a. Avoiding the Pitfalls
Starting research without clear objectives often leads to vague results that are hard to interpret. It could result in gathering unnecessary data, leading to information overload and subsequent analysis paralysis.
Your objectives serve as the yardstick by which you’ll measure success or failure. Without objectives, any data you collect will lack context, making it less actionable and reliable for strategic decision-making.
Research isn’t usually a solo endeavor. Objectives help align different departments and stakeholders, ensuring everyone is on the same page about what the research aims to achieve and why it’s important.
Clear objectives not only make your research more actionable but also more credible. When presenting findings, stating that they meet or exceed set objectives provides an extra layer of validation.
These objectives focus on painting a picture of the existing landscape. Topics may include understanding your target market demographics, assessing brand awareness levels, or evaluating consumer behaviour patterns. Descriptive objectives are often addressed effectively through online surveys that gather quantitative data.
When you need to pinpoint specific problems, gauge market opportunities, or unearth consumer pain points, diagnostic objectives come into play. These require a more analytical approach and might involve exploratory techniques like focus groups or in-depth interviews, along with online surveys for quantification.
Looking to forecast future trends or consumer behaviour? Predictive objectives aim to provide insight into what could happen based on current or historical data. Methods such as trend analysis and various statistical models are often utilised in addition to survey data to make more accurate predictions.
Each type of objective offers a unique set of benefits and challenges, influencing the methodologies you might employ. Whether it’s gathering qualitative insights through in-depth interviews or quantifying them through online surveys, the objective type will guide your approach.
a. Be Specific
Avoid broad or vague objectives that could be interpreted in multiple ways. Specificity brings focus and helps you tailor your research methods to get the most accurate results. For example, instead of saying you want to “understand the market,” aim for something like “determine the brand awareness level among consumers aged 25-34 in Sydney.”
Each objective should come with a metric or a set of metrics to measure its success. Whether it’s increasing brand awareness by 15% or achieving a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of at least 70, make sure your objectives can be quantified.
While it’s good to aim high, your objectives should be grounded in reality. Overambitious goals can not only strain your resources but also demotivate your team when they’re not met.
Your research objectives shouldn’t operate in a vacuum; they need to align with broader business objectives. If your company aims to expand into a new market, for example, one of your research objectives could be to assess consumer preference in that region.
Objectives should have a clear timeframe, whether it’s a deadline for the research project or an ongoing monitoring system to track longer-term metrics. Deadlines help you stay on course and enable you to evaluate your success in a timely manner.
Your choice of methodology, whether it’s a shop intercept survey, online surveys, or other forms of data collection, should be aligned with your objectives for the most effective results.
By following these principles, you can set objectives that are not just SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) but also perfectly suited for your brand research.
a. Overcomplicating Objectives
While it’s important to be specific, there’s a line between being detailed and overly complicated. Overcomplicating your objectives can make it difficult to achieve clear outcomes and can confuse those involved in the project.
Your research will likely involve multiple departments and stakeholders. Ignoring their needs and questions can lead to objectives that are too narrow or misaligned with broader company goals.
While they’re often used interchangeably, goals and objectives aren’t the same. Goals are broader and longer-term, while objectives are specific steps taken to achieve those goals. Be clear about what you’re setting: is it an immediate objective or a longer-term goal?
Remember that your objectives dictate your methodology. Overlooking this connection can lead to inappropriate or inadequate data collection methods, affecting the reliability and validity of your findings.
The business environment is dynamic, and your objectives need to be flexible to adapt to changing circumstances. Rigidity can make your research obsolete even before it’s completed.
While each has its merits, overly relying on one type of research method can result in a skewed perspective. A balanced approach, even with a slight preference towards online surveys for quantitative data, can offer a more comprehensive view.
By being cognizant of these pitfalls, you can navigate the complexities of setting research objectives more effectively, ensuring that your project is well-defined, focused, and aligned with your broader business needs.
To further illustrate the importance and impact of well-defined objectives, let’s look at two case studies that demonstrate both effective and less-effective approaches to setting brand research objectives.
Objective: To measure the effectiveness of a new advertising campaign on brand awareness and consideration among consumers aged 25-34 in Melbourne within three months.
Outcome: By being specific, measurable, and time-bound, the brand was able to effectively tailor its online survey methodology to gather precise data. Post-campaign, the brand saw a 20% increase in brand awareness and a 15% increase in consideration among the targeted age group.
Objective: To understand consumer behaviour.
Outcome: This objective was too broad and lacked specificity, leading to a less targeted and thus less effective research strategy. The data collected was general and did not offer actionable insights for the brand.
Setting clear and actionable objectives is not just a preliminary step but the cornerstone of effective brand research. Whether you’re just starting or refining your research process, objectives serve as your roadmap, guiding your methodological choices and enabling actionable insights.
From understanding the different types of objectives to knowing how to set them effectively, this guide aims to provide you with a comprehensive view of the process. While our examples leaned towards the use of online surveys for gathering quantitative data, the principles can be applied regardless of your chosen methodology.
The case studies underscore the necessity of well-defined objectives, illustrating the difference between actionable insights and vague outcomes.
Remember, the quality of your research is largely dependent on the quality of your objectives. So take the time to define them well, align them with your broader business goals, and choose your methodology accordingly.
At Brand Health, we’re committed to helping you navigate this alignment, blending our expertise in brand research with strategic business acumen. By booking a consultation with us, we can collaboratively explore how to fine-tune your research objectives, ensuring they contribute meaningfully to your brand’s growth and success. Let’s partner together to turn your well-defined objectives into powerful business results.