The “Essential Question” Frames a Market Research Project
Posted by Jeffrey Henning on Wed, Apr 07, 2010
Bluewater Learning, a boutique marketing research agency, plans every research effort around answering an "Essential Question":
We begin each study with an essential question, such as: What three projects could we undertake to increase profits 15% over the next two years? What styles of jeans should we discontinue and which should we promote to become the market leader? What are the most important customer service touch points we can affect with a limited budget? Each study provides your stakeholders with concrete, actionable answers to the study's essential question.
Last fall at the AMA Marketing Research Conference, Chris Frank, vice president of B2B research in Global Marketplace Insights for American Express, emphasized the importance of reaching agreement on the Essential Question. It was, in fact, the first of his seven principles for how market researchers can collaborate with internal and external clients: "Be clear on the Essential Question".
Chris says that you should ask your internal clients, "What is the high-order, indispensible business question for each business unit to drive its business?" Then don't move forward on a plan until you understand this question.
His second principle followed logically from this: "Lead a hypothesis flip-chart session". Classically trained researchers start with framing the hypothesis, but Chris recommends starting with the Essential Question, then brainstorming and documenting key hypotheses. This smokes out the preconceptions and sacred cows of the sponsors of the research.
Keep the Essential Question and its subsequent hypotheses in mind as you write the survey instrument, and use them to relentlessly focus the questionnaire, removing questions that don't help provide an answer.
Once the results are in, structure your survey report to answer up front the essential business questions that prompted the research in the first place. Then summarize the hypotheses, whether they are true or false, and how you came to that answer for each. When you present the remaining results, emphasize how they relate back to the Essential Question.
The Essential Question is a powerful tool for helping you maintain your survey's focus each step of the way.