MKTG3001 Chap.11 Communicating Marketing Research Findings
Communicating Marketing Research Findings
This chapter covers the last stage of the marketing research process: getting findings into a form that a decision-maker can understand and use. It separates interpreting results, which explains what they mean, from communicating them, which presents those interpretations to a particular audience.
You will see why effective communication rests on accessibility, credibility and decision support, and how an academic audience differs from an industry client in focus, emphasis and technical depth. Four principles guide reporting to clients: clarity, accuracy, relevance and actionability, with accuracy forbidding any exaggeration such as describing a minority share as most customers.
The chapter then compares visual presentations with written reports, traces a research finding through its business implication to a recommendation, and tests that recommendation for being both actionable and feasible within the client's real constraints.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Interpretation versus communication of findings
- 02
Accessibility, credibility and decision support
- 03
Academic versus non-academic audiences
- 04
Clarity, accuracy, relevance and actionability
- 05
Visual presentations versus written reports
- 06
From research finding to business implication to recommendation
- 07
Actionable and feasible recommendations
Worked example · free
Linking a research finding to a business implication and a feasible recommendation
- 1Research finding: 124 of 200 lapsed students is 62%, so a clear majority of former students who did not rebook said the lesson timetable clashed with their working hours.
- 1Business implication: the current timetable is likely losing working adults who would otherwise return, so the school's schedule rather than lesson quality is a leading barrier to repeat bookings among this group.
- 2Recommendation: for eight weeks, move two of the existing weekday sessions to 6.30 am using the same instructors and permit, track rebookings from lapsed students, and keep the early slots only if bookings rise. The step is specific (what, when, how measured) and feasible because it needs no new staff, equipment or permit.
Key terms
- Research communication
- The stage in which researchers present their interpretations of findings to an intended audience so that those findings can inform business decisions.
- Accuracy principle
- A reporting standard requiring that findings be stated faithfully to the evidence, without exaggeration, unsupported causal claims or omission of non-significant results.
- Actionable recommendation
- A recommendation specific enough that decision-makers know exactly what action to take and can consider how to implement it.
- Feasible recommendation
- A recommendation the client can realistically carry out given its budget, staff, time, operational capability and other constraints.
Communicating Marketing Research Findings FAQ
How should I report a survey result that is under half of respondents?
State the exact percentage alongside the number of respondents, for example 41% of 250. Words such as most, majority or nearly everyone are only defensible above 50%, and even then a precise figure reads as more credible to a manager than a vague quantifier. If the share is a large minority, say so plainly rather than inflating it.
What is the difference between writing for an academic audience and an industry client?
Academic readers judge a study by what it adds to existing knowledge, so they expect justification of techniques, measurement details and coding procedures in technical language. A client judges it by whether it helps a business decision, so the same evidence is reorganised around the business problem, explained in plain terms and followed by practical implications. Quality and accuracy do not drop for either group.
Should I use a presentation or a written report for my research findings?
Pick by what the client needs. Slides and charts suit a time-poor team that wants the headline insights and a chance to question the researchers live, though they can oversimplify. A full report suits a client who needs documented methods and a record to consult later, at the cost of preparation and reading time. Many projects deliver both.
Why do research findings need recommendations at all?
Many projects exist to help an organisation solve a specific business problem, so findings alone leave the client to work out the next step. Recommendations bridge that gap by stating what the evidence implies for the business and what action could follow. They must rest on the data, not the researcher's personal view, and should be specific and realistic for that organisation.
Exam move
Revise this chapter as a set of judgement calls, because essay questions here tend to give a short scenario and ask you to identify what went wrong or what fits best. Learn the four client principles with one concrete breach for each, such as a minority share called most customers for accuracy or a jargon-heavy statistical line for clarity.
Memorise the comparison between visual presentations and written reports on purpose, format, advantage and limitation, and practise picking one from cues like limited time or a need for a permanent record. For recommendations, drill the two tests separately: actionable asks what exactly to do, feasible asks whether the client can afford and staff it.
Then write three 200-word answers under timed conditions, each opening with a direct verdict and justifying it with evidence from the scenario.
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