CHAPTER ONE

• INTRODUCTION

The aim of marketing is to create value for customers and to capture value in returned. The impact of marketing research on the marketing performance of soft drinks industry in Nigeria is to understanding customer needs, create good relationship with the customer understand consumer behaviour and provide efficient satisfaction of consumer as a profit to the firm marketing is said to be the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services  from the point of production to the point of consumption

Therefore what is marketing research before answering the question let me first stated that the success of any give firm in the saturated marketing depends to a large extent on the ability to provide want satisfying products. The extent of the ability of the producer to understand what the customer actually needs, marketing research therefore provide the answers through which the needs and wants of the customer can be studied on satisfied. Marketing research gives the information on what to product as well as the best segment of the market that offers the best opportunity. Hence through research firms identify viable segments that it can profitable cultivate. Onuoha J. Kelechi. Marketing management (2007:109).

Perhaps a better understanding of the meaning of marketing research should start with a proper appreciation of the words, marketing and research. Marketing has been defined above as student of marketing; we know that marketing has to do wit the prediction, pricing distribution and promotion of gods and services such away that the interest of both the production and satisfied. The Longman’s dictionary of contemporary English gives the following meanings to research.

1. Service study of a subject that is intended to discover new facts or test new ideas.
2. The activity of finding information about something that you are interested in or need to know about.
3. To study of a subject in detail especially in order to discover new facts or test new ideas.
4. To supply all the necessary fact and information about something.

MAREKTING research gives the information on what  to produce as well as the best segment of the market that effects the best opportunity. Marketing research provides the avenues through which the needs  and  wants of the consumer can be studied and satisfied ( onuoha kelechi 13 2011

Marketing research is finding out the customer and what he or she will buy Modern (1987:35). From the definitions one can observe that the aim of marketing department of to organization. To avoid bias firms are asked to employ the service of independent marketing consultation or jointly carry out. The information gathered through marketing research can be useful in taking informed decisions. The areas where Okafor (1998:32-33) felt that information from the market research can be applied included the following:

1. Who and where are the customers located and what are they like?
2. Who are the organizations no-buyers and what are their reasons for not buying:
3. How many producers are in the particular industry?
4. What is the size of the market
5. How viable is the market?

Perhaps the simplest way of explaining the difference between market research and marketing research could be seen from their coverage as shown bellow Wilmm shout John (1978:123) indicated that profit oriented firms conduct marketing research in the following areas;

PRODUCT RESEARCH: New product screening, product acceptance, packaging pricing etc

USER MARKET RESEARCH: Size of market potential, trends within market, market share analysis.

COMMUNICATION RESEARCH: Advertising Effectiveness Company and product image, medium effectiveness, sales, communication, merchandizing and point of sales of display.

SALE OPERATIONS RESEARCH: Sales fore effectiveness sales territorises, channel of distribution, trade attitude, sales statistics, sales forecasting.

COMMUNICATION RESEARCH: Advertising Effectiveness Company and product Image point of sales display.

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