Reference no: EM133934616

Market Research

ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS

First, you will be presented with a market research brief accompanied by supplementary materials, as follows:
A market research brief (see pages 4-5)

A questionnaire (‘Revlon Questionnaire' file, see Canvas where you downloaded this document)
SPSS data analysis output (‘Revlon Data Analysis Output' file, see Canvas where you downloaded this document)
Students will need to utilise and analyse all these materials to address the assessment questions.
Second, you will be presented with four (4) assessment questions (see pages 5-8). Students are required to act as a market research consultant whose role is to prepare a written report, responding to the assessment questions. Doing so will require analysis and interpretation of assessment materials, critical reflection, and strategic recommendations. Get top-notch online assignment help now.
Students must answer EACH and ALL assessment questions.

The marks available for each question are listed next to it.
Your responses to these questions should reflect your applied learning and resonate key knowledge and recommendations that are appropriate to the client and market research brief. Importantly, the questions seek your application, not regurgitation, of theory. You are expected to go above and beyond repeating information, and you must show application of theory, critical analysis, strategic insight, and structured thinking.

It is recommended that you rely on your own learning and acquired knowledge in responding - that is, there should be no need to go outside the material you have already been provided (in the market research brief and supplementary materials and the knowledge and skills you have learned throughout the semester) to respond to the questions. Please use your own words and strategic insights rather than looking to simply apply that directly of others.
You are required to complete this task individually without conferring with others (this includes your tutors and fellow students). Any student who is found to have breached this rule by engaging in consultation or discussion with others, through any form of media or contact, will be investigated for academic misconduct.

Company Background

Revlon was founded in 1932 and has been a dominant force in the cosmetics industry for over nine decades. At the time of this research project, Revlon maintains a significant retail presence across major drugstores, pharmacies, and department stores throughout Australia, with products spanning colour cosmetics, skincare, fragrances, and hair care. Revlon's brand portfolio includes multiple sub- brands such as Revlon ColorStay, Revlon Super Lustrous, and various celebrity-endorsed collections.

Revlon has historically positioned itself as an accessible premium brand. Their products are focused on offering quality cosmetics at drugstore prices that bridge the gap between mass-market brands like Maybelline and more prestige brands like MAC or Clinique. However, in recent years, Revlon has faced mounting challenges including declining market share, increased competition from digitally-native indie brands, and difficulties connecting with younger consumers who drive trends in the beauty industry.
Throughout its history, Revlon has evolved by responding to cultural shifts and beauty trends. Its current corporate strategy focuses on brand revitalization and digital transformation to regain relevance in an increasingly crowded and dynamic cosmetics market. This translates to modernizing product formulations, enhancing digital engagement, improving sustainability credentials, and building authentic connections with diverse consumer segments.

Revlon has become particularly concerned about attracting Gen Z consumers (those born between 1997-2012, currently aged 13-28), who represent not only significant current purchasing power but also the future of the beauty industry. Going forward, Revlon seeks to gain conclusive and generalisable findings about what Gen Z Australians value, need, and expect from cosmetics brands in today's rapidly evolving beauty landscape.

Past Market Research

Given Revlon's focus on brand revitalization and understanding the Gen Z segment, they have previously conducted market research around these two themes. Key findings summarised below.
Key findings around the Revlon brand and consumer perceptions:
Revlon's brand recognition among Millennials and older generations (30+) remains strong, with associations of 'classic beauty', 'affordable quality', and 'iconic products'
ColorStay foundation and Super Lustrous lipstick remain bestsellers, particularly among consumers aged 35+

Social media engagement is significantly lower than competitor brands, with limited organic reach and lower follower counts across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube
Brand perception research indicates Revlon is seen as "reliable but uninspiring" by consumers
Key findings around the Gen Z segment:
Gen Z consumers (aged 18-28) demonstrate limited awareness of Revlon's current product range and perceive the brand as "outdated," "my mom's brand," or "not for me"
This segment exhibits distinctly different beauty purchasing behaviours compared to older consumers, with strong preferences for cruelty-free products, clean ingredient formulations, diverse shade ranges, and authentic brand values
Gen Z is heavily influenced by beauty content creators, micro-influencers, and peer recommendations on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube
This demographic shows willingness to pay premium prices for brands that align with their values, particularly regarding sustainability, inclusivity, and transparency

Current Market Research

Knowing that you are a market research consultant with a first-hand understanding of the Gen Z segment, Revlon commissions you to assist them with a current project, detailed below.
Project title: Connecting with Young Australian Shoppers
Project aim: To better understand young Australians (under 30s) in order for Revlon to provide greater value and relevance for this segment
Hanover's research aims to be conclusive, generalisable to young Victorians, and address the following research questions.
Research questions:
What do young Australians value (i.e., find important and relevant) in cosmetic products in 2025?
How do Gen Z Australians perceive Revlon, its product offerings, and its competitors?
What are the best ways to communicate and engage with young Australians?
What tactics can be used to improve Revlon's brand attitude and relevance among young Australians?
Research method: Online survey (please see the Revlon Questionnaire file)
Target population: Australians aged 18-30 years old
Sampling method: Quota sampling; a consumer panel was used
Sample size: n=245

Status of the current market research:
Revlon (your client) have started the current project -- however, they have run into problems and require your assistance as a market research consultant to carry out the project. You have been commissioned with completing a number of tasks relating to quantitative research and data analysis and preparing a report for the client that addresses the Assessment Questions.
To assist with the above aspects of the research project, you have been given the task of preparing a report for the client that addresses Assessment Questions 1 to 4, on pages 7-9 of this document.

ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1
Revlon has requested your advice on a follow-up survey that they intend to conduct with a representative sample of young people across Australia aimed at addressing Research Question 1 and 3.
Revlon has sent you a draft survey, which you will see on pages 8-9 of this document under the heading 'Revlon Draft Follow-up Survey'.
You are required to review the draft survey and:
Identify the research design that involves a survey data collection method and explain to the client how this research design will be useful for addressing Research Question #1 and 3.
For each survey question, first, identify and explain any problem/s with the question wording and/or the measurement scale used. Second, rewrite the survey question and/or measurement scale in a way that addresses the problem/s you identified. If you do not see any problem/s with a survey question, state this and then explain why this is the case.
Make a recommendation to Revlon as to which survey mode they should use to distribute this survey. In your response, justify your recommendation by outlining three factors that you considered and how each factor influenced your decision of which survey mode to recommend to Revlon.
Outline for the client three possible sources of survey error for Revlon, and how you would recommend that these be addressed.

QUESTION 2
This question relates to Research Question 1, and it requires you to work with the Revlon Questionnaire file on Canvas.
Revlon has not conducted any data analysis for this research question and requests that you outline a data analysis plan based on the Revlon Questionnaire they have given you.

A note about formatting for Assessment Question 2: You can choose to present your data analysis plan in text or a table. IF YOU CHOOSE A TABLE, you may use (1) landscape or portrait formatting and (2) single-line spacing to aid readability and a neat format.

For each of the following eight hypotheses (ROs), please state:
The most correct descriptive OR inferential statistical test
The number of variables involved
The specific variables involved from the questionnaire and the level of measurement scale each variable is expressed upon
A justification for why the proposed test is correct for the hypothesis
The practical implications of the chosen test for the client's marketing/branding strategy (this should consist of 1-2 sentences per research objective and directly relate to addressing the overall research question)

RO1: To determine whether overall perceptions of Revlon are significantly more positive than neutral (on a 5-point scale).
RO2: To determine whether the importance of cruelty-free certification is significantly greater than the importance of celebrity endorsements when choosing a cosmetics brand.
RO3: To determine whether the importance of influencer endorsements presence significantly differs between generation groups (Gen Z vs. Millennials).

RO4: To determine whether awareness of Revlon's shade range diversity is significantly associated with the usage frequency of TikTok.

RO5: To determine whether the importance of Revlon's sustainability initiatives is significantly different between gender
RO6: To determine whether linking Revlon with the concept of 'on-trend and innovative' significantly predicts the likelihood of purchasing Revlon products in the next three months.

RO7: To determine whether linking Revlon with the concept of 'relevant for my age group' is significantly associated with the frequency of purchasing cosmetics products.

RO8: To determine whether income, the number of influencers participants follow, and trust in peer recommendations predicts spending on cosmetic products in the last 6 months.

QUESTION 3
This question relates to Research Question #2, and it requires you to work with the Revlon Data Analysis Output and the Revlon Questionnaire files.

Revlon has analysed some of the survey data for this research question, and you will find their SPSS output in the Revlon Data Analysis Output file. Specifically, you will find five research objectives (labelled RO1 to RO5) and the SPSS output for each research objective. (Note the Revlon Data Analysis Output ROs differ from Question 2).

For each of the five research objectives on the Revlon Analysis Output document, you are required to:
Name the specific statistical test that has been conducted

Provide your written interpretation of the SPSS output. This should be written in text and contain your interpretation of all relevant parts of/numbers from the SPSS output provided and what they mean in relation to the research objective tested. *You should not include the SPSS output in your submission document, given the page limit*

QUESTION 4
This question relates to Research Question #4. Revlon has developed two potential social media campaigns to improve attitudes toward the Revlon brand among young Australians: (1) The first focuses on user-generated content featuring real customers' makeup looks and product reviews, and (2) The second focuses on sustainability initiatives and ethical sourcing.

Due to time and budget constraints, only one social media campaign can be implemented, so the client would like to conduct an experiment to address the following research objective: to determine which social media campaign will be most effective at improving young Australians' attitude toward Revlon.

You are required to:
Explain to the client the advantages and disadvantages of using a causal research design to address this research objective.
Recommend and describe a specific experimental design to select the most effective social media campaign. In your answer, outline the independent, dependent, and possible extraneous variables involved, as well as the recommended experimental setting.

Justify your recommended experimental design and experimental setting by comparing and contrasting your recommendations to alternative experimental designs/settings.