Answer both questions please Maxfli: Going for the Long Ball For decades, Maxfi

Question

Answer both questions please

Maxfli: Going for the Long Ball For decades, Maxfi (www.maxi.com) has been one of the top names in quality golf equip- ment. On December 31, 2002, TaylorMade-Adidas Golf acquired Maxfli to boost its mar- ubs, and other golf accessories. In its early stages, Maxfli's approach to the s. This was a standard formula, but one that was challenged in the 1990s as more share in the golf ball segment from less than 1 percent to 7.5 percent. Maxfli p balls, cl uces golf ry was similar to others: produce good products marketed through the traditico nels (e.g., pro shops, golf specialty stores) and use PGA professionals to market its more companies entered the industry. By 1998, Maxfli discovered that its growt of what people in those markets needed. Maxfli began conducting exploratory research market share dropped below par.It lost sight of its target markets and the understanding because it was unclear as to what direction to steer the company Maxi began exploratory research by conducting focus groups to uncover the motiva- ons behind golf ball purchases. It wanted to understand how consumers identified golf er 13 San balls (e.g., by brand name, manufacturer, or some unique identifier). The focus-group research indicated that every golf ball needs an identifier. This identifier allows one golfer to tell another about the type of golf balls he or she uses. The ability to do this is important to most golfers. "This signaled to us that we needed to not only get the Maxfli brand into peo- ple's minds but also to give them the nomenclature hook that allows them to be inside the games, Dennis Rooke, Maxfi's head of marketing, explains. The focus groups also revealed that golf was as much a mental challenge as it was a physical one. Therefore, Maxfli's goal became to quiet that little voice inside golfer's heads. It wanted to figure out what types of products golfers were looking for and present them in a way that eased their state of mind. Following the focus groups, in order to research deeper, Maxfli conducted a telephone survey. Maxfli used a Synovate national panel as a cost-effective means to generate a repre- sentative sample of golfers who could be accessed via the telephone. The sample was then stratified by purchase points, where they played golf, and other variables. There are several different types of golfers and each category had to be represented for the findings to be meaningful and conclusive. The research showed that although many golfers were quality oriented, there was an even bigger segment that could be called the fashion crowd of golf Maxfli then wanted to find out if its brand fit the needs of the so-called "fashion crowd" Based on the research findings, Maxfli determined that it should offer all levels of golf balls and position its products with a youthful attitude. Each ball had its own identity so that it could be discussed among golfers. In golf, "the ball you choose says a lot about you." Maxfli used exploratory research in the form of focus groups and descriptive research in the form of a telephone survey to make sure its line of golf balls met consumer needs. in 2004, Maxfli undertook focus groups and surveys and found that the market for high-performance golf balls consisted of two distinct segments. Therefore, Maxfli decided to split its high-performance golf ball portfolio into two lines with different pric es and target market segments. Revolution, with three SKUs (stock keeping units) ha price range of $35 to $40 per dozen. Noodle (it's long and soft), also with three SKU has a manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) of $25. D-Tec with two SKUs rounds the golf ball lines. The balls, targeting different skill levels, are sure to be a success with the reliance on marketing research to which Maxfli is committed For Maxfli, creating products that met consumer needs is the first step in maintaining a leadership position in the golf industry. Maxfli is continually looking for the edge that pull customers to its products. Maxfli has been successful at solidifying its place in the market through good consumer research and creative marketing approaches. estions hat was the research design adopted by Maxfli in determining a direction for the company? Was it appropriate? Discuss the role of qualitative research in uncovering the motivations behind golf ball purchases. Are focus groups the most appropriate technique for this purpose

Explanation / Answer

MAXFLI

1.

Maxfli uses primarily qualitative research – exploratory, for the beginning stage

Research purpose - Exploratory,

Research approach- qualitative research using focus groups

Maxfli initially did not have a direction. So to get the direction it initially needed some exploratory research. Exploratory research design simply explores to find the research questions, It is a beginning step to understand the basics and form a hypothesis. It helps to define the problems and find an approach to the problem. Hence exploratory research is appropriate

It uses a qualitative approach. First, they try to find what matters i.e. the factors involved (they don’t measure the factors here) e.g.

They ask the consumer ‘do you relate Maxfli to quality or design’.

Contrast with a quantitative approach where they ask,’ How will you rate the quality of Maxfli balls on a scale of 1-10’

This helps the company to form a basic understanding of the consumer behaviors and needs. Then they can do further research using descriptive research objective to build upon

2.

Qualitative research helps to form unstructured questions and offers great flexibility. It helps to uncover insights and hidden meanings that cannot be measured (unlike in quantitative research where we try to measure everything). This is particularly useful to find brand associations. For Maxfli it helped to understand the presence of an’ identifier’. It helped the researchers find that the brand needed a nomenclature hook. It also helped to from cetin questions for their further research through surveys- what types of products golfers look for and how to present them in a way that eased their state of mind

In focus groups, a group of selected people participates in a discussion. The members can interact among themselves. Focus groups have several benefits. They help us to go deeper and deeper to find the hidden factors. They also help us to find the assumptions and consumer purchasing path. They help to get a detailed understanding of consumer perceptions and feelings. Since it involves direct personal contact, we can get a lot of clarity too. We can ask open-ended questions. This may lead to discovering newer assumptions and possibilities. Note that if we have a structured survey with already laid out questions this new discovery may not possible

Also in Focus groups, we can get immediate feedback and opinions. Hence this better than a survey or any other data collection method

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse A
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.