JOUR 3400 Consumer Profile Research Research Guide: http://libguides.library.ohiou.edu/jour3400 Questions? Jessica Hagman • hagman@ohio.edu • Make an appointment at http://libguides.library.ohiou.edu/jour3400/help

Entry Point for Your Data About Consumer Segment

Where to Look

Age

Mintel has data and analysis of consumer groups by age group (Baby Boomers, Millennials, Kids) Check the Pew Research Center for research on Americans by age group – they often compare attitudes and behaviors across groups. The American Fact Finder has population estimates by age, race, gender as well as lots of other demographic information for the US as a whole and for specific geographies in the US. Mediamark/MRI has information on which age/gender groups are likely to be using a particular product or engage in a specific behavior. The media database also offers media consumption information by age group and lifestage. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data includes employment data for youth.

Location Use SimplyMap map variables down to the census tract or zip code. Variables include: census data • consumer expenditures • market segments (age/wealth/family status) • consumer behavior (products purchased) • daily activities The American Fact Finder website gives you access to census and American Community Survey data. Choose a location to find information on age groups, education, housing, income, race and Hispanic origin, and veteran status.

Income, employment and occupations

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has data on wages and employment by occupation, state and metropolitan area, college/high school status, gender, age (youth aged 16-24) and more. Mediamark/MRI’s data includes media use information by household income.

Family Status The Bureau of Labor Statistics has information on employment by people in families (parents, mothers, etc). Use the American Fact Finder for demographic information and family status of groups around the US. Mediamark/MRI will give you media use and use of consumer products by household status and family composition

Beliefs Polling the Nations has information on current public opinion and is good for understanding what people thing about topics – especially current events.

JOUR 3400 Consumer Profile Research Research Guide: http://libguides.library.ohiou.edu/jour3400 Questions? Jessica Hagman • hagman@ohio.edu • Make an appointment at http://libguides.library.ohiou.edu/jour3400/help

Statista pulls in some opinion data that is available on the open web. This can be a category where research articles are useful. You may be able to find research in peer-reviewed journals about public opinion, perceptions of brands, topics and major issues. The Pew Research Center conducts research on what people think about a wide range of social and political issues.

Products & Industries

Mediamark/MRI data can give you demographic information and media use for people who use particular products or engage in specific consumer behaviors. SimplyMap can tell you where you are more likely to find people who use a particular product. Mintel’s sector reports offer information on the expected consumers for different types of products. Statista is a search engine for data that is available on the open web. They often data on product usage that they pull in from industry websites. Try searching for brands or types of products. Passport GMID has analysis and statistics of different industries. Try searching for your product or a likely company. Often the analysis will include relevant information about consumer trends that will affect the market outcomes. IBIS World is very focused on industry information, but does include information on factors that would influence the outlook for that industry. This sometimes includes information about relevant consumer trends.

Media Usage Statista has a whole category on media and advertising, with a focus on books and publishing, music, radio, TV, film, video games and general media usage trends. Check the Pew Research Center for data on social media usage, especially their Internet and American Life project. Mediamark/MRI will show you some media usage traits and specific channels, TV shows and magazines used by people who have specific products or engaged in a type of consumer behavior. SRDS will tell you about magazines in a particular category as well as media outlets for a Designated Market Area (DMA) Sometimes research articles will have information about how people approach media consumption.

JOUR 3400 Consumer Profile Research Research Guide: http://libguides.library.ohiou.edu/jour3400 Questions? Jessica Hagman • hagman@ohio.edu • Make an appointment at http://libguides.library.ohiou.edu/jour3400/help General Tips for Researching a Consumer Segment:

1. Start your research by brainstorming (or Google searching) to find likely products used by your consumer group, industries that would be targeting members of your segment. You may also want to hypothesize some likely media used by your group (magazines, TV channels). With the tools you’re using, it’s often easier to start with a hypothesis and use the data tools to find out whether you are correct or not.

2. Most of the tools we’re looking at let you browse and search for information. I highly recommend that you do both. Often the word you’re looking for may not be the word that the tool uses to describe a group, product, or industry. Browsing can help you find more information than if you limited to just your initial keyword searching.

a. For example: MRI uses “rock music performances” rather than concerts. 3. As you search, keep careful track of where you find pieces of information. Ideally, you’ll be pulling together bits and pieces of

information from a wide range of sources and it will be up to you to accurately cite the source of your information. a. Side note: If you pull any data from Statista, make sure that you note who provided that data. Statista is a search

engine – they don’t create the data themselves. You’ll want to look for the data source and say that the data you found comes from Nielsen, for example, rather than Statista. However, if you use the graphs or charts that Statista creates with that data, you should give them credit.

4. Some of the databases have information on countries beyond the US. Keep an eye on the report title to make sure that you’re not finding information that is not relevant to your consumer group.

5. Have questions? Make an appointment to meet with me, or send me an email.