Market Research and Analysis for Marketing Decisions

Many organisations spend on research and still make marketing decisions by instinct. The research brief is vague, so the agency answers a different question. Samples are chosen for convenience, questionnaires lead respondents, and dashboards report averages that hide the segments that matter. Secondary data and social listening are collected but never reconciled with survey findings. When results arrive, they are presented as charts rather than as options with a recommendation, and the decision is taken on other grounds.

This programme follows the research cycle from the decision backwards. It moves through five stages: defining the decision and the information it needs, designing qualitative and quantitative studies, collecting data that is reliable and lawful, analysing it with appropriate statistical tools, and presenting insight in a form that leads to action.

Built on recognised practice. The programme references the ICC/ESOMAR International Code on market, opinion and social research and data analytics, ISO 20252 on quality in market, opinion and social research, and established data protection principles, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation and national data protection laws in the region. Analytical content follows accepted statistical practice for sampling, significance testing, segmentation and driver analysis.

Decisions this programme improves. Whether a question needs new research or can be answered from existing data; which method and sample size give enough confidence for the decision at stake; which segments to prioritise; how to price, position or launch an offer; and when a finding is strong enough to change the plan.

How it is delivered. Twenty hours across five sessions, built around one running case: a market entry or product launch decision that participants take from research brief to questionnaire, data analysis and a final recommendation to management. Exercises use spreadsheet tools and a prepared survey data set.

In-house option. For organisations, the programme can be tailored to your own markets, customer data, research suppliers and reporting formats, and delivered for marketing, strategy and insight teams together so that briefs, methods and outputs follow one standard.

Who Should Attend

Marketing professionals: marketing managers, brand managers and product managers who commission or use research

Insight and research staff: market research officers, analysts and customer insight specialists

Strategy and business development: planners and business development managers assessing new markets or offers

Communication and customer experience teams who run surveys or use audience data

Public sector officers responsible for citizen or stakeholder research

Objectives

Translate a marketing decision into clear research objectives and information needs

Write a research brief and evaluate supplier proposals against it

Select between desk research, qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods for a given decision

Design a sampling plan and state the level of confidence the results can support

Draft a questionnaire that avoids common sources of bias

Assess the quality and limits of secondary data, panel data and social listening outputs

Apply descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation and significance testing to survey data

Use segmentation and driver analysis to identify priority customer groups and levers

Estimate market size and demand using transparent, documented assumptions

Present research findings as options and a recommendation that management can act on

Course Outline

Starting from the Decision: Research Objectives and Briefs

The role of research in marketing strategy and planning
Defining the management decision and the information it needs
Exploratory, descriptive and causal research questions
Writing a research brief and assessing supplier proposals
Budget, timing and the value of information
Ethics, consent and data protection in research

Choosing the Method: Desk, Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Secondary sources: official statistics, industry data and internal records
In-depth interviews, focus groups and observational methods
Online surveys, panels and mixed-mode data collection
Social listening and digital behaviour data: uses and limits
Research in multilingual and multicultural markets, including Arabic and English fieldwork
Experiments and A/B tests as research tools

Collecting Reliable Data: Sampling and Questionnaire Design

Probability and non-probability sampling, and when each is acceptable
Sample size, margin of error and confidence
Question types, scales and response formats
Avoiding leading, double-barrelled and ambiguous questions
Piloting, fieldwork quality control and fraud checks
Data cleaning, coding and weighting

Analysing the Data: From Numbers to Insight

Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation
Significance testing and the difference between statistical and practical significance
Correlation, regression and key driver analysis
Segmentation approaches and profiling segments
Market sizing and demand estimation
Using AI tools to code open-ended responses: benefits, checks and limits

Turning Insight into Marketing Decisions

Structuring findings around the original decision
Pricing, positioning and product concept testing
Visualising data honestly and avoiding misleading charts
Presenting uncertainty and limitations to decision makers
Building an insight library and reusing research across teams
Action plan: improving research practice in your organisation

Competencies

Research brief writing and supplier evaluation

Selection of research methods for marketing decisions

Sampling design and interpretation of margins of error

Questionnaire design and bias control

Assessment of secondary and digital data sources

Survey data analysis and significance testing

Customer segmentation and key driver analysis

Market sizing and demand estimation

Decision-focused presentation of research findings

Istanbul

Train in Istanbul with access to Elite Academy’s full portfolio of professional programs. In a city known as a major international business crossroads connecting Europe, the Middle East and Asia, organizations and professionals can join upcoming courses or request any program to be arranged locally. Professional training in Istanbul is not limited to a specific group of subjects. Elite Academy makes its complete portfolio available in the city across management, business, technical and industry-focused disciplines. With a major international business crossroads connecting Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Istanbul provides an effective setting for international learning. Use the schedule below to view courses already planned for the destination, or contact our team to request another program and preferred dates in Istanbul, subject to scheduling and delivery requirements.