advanced theory and practice in sport marketing - Marshalls University

esponses to the questions. The focus group members should also be willing to
have the meeting recorded so the facilitator can review the meeting afterwards.
The job of the facilitator of the focus group is to welcome the members of the
group, ask the questions, ask follow-up questions that are geared to clarifying
the original answer, and ensure even participation from all members of the
focus group. It is best that the facilitator have a knowledge of the concepts
related to the objective, but should be independent from the organization to
limit bias. At the end of the focus group meeting, the facilitator should thank
everyone for their participation, and guarantee that they will receive a copy of
the report from the meeting.
Experience Surveys
Experience surveys refer to collecting information from those whom are considered
to be experts in the field of interest. These experts may be a part of
a direct network, through recommendations of members of the direct network,
or from research conducted about the area related to the research questions
or objectives. These differ from traditional surveys in the fact that they are
specifically fact finding in nature; therefore, the results are not being compared
to other individuals or groups.
Projective Techniques
Projective techniques are used to allow respondents to verbalize their true
opinions or beliefs about products and services. When asked directly, respondents
often will not address their true attitudes or motivations due to assuming
what the interviewer wants the answer to be, feeling pressure that their attitude
or belief is not correct, or simply not wanting to have their name tied to their
response. Projective techniques, such as tests using word association, sentence
completion, or thematic perceptions can allow the respondent to answer in a
non-threatening environment. Also utilized are third person techniques, such as
role playing, allows the respondent to reply in terms of another.
Descriptive Sources of Information
Cross-Sectional Studies
Cross-sectional studies measures components from a sample within a population
at a specific point in time. Since these are one-time measurements, they
are often referred to as a snapshot of the population. The main type of crosssectional
study utilized in sport marketing research is a survey. Surveys can
be administered in paper form or online, and are utilized to gather information
from a sample. It is expected that the sample is representative of the entire
population.
Longitudinal Studies
In contrast, longitudinal studies measures components from a sample within
a population repeatedly over a period of time. These multiple measurements
seek to show trends related to the research being conducted. Two major methods
of longitudinal study are panels and market tracking studies.
SPORT MARKETING RESEARCH 49