Which term describes original research conducted to address a specific marketing problem?

Which term describes original research conducted to address a specific marketing problem?

• A. Primary research
• B. Secondary research
• C. Market analysis
• D. Data collection

Answer: (A)

Original data collected specifically to solve a marketing problem is called primary research. This means you design and carry out a study to gather new information that doesn’t exist yet, tailored to the exact issue you’re trying to solve. For example, in hospitality you might survey guests about their impressions of a new service, test different pricing, or observe how they use a new amenity. The results are directly relevant because the data were created for that precise problem. This differs from secondary research, which uses information that was collected for another purpose, such as published reports, industry statistics, or company records. Market analysis is a broader process of evaluating the overall market—size, trends, demand, and competition—which can incorporate both primary and secondary data but isn’t, by itself, the term for collecting new data to address a specific problem. Data collection is simply the act of gathering information and can occur within either primary or secondary research, but it doesn’t specify that the data are newly collected for a particular marketing issue. So the term that best fits original research conducted to address a specific marketing problem is primary research.

Original data collected specifically to solve a marketing problem is called primary research. This means you design and carry out a study to gather new information that doesn’t exist yet, tailored to the exact issue you’re trying to solve. For example, in hospitality you might survey guests about their impressions of a new service, test different pricing, or observe how they use a new amenity. The results are directly relevant because the data were created for that precise problem.

This differs from secondary research, which uses information that was collected for another purpose, such as published reports, industry statistics, or company records. Market analysis is a broader process of evaluating the overall market—size, trends, demand, and competition—which can incorporate both primary and secondary data but isn’t, by itself, the term for collecting new data to address a specific problem. Data collection is simply the act of gathering information and can occur within either primary or secondary research, but it doesn’t specify that the data are newly collected for a particular marketing issue. So the term that best fits original research conducted to address a specific marketing problem is primary research.