinyl
Boy: LIke Panic! At the Disco. I suppose the ones that were fit into the stereotype that fit into
vinyl purchasers in the 21st century.
Paris: And who do you think would fit this stereotype?
Boy: I’m pointing at Brittany *laughs*
Girl: Old rock group
Boy: Also older music, pink floyd, led zep
Boy: There was metallica and it was expensive.
Girl: i’ve been to a flea market and he like just sold records like def leppard and poison and they
were like $40. I think if they’re in like good condition. I still think if our parents could collect
they would and i think that's why they are priced the way they are
Paris: what would entice you guys to visit a place like guestroom record
Girl: just to look around. I don't have a record player so not records
Paris: just to let you guys know guestroom also sells CDs. with that piece of information does
that change what you think about going into guestroom records
Boy: I just remember when i walked in that there was a new metallica album by the entrance.
Girl: when i have my record player here. Now that i know that this place exist I’ll check it out.
Boy: if he goes i'll probably go with them.
Girl: if there was a sale going on
Girl: If i was just shopping around i would go in. i'm a college student I can't really spend money
on CDs
Paris: they usually have concerts once a month, would you guys been interested in those? What's
the best way to hear about that?
Girl: Flyers would probably be best
Girl: The thing on the napkins
Paris: what about you guys as older students?
Girl: i really do read all the emails and OU has a What-To-Do email once a week and i read
those
Girl: Maybe if they had a twitter account
Paris: what kind of content would you guys like to see on a social media account
Girl: maybe if they had a sale going on, new events going on, promotions
Boy: posting 2 weeks ahead
Girl: the more chance that my friends hear about it

34
Girl: It takes a while to get information around
Paris: After learning about guestroom records, would you guys consider visiting or purchasing?
Girl: I would say yeah
Paris: why?
Girl: If my friends knew about it and they would go I would want to go too
Girl: now that i know they have CDs there. I’ve been flipping through the same CDs and its
getting repetitive.
Girl: I’m not personally in the market for CDs or Records but I would tell my friends
Girl: I’ve never been to a concert but if they had a free concert I would try
Paris: Why do you think your friends haven't gone before? Separating from the fact that your all
best friends. What do you think is the best way to-
Girl: do they have stuff to advertise on campus? Because i think that's the best way to get to us at
this point
Girl: I can't speak for all underclassmen but i don't have a car so i'm not going to be on main
street
Girl: Living on campus is like living in our own little world. We don’t need to go outside of it
Paris: You’ve all mentioned that you’ve driven past it
Paris: What do you think guestroom records to do while people are waiting at Syrup
GIrl: playing music that people would hear and that people are attracted to
Boy: Is there a regulation about playing music on the street?
Girl: I think if im waiting at syrup, what can i do while i'm waiting
Girl: Saying what they have inside like not just records
Boy: Posting events there and advertising it well. Especially if it's free
Girl: Yeah free is a big one
Paris: What is the best way for them to advertise?
Girl: Flyers everywhere. Im attracted to posters especially if it has a cool image
Paris: do you guys know what the GR logo looks like?
GIrl: No
Girl: I can kind of see where they're going with the couch but maybe like a guitar.
Boy: If you look at it and think about it it makes sense. Buy logos aren't typically something you
stop and think about
Boy: How hard would it be if people would play live music in front of the store
Girl: Like if they played music out on the sidewalk during Syrup’s busy hours
Paris: Do you guys go to the football games?
Girl: casually. I used too
Boy: less than casually.
Paris: do you participate in game day at all do you tailgate? Get dressed up and watch it with
friends?
Girl: Id get dressed up and post about it.
Paris: would you say that your OU game days are dedicated to that?

35
Girl: Not dedicated. I would do other things.
Girl: It's really difficult to be dedicated to the games. Either it's really good or its one sides.
Paris: Do you look for something else to do? Or do you keep it local? Or do you not like to deal
with the traffic?
Girl: I would say it affects my whole day when im on campus because they lock me up.
Paris: Lets say they’re having a free concert on gameday?
Girl: it depends on the time definitely. Traffic. All sorts of stuff happening. It might not be worth
it to get all the way over there.
Girl: if you didn't have a ticket and you wanted to do something else
Girl: if the game was in the morning...i dont think students would be looking for live music
they're looking to celebrate. They have stuff planned around OU football
Paris: when i was talking to the manager they were saying that game days were actually the
worst day of the year. Sales were horrible. What do you think they could do to help that?
Girl: If they did a promotion thing like “wear your out gear and get a discount” things like that
Boy: Honestly if it says free anything
Girl: if they said free concerts weekly or if every third thursday we’re doing this
Paris: okay i think you guys did a great job. Thank you so much for coming. Does anyone have
any questions?
*No one had questions

Focus Group Transcript 2

Paris: Okay we are going to start. Thank you guys so much for coming I can’t thank you enough
if you guys want another donut feel free. Again this is confidential we just want to know more to
help our client. You guys are being filmed by the way. Heads up.
Im kameron junior from norman
Nicole i’m a junior
I’m chelsea im a senior and from san antonio
I’m Angela i’m a senior and i’m from dallas
I’m katherine i’m a junior from dallas
Alec i’m a senior and from edmond
P: awesome so todays kinda general theme is music and just to kinda start us off how frequently
do you guys listen to music.
Girl: everydays
Hours a day
P: what about more specifically like when, i know all day, but where specifically are you going
what are you doing
Alec: mostly traveling I guess, if im like walking to class il listen if i'm in the car music is on.
Usually when i’m studying im listening to music.
Girl: in the morning when im first waking up and ya when i’m studying too

36
Girl: yeah like getting ready in the morning for whatever I have that day and in the car and
sometimes studying
Girl: same thing
Girl: ya same thing
Kameron: ya in the car
Paris: so not as into listening to music
Kameron: ya just usually in the car
Paris: okay cool, and what or how and what medium do you guys usually listen to music on?
Alec: spotify
Girl: ya spotify
Girl:spotify
Girl: ya spotify
Kameron: ya
Paris: so even when your in your car you just use your aux cord
Girls: yes
Paris: so basically when your in your car your still using your phone
Girl: ya
Paris: so do any of you guys use CDs or physical music
Girl: only when my phone dies like on a road trip
Girl: ya same because i have the 7 so i can’t like charge my phone and listen to music at the
same time
Girl: i listen to old CDs like CDs that my friends have made me but ya only when my phone is
dead
Girl: I do have CDs though
Girl: i have the ones that haven’t been ejected from my car in years
Girl: I have friends back home that will ask me to bring them these original CDs like beyonce or
something, im always like why like why would you want to have a CD
Paris: Okay so let's go back to why you guys listen to music, we talked earlier about how you
guys listen to music while your walking to class and while your traveling. Do you guys use
headphones or is it just kinda as you go.
Girl: headphones, i feel weird if a ton of people are around and they can hear what i'm listening
Girl: ya i would feel weird if people could hear what i’m listening to
Girl: yes especially on campus i use headphones and i use the small ones too. I do have like
wireless beats in the library if im there but definitely headphones in i'm walking around
Alec: ya i would feel kinda weird if I made everyone else listen to what I like
Girl: yeah it just puts a big like burden on your shoulder
Paris: okay so does anyone in here not use spotify
Girl: i also have apple music but just because it comes with my icloud i think but only because
my dad signed me up for it. But yeah i barely use it unless it's beyonce or someone who isn’t on
spotify

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Girl: forsure
Paris: so do you guys pay for those subscription or do you just use the free version
Girl: yeah i pay
Girl: pay
Alec: yeah i pay
Girl: ya the premium
Kameron: yeah i just use free
Paris: okay so music in general is important to you guys, so do you feel like it’s more of a side
thing for you
Kameron: ya it's more of a side thing i guess, like if im doing something else music for me is
kinda distracting i guess. I don't listen to music and study i have one or the other
Paris: so would you say listening to music is more about the experience of listening to music or
is it just a habit
Kameron: it's the experience of music, i actually listen to it it’s not just noise
Paris: gotcha. Next question. Where do you guys find out about new businesses specifically
concert listings or new music releases
Girl: i usually see stuff on twitter that's the biggest thing for me
paris : okay
Girl: because i scroll through twitter once or twice a day and then when i go to bed i go through
my feed and that’s when i see a lot of that stuff
Paris: okay and what does it look like
6:11
Girl: it's usually some kind of graphic featuring the artist and maybe like some tour dates and
where they are going to go and maybe like some copy with it. Just like hey kendrick lamar is
going on tour check it out on this website or something
Paris: okay so have you ever bought concert tickets off of that
Girl: uhh through a link on twitter or
paris : or even through the link or if you saw it on twitter and went and bought tickets because
you saw it there
Girl: yeah i probably have before depending on the time I don’t just have enough money all the
time to buy all the tickets when i want but i think i definitely have before
Paris: okay anyone else
Girl: i don’t use twitter but i see stuff through instagram
Paris: okay and what do those look like, like when you see an ad for a concert. Is it sponsored
content or you following the artist
Girl: i’m following the artist
Paris: okay this is for everyone do you ever see sponsored content
Girl: no i usually see by word of mouth like what my friends are going to or the other night i was
at the jones assembly and I saw a poster
Girl: okay so pretty traditional ways a see

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Alec: i see things like chesapeake that buy ads on twitter like all see those but usually there are
like alerts for bands that I really keep up with
Paris: okay so what kind of bands do you guys like to see like local bands not necessarily
kendrick lamar because we don’t all have those resources. But if it’s local what kind of bands are
you looking for like genre
Girl: a lot of like alternative bands come around here that i would pay to see
Paris: okay so you said you would pay to see them has anyone else paid to see a local artist i
know like opolis does stuff
Girl: i was going to pay, i mean the tickets were sold out but i was going to pay to see midtaxi.
And then i know in highschool i paid to go to billy bob's like country concerts
Girl: yeah i know in high school we would pay to go to south side ballroom which is like a
standing venue but when i went i saw like childish gambino before he was big and then ed
sheeran before he was big.
Girl: yeah like house of blues or smaller standing room places
Paris: would you guys be interested in going to a free concert in a local place like maybe it’s a
band you’ve never heard of but it was free
Girl: yeah if they were decent after i looked them up yeah i would go
Girl: yeah i would probably want to look them up a little bit first before going
Girl: and honestly if i had friends that were going
Alec: yeah friends
Girl: yeah it sounds bad but i would go with like a group
alec : i mean yeah, especially if it’s an artist i didn’t know i would only if my friends like
encouraged me to go
Girl: and if it was free
Everyone: hahaha ya
Girl: if i’ve never heard of them i’m not going to pay a ton of money to go, i mean not that i’m
not open minded but ya
Paris: alright so have you guys ever bought a record
Girl: i don’t have a record player, i think they’re cool i just don’t have one
Paris: okay so has anyone bought any physical CDs
Girl: i mean yeah before my life it’s been years
Alec: i will say there are a few artists i will buy the physical just because i know they will make
more money off buying the physical than like we streaming there song but i will say i think there
are only two i would actually throw out that money for so
Paris: and what are your requirements for that
10:32
Alec : honestly i just have to love the artist like super well
Alec: few and far between that i'll ever buy a CD and I have a list in my mind of the artist I
would buy a CD from just to support them but there’s not really a need anymore because Spotify
and everything is very customized

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Girl: I personally, if I don’t like the full album, I can make a playlist of just the songs that I like,
I can take songs from this album and that album and make my own playlist or if I don’t love all
the songs on the album or the person enough then i'm not gonna buy the full album
Paris: so are there any other Pro Cons yall have for buying a whole CD?
Alec: the pros are a lot of times Artists do intend for you to listen to whole CD its very much like
a body of work rather than just singles, I think a lot of time we don’t like whole music a lot,
we’re just obsessed with singles, I don’t have $12 that I can just throw at artists all the time
Boy: like French African music, they don’t make CDs, they’re so far remote from the culture for
it, they don’t sell them here, you can get them online but they’re 3x the price, I’ve looked in
music stores but it’s a hit or miss
Paris: if you found your favorite French African artist at a local music store would you buy it? If
it was the standard $12.
Boy: id probably buy it because some of that you can't find on YouTube, and Spotify has a
limited choice
Paris: okay so would you say if you're going to buy a CD it would because you’re going to get
something out it that you can't get somewhere else
Boy: ya probably
Paris: what are the pros and cons of buying physical music like Vinyls or CDs or even cassettes,
what does someone who always buys physical music see in that?
Boy: their music is always there, if you have it all on your phone and you lose your phone, your
music is gone unless you have it synced, a CD will always be there unless you break it
Girl: it's like piece you have from the artist
Alec: especially for smaller bands, that’s how they make a lot of money
Paris: what do yall think a record buyer looks like? Straight up stereotype
Girl: little hipster, man bun
Girl: probably mustache, in a flannel
Paris: what about what they like to do in their free time?
Girl: listen to their records
Alec: one with nature, explorer, take pictures
Paris: do you have any other ides?
Boy: fat old guy who lives in the 80s
Girl: my dad, he would totally buy a record if he had a player, he appreciates music from the 80s
or back in the day, that was his prime, he’d probably rather buy a vintage record than always use
apple music
Paris: how do you feel about record buyers in general?
Girl: they would be a good resource if I were ever to go start buying records, I could ask them, I
feel like they would totally open up about music, I feel like its someone who is totally passionate
about music

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Alec: I don’t think they are like super snotty they know what they like and know how to get it bc
records are becoming more popular
Paris: vinyls are old, so why do you think vinyls and CDs are making a comeback when we can
stream music through things like Spotify?
Alec: I read something somewhere, the more advanced our technology gets the more people
crave the way it used to be, nostalgia, that’s why you see nostalgia is in right now, you can see
everyone’s trying to go back to the 90s, records benefit from that bc they resemble how it used to
be
Girl: I think it's like a whole experience when you go out and buy a record, you have more of an
experience with music, on Spotify you can just skip to your next favorite artist, so it pulls you
into a whole different feeling than just flipping through music on Spotify
Paris: have any of yall heard of Guestroom Records?
Alec: I think its cool, its almost a music library of sorts, you can go in and find cool artists, i've
never bought anything from their bc I have other ways of getting music, I almost always go in
when im waiting at syrup
Girl: you can find some cool albums from way back when, if I had a record player that would be
cool, my freshman roommate had a record player and I went in there all the time with her, I like
it it's fun to flip through
Paris: would you ever consider buying a vinyl as decoration?
Girl: potentially, I know some record players have the option to plug in an aux cord so you can
plug in your phone, it's not vintage, its updated, I would buy one of those, post graduation
Girl: I feel like that’s kind of a waste if the music, why get something you can't actually listen to
Boy: chill place, I’ve seen a few of the concerts their, during art walk, I came in, it seemed very
90s and grunge, not my taste, really good selection in music, one of those places if you look into
it you’ll leave the store with artists in your mind, a good place to find new people
Paris: how did you guys hear about Guestroom Records?
Girl: my freshman year roommate found it our first year here
Girl: word of mouth, freshman year a lot of people talked about it
Alec: honestly it was probably just going to syrup and being like oh here it is that’s cool, they
give out a lot of stickers and everyone has one on their laptop, only time I’ve seen them
advertised
Paris: does anyone follow them on Facebook? They have twitter and Instagram but they aren’t as
active on there. When they get new vinyl or CDs or have concerts its on FB, they have the best
social media presence in OKC area
Girl: records are expensive, and I pay for the student premium Spotify
Paris: would you consider buying CDs from Guestroom?
Girl: I don’t have a place to play CDs other than my card, aux cord is preferred
Paris: would you consider going to Guestroom?
Girl: I think it would be cool, I’ve gone to some art walks and stopped in there

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Girl: I live close to main st and I love going over there, I feel like it would be cool vibe if they
had monthly concerts
Alec: ya I can equate them to barnes and noble, I go in and chances are I’m not going to buy a
book, but I can go and see what’s available, so if I see music I like I can go download it on
Spotify
Paris: so cost is a big factor
Girl: up until I have stable income, the idea sounds cool, my roommate would buy records there,
records generally have to be expensive bc of the production of them
Alec: even back when they were still popular, they were expensive and people got used to it so
they will always be pricey
Paris: why do you think people are willing to pay so much?
Girl: the look, nostalgia
Alec: the look, the feel, the aesthetic
Girl: it's more of a fine listening experience
Paris: what are some ways Guestroom can have a bigger impact and reach out to campus more?
Girl: concert on the south oval
Alec: sponsor something on the south oval
Girl: they could do something in Walker Adams mall
Paris: what about chalking
Multiple people: I don’t read the chalk, there’s so much of it
Girl: you’re eyes just move past it, my sorority would tell me what I had to go to and that took up
most of my time
Girl: there’s so much chalk I just stopped paying attention
Paris: what about posters?
Girl: I look at the ones that pertain to me
Girl: I look at the ones that are right by the door because I’m already looking there
Paris: what makes you stop to look at those besides the convenience of their location?
Girl: I feel like if there’s something you need to do, like I had to register for graduation and I
stopped to look at that
Alec: I’m biased because I’ve made a lot of the posters that you see around Gaylord, I feel like in
this day and age people are just going because we're so sensory overloaded, it really has to stand
out or it will be overlooked
Girl: I look at the posters for my announcements so I don’t have to read the gaylord emails; if
they pertain to me I stop, if its Ad club or something I just pass it
Paris: lets say Guestroom wanted to advertise for a concert their having and wanted to make a
poster for it, what would make you stop and look at a poster that isn’t related to your major?
Girl: free
Boy: free
Alec: cool design
Paris: after this do you think any of yall go to Guestroom to check it out?

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Boy: ya I would probably go back
Girl: if I was in the area
Girl: if I was bored and wanted to explore main st
Paris: what do you guys think about using free concerts?
Alec: they have to almost be somewhere other than Guestroom, maybe like south oval so more
people will go, you have to do something to associate guestroom with music and not just records,
the stickers are a genius advertising method are they free?
Girl: how is their OKC shop doing? OKC has that vibe
Paris: the manager said all their stores are doing well and they all communicate with each other
Alec: you should try to get info from the OKC location, having some type of case study, like
OKC is using this tactic and its working really well for them so maybe we can incorporate that,
or even look at competing record stores
Girl: maybe not only targeting college students, bc we’re broke

Survey Questions
Email to introduce survey:
Hello,

You have been selected to complete this survey relating to your music choices and preferences.
This survey of OU students will provide feedback to make an informed marketing and
advertising recommendation for a local Norman business. Our survey is for a class a project, and
your participation means helping a fellow OU student.

One survey participant will be randomly selected at the end of the two week survey period to win
a $25 Amazon gift card.

The survey is voluntary and will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Please note that
your responses will be kept completely confidential and all resulting data will only be reported in
the research campaign book. By clicking on the link below you are indicating your willingness to
participate in the survey. If you are unable to open the link, please copy and paste the link below
into your browser to access the survey:

https://ousurvey.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b45ModjWlULWS1L

Please do not pass this link on as you were specifically selected to take this survey.

Thank you in advance for your participation! If you have any specific questions about this
survey, please contact paris.r.frattone-1@ou.edu .

Progression Bar
Page 1: Frequency music listening and buying (physical and online)

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#1. How many hours a day do you listen to music?
1. 1-2
2. 3-4
3. 5-6
4. 6+
#2. What medium do you usually listen to music? (Please select all that apply)
1. Spotify
2. You Tube
3. SoundCloud
4. iTunes
5. CDs
6. Vinyl
7. Pandora
8. Amazon Music
9. Regular FM/AM radio
10. Satellite Radio
11. Other (Please specify____)
#3. Have you ever bought physical music? Yes/No
1. If so, what genre was it?
1. Rap/Hip-hop
2. Rock
3. Classical
4. Jazz
5. Alternative
6. Other
#4. How likely are you to buy physical music like CDs, vinyl, cassette tapes?
1. Likert Scale
#5. Which are you more likely to buy modern or vintage music on physical mediums like CDs,
vinyl, cassette tapes?
1. Modern Music
2. Vintage Music
3. Neither
#6. How much are you willing to pay a month for music, physical and online?
1. Ratio-level question, slider that goes from $0 to $100
Page 2: Social media usage
#1. Of the following social media platforms, rate how often do you use each, on a scale from 1 to
7 where 1 is "never" and 7 is "very frequently."
1. Instagram Likert Scale
2. Twitter Likert Scale
3. Facebook Likert Scale

44
 4. Snapchat Likert Scale
#2. Of the following, what may make you more likely to visit a business if you followed them on
social media?
1. Aesthetic, cool graphics or visuals
2. Ticket/tour info
3. New music info
4. All of the above
5. Other (please specify_____)
#3. Do you follow music retailers on social media (Barnes and Noble, Spotify, local shops, etc.)
Yes/No
1. If so, please specify all retailers in the text box
#4. How do you usually find out about local music events, sales or events?
1. Chalking
2. Social Media
3. Flyers
4. Word of Mouth
5. Online ads
6. Other ____________
Page 3: Guestroom
#1. Have you been to the Norman Art Walk? Yes/No
#2. Have you been to the Norman Music Festival? Yes/No
#3. Have you walked through downtown Norman/Main Street? Yes/No
#4. When thinking of places to buy music in the Norman area, what places or businesses come to
mind? ____________
#5. Have you heard of Guestroom Records? Yes/No
1. If so, how did you hear about them?
1. Waiting for Syrup
2. Norman Art Walk
3. Friend
4. Google
5. Advertisement on social media
6. Other ________
#6. Are you aware that Guestroom sells CDs? Yes/No
#7. Are you aware that Guestroom sells modern music on vinyl? Yes/No
#8. Are you aware that Guestroom offers free concerts? Yes/No
#9. Are you aware that Guestroom offers modern and vintage music on vinyl and CD? Yes/No
#10. After learning about Guestroom, how likely are you to visit?
1. Likert scale
#11. How likely are you to buy a record or CD from Guestroom?
1. Likert scale

45
Page 4: Demographics
#1. Please select your grade
1. Freshman
2. Sophomore
3. Junior
4. Senior
5. Graduate Student
#2. What is your age
1. Slider scale 16 to 99 yrs.
#3. Is OU the only university you have attended? Yes/No
#4. Do you Live on campus? Yes/No
#5. Are you from the OKC area or surrounding cities? Yes/No
#6. Please select your gender
1. Male
2. Female
3. Other
4. Prefer not to answer
Thank you for participating! Type your email below if you are interested in entering the $25
Amazon Gift Card Raffle:
__________________________

Follow-up Email:
A week ago, we contacted you about participating in a student survey pertaining to your music
interests and tendencies. If you haven’t responded yet, please take a few minutes of your time to
share your input through our survey at (link).
We are conducting research to define a marketing or advertising problem for a local Norman
business, and then provide a solution based on our findings. Your participation will be greatly
appreciated as you aid our class project and a local business.

If you’ve already completed the survey, thank you for your time. If not, it’s not too late to
participate and be entered to win the $25 Amazon gift card. Finally, if you have any questions
with regards to this survey, please email us at paris.r.frattone-1@ou.edu.

Quantitative Data Charts and Graphs

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1. Survey Question 8

2. Survey Question 26

3. Survey Question 8

47
4. Survey Question 11

48