Methodology
Structure of the Questionnaire
This questionnaire was developed using the Dreamweaver program. The survey was comprised of nine sections and a description of each section is given below here:
Welcome/ Title page:
This page was intended to be an introduction about the purpose and length of the survey. It also states that all responses are private and would be kept confidential.
Section 1:
Brand Awareness
This section included three questions which asked respondents to recall the last brand of shampoo, body was, and body lotion they purchased. If respondents could not remember the last brand they purchased they were instructed to report which brand first comes to mind in the particular product category.
Section 2:
Pre Ad Exposure Rating
Using a constant sum scale, respondents were asked to divide 10 points between three brands of shampoo; three brands of body wash, and three brands of body lotion to determine how likely they were to purchase each brand.
Section 3:
Print Ad Viewing
The respondents are then directed to view three different magazine advertisements. After studying each ad for a short period, respondents were asked to continue on with the survey without clicking back to the ads.
Section 4:
Post Ad Exposure Rating
After viewing each ad, respondents were asked to indicate their purchase intent for each brand of body lotion. Respondents were asked to divide 10 points among the three brands of body lotion to indicate how likely they are to purchase each brand. This question is intended to determine any change in brand preference after viewing the ads. This question allows for a comparison of pre and post-exposure brand index scores to find out the brand’s change score.
Section 5:
Post Ad Exposure Differences
This section included four questions. The first question asked respondents if they feel differently about any of the brads after seeing the ads. If “no” was selected for this question respondents could skip the remaining questions and continue on to Section 6. If however, “yes” was selected for their response, respondents were asked to continue on to answer a few more questions such as what brand they feel most differently towards, whether they feel more or less favorable towards the brand and an open ended question asking them to describe what about the ad made them feel differently.
Section 6:
Brand Attitudes
The questions in this section reflect common attributes (positive and negative) associated with body lotion. A Likert scale was used to measure attitudes, preferences and subjective reactions and allows qualitative opinions to be converted into quantitative data (each answer was coded with a numerical value). Respondents were asked to choose only one of the following answers for each attribute: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neither Agree nor Disagree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree. Respondents selected the response that best reflected their feelings about the following:
1. [Brand] is a good brand of body lotion
2. I prefer [Brand] body lotion over other body lotions.
3. I would not use [Brand} body lotion.
4. I would purchase [Brand] body lotion.
5. [Brand] body lotion prevents dryness.
6. [Brand] body lotion feels oily on my skin.
7. [Brand] body lotion makes my skin softer.
8. Using [Brand] body lotion makes me feel more attractive.
9. [Brand] is a brand I trust.
10. I would recommend [Brand] body lotion to my friends.
Section 7:
Ad Impressions
Here respondents were asked to agree or disagree with 10 descriptive adjectives (negative and positive associations) related to the print ads seen. The same 10 adjectives were used to describe each brand. Selecting a checkbox indicates agreement with that adjective. An unchecked box indicates disagreement with the use of that particular adjective. These responses were numerically coded for quantitative analysis.
Section 8:
Ad Effectiveness
Respondents were asked to evaluate the overall effectiveness of each ad by selecting either a “yes” or “no” response to 10 different statements. The same statements were used for all three brands.
Section 9:
Demographic Information
The final six questions gather basic demographic and lifestyle information: respondents’ sex; age; education level; how often these use body lotion; what is most important to them when purchasing body lotion; and their skin type. At the end of this section, respondents were asked to submit the survey.
Survey Design
The study was designed to measure brand perceptions and the impact of advertising using a copy-testing method that took measurements before and after exposure to the ads. Respondents were asked to score three brands immediately before and after viewing ads for those brands. Other attitudes were measured after exposure to the ad. Due to time constraints and limited resources, this study was conducted without a control group with which to compare means.
Sampling Description
This study utilized a non-random (convenience) sample. The following e-mail was used to contact respondents and distribute the survey:
Please help me to graduate!!!
It will only take about 10 minutes of your time to help me out!
Please click on the following link to complete my survey:
http://www.ciadvertising.org/sa/fall_07/adv380j/iam/Melissa's%Survey.html
This survey is private and confidential and is really easy and fun to do! I really appreciate your help and please pass this email on to everyone you know!
Thanks
Melissa Jones
A minimum of 60 questionnaires was required to perform an adequate evaluation of the data. A total of 80 questionnaires were completed and used in this analysis.
Data Collection
The data for this survey were collected using the online questionnaire in Appendix B. The questionnaire was built using Dreamweaver. Respondents accessed the questionnaire using the link contained in an e-mail sent to friends and colleagues. The responses were collected using Cold Fusion in a Microsoft Access database, which was imported to SPSS for analysis.