Hospitality Business Management: - College of Business ...

1990s found that Russians, as they
transitioned from a communist state
to a free-market economy, weren’t
very skeptical of advertising.
“They weren’t less educated, but
they were less experienced with
seeing advertising and developing
this relationship with marketing,”
Spangenberg says. “Nothing had been
sold to them (before).”
Muehling says it’s common for
consumers to believe they aren’t
affected by advertising. He recalled
a survey conducted by the Wall
Street Journal in which most people
said they weren’t affected by commercials.
After further probing, the
survey revealed that people do make
decisions based on advertising. One
woman, who at first said she wasn’t
influenced, was pressed to answer
why she was a loyal consumer of
Certs breath mints.
“It’s two mints in one,” she replied,
echoing the product’s familiar slogan.
Putting the research to use
The science of advertising is
being put to use outside the halls of
academia, says Dennis Magner, a
principal of the Spokane-based advertising
and brand design firm Magner
Sanborn. His company often taps
into the research coming out of CB
when it creates new advertisements
or presents ideas to its clients, which
include Nintendo, AT&T Wireless,
and Washington Trust Bank.
“(CB research) is so focused. It goes
beyond general demographic (data),”
he says.
Magner says his firm
often is trying to find the
balance between creating
informational ads versus
making emotional appeals to
consumers.
“No one loves to be sold to.
We’re human beings, and we
have emotions,” he says.
At large ad agencies, there
tends to be some polarity
between the research and creative
departments, Magner says. But
Magner Sanborn is small enough
that employees work together to
develop ads that are both appealing
and scientifically sound. Research
being done at the CB has become
such an integral tool at the firm that
it feels less like science and more like
common sense, he says.
“We essentially use it for every
single thing we do,” Magner says.
“Before we do something, we need to
know it’s going to be effective. That’s
what the research does.”
—megan coOley
Unemotional
Onyx
Onyx
Proposed Marketing Research Center
Throughout the year, faculty and students in the Department of
Marketing conduct research on a variety of topics with implications for
theory, marketing strategy, public policy, and consumer welfare. While
the department’s faculty have been successful in guiding students in
the research process and have produced quality research published in
the field’s top journals, the current marketing research facility, built in
1990, presents some limitations. For example, the physical layout precludes
some types of study designs, and recent technological advances
have resulted in outdated audio and video technology, suboptimal
data collection software, and minimal technological support. Small,
poorly ventilated rooms are not comfortable for researchers or subjects.
A new proposed Marketing Research Center would support and
enable technology-enhanced research in a cutting-edge environment
designed for maximum applicability to a wide range of research
studies. If funded, the new facility will:
• Enhance the educational experience of undergraduate and
graduate students by increasing the number of students able to
participate in research projects, supporting industry-sponsored
research projects, and enabling undergraduate students to apply
course concepts in a real research lab.
• Reduce materials and labor costs associated with data collection
and data entry.
• Provide the Department of Marketing with a significant point of
differentiation for attracting and retaining top students and faculty.
For more information about this project, please contact Justin
Marquart, assistant director of development, at marquart@wsu.edu.
Current layout:
Proposed layout:
Dividend 17