Marketing research is at the heart of addressing the fifth P’s of marketing: product, price, place, promotion, and public relations. That is, the product must satisfy a need, be priced at the right level in a place where it will be seen by the right people and promoted to generate sales. The proposal is a rationale for undertaking a research project and as such it must be persuasive, written in non-technical language and thorough in its analysis.

APA STYLE 4-5 PAGES

WILL TELL YOU WHAT THE PRODUCT/ SERVICE IS WHEN ACCEPTED

Purpose and Scope

The marketing research proposal’s primary function is to state the question that the research will attempt to answer. If your proposal aims at introducing a new product/service what concept, copy and market tests should you do.

The Marketing Environment

Marketing research must include an overview of the marketing environment. SWOT and PEST analyses help in understanding the marketing environment.

Objective

You should articulate your SMART objectives. In addition to stating the objective, the proposal should include a descriptive background that provides the context of why the ultimate goal is important. If there is a problem to be solved, it should be clearly stated. A timeline with major milestones or Gantt chart might be appropriate if the proposed research is of significant scope.

Audience

What should you do to accurately identify your target audience?