There are many business firms which have marketing research department. Most of these firms perform the research study in their own companies. Some firms undertake research work for other companies.
The organizations that use or perform marketing research can be categorized under nine different headings.
1. Manufacturers - are the major benefactors of marketing research and are also among the major groups doing research studies. Through research these companies are able to determine the right products to be produced, based upon the needs and wants of the consumers.
2. Advertising agencies - have long practiced marketing research for its earliest days. Much of the researchers conducted by these agencies deal directly with the advertising function, such as studying the effectiveness of alternative copy or alternative advertisement. However, many of these agencies also undertake business research for their clients, to measure market potential or demand for a product or the client's market share.
3. Advertising media - depend heavily on research for data that will help them sell their space or time to advertisers. Majority of these researchers involve the generation of market coverage statistics to measure the size of the audience reached by the newspaper, magazine, radio, or television message and to provide a demographic profile of the audience.
4. Retailers and wholesalers - are doing marketing research to a lesser extent than manufacturers, although more than one-half of them do not have formal marketing research departments. Much of the researches of these establishments deal on forecasting, measurement of market demands, determination of market characteristics, market share analyses, sale analyses, store location analyses, product mix studies, and inventory and control analysyes.
5. Independent marketing research firm - an important and a dynamic part of the marketing research field and they are independent contractors to assist other firms, to define and "solve" business problems. These firms tend specialize in certain research methods and techniques such as store management audits, consumer buying behavior, advertising and sales promotion recall, and product or brand preferences.
6. Government agencies - sponsor or undertake marketing research for an industry for certain type of business. They provide statiscal data which are indispensable to the business. As a matter of fact, the government is the largest producer of marketing research facts through its various census activities and other publications.
7. Trade and professional associations - serve the entire industry supported by contributions from their members. Research works often revolve around the collection and dissemination of operating data gathered from its members. Professional associations often undertake research related to their activities.
8. Universities and foundations - have always been known for their research studies. Most of the university - or foundation - sponsored research that are of interest to businessmen are produced by the business faculty or by the research department found in many schools of business. Studies usually deal with broad economic and business problems more often than with problems specific application to individual firms.
9. Other agencies - include 'banks and other financial institution, public utilities, and transportation companies, among others'. Also included here 'are those' organizations doing research which specialize in providing continuos statistical information regarding advertising media. The adoption of the modern business concept by many banks and public utilities in the last decade spawned a whole series of research studies on banking and public utilities practices. These agencies often provide clients with useful business data, particularly statistics dealing with area growth and potential.
