Market Research Report: RIM Blackberry and the Smartphone Market by Charlie Marples

Blackberry Research in motion UK Limited 200 Bath Road Slough Berkshire SL1 3XE

Market Research Report Prepared By: Insight Agency 35 Belleview Way London SW6 1AE Phone: 020 7317 9300 Email: insight@email.co.uk

We at Insight are committed to bringing you at Blackberry an inspirational service to help facilitate those innovative ideas, problems and hurdles by bringing them to life within the organisations constraints. If for any reason you want to discuss anything mentioned in following report feel free to contact any of us: MANAGING DIRECTOR (Emelia ChinSmith)

FIELD WORK (Janine Johnson)

QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS

QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS

(Julie Miles)

(Charlie Marples)

Contents Page Content Front Cover Contact Details Mission Statement and corporate positions Contents Page Executive Summary Background Management Problem Research Problem Approach and Rationale Research Design Measurement and Scaling Sampling method Field work and data collection Ethics Preparing and analysing data Limitations Conclusion and future recommendations Appendix References Bibliography Back Cover

Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 6–7 7 8 9 - 10 11 – 12 13 14 15 – 18 19 – 20 21 22 – 62 63 64 65

Executive Summary The dynamic nature of the mobile phone and more specifically the ‘Smartphone’ industry means that business is a consistent battle to keep ahead of the competition through innovation and inspiring the consumer. In order to maintain market share Blackberry wish to reposition themselves amongst the youth student market, those aged 18-24 within the UK. In order to do this we at Insight have attempted to identify a salient attribute that the youth market value through gauging an understanding of their values, attitudes and knowledge, behaviour and the environment that surrounds them. In order to do this a combination of secondary data, descriptive questionnaires – one that was physically handed out and the other supplied online, and laddering interviews which are a type of one on one interview where the participant was probed about a topic. The sample used was a mixture of 18-24 year old students from the Lincolnshire area of wide variety of demographics. This consisted of: -

Physical questionnaires – 100 participants Online – 80 participants Laddering Interviews – 20 participants

All data was then analysed using SPSS, a statistical analysis programme, excel and word, which are all computer based databases. This enabled the identification of the following market characteristics: -

There is no gender difference amongst the student segment in terms of brand choice Student markets is price sensitive and place a low value on loyalty where phones are concerned. Their perception of brand positioning (in terms of a league table) varied compared to the market as a whole suggestive of the variation in lifestyle values. They highly valued the idea of having a certain branded phone to achieve a sense of happiness, social status and self-esteem. The idea of third party applications enhancing the phone proved to be popular in particular the idea of having business application as it suited their lifestyle.

Thus, Insight suggest that Blackberry would benefit from developing a partnership with third party application suppliers to develop an application such as, a timetabling app, that will be relevant and appeal to this segments lifestyle. In addition the implementation of a number of advertising strategies specifically targeted at the student market using a message such as “ Love what you do” would align the existing corporate brand image with the lifestyles and values of the student market perhaps making the brand a more salient (popularly) thought of brand. However, it is advisable that further research is conducted into the area of third party applications on a wider and more specific scale before any strategies are implemented.

Background The mobile phone industry in the UK is constantly growing and is expected to reach 32 million units being sold in the UK by 2013, according to Datamonitor (2009). Therefore, it is not surprising that competition is fierce in such an attractive and lucrative market. Blackberry currently competes in the ‘smart phone’ market (phones that offer PC like functionality along with the basic mobile phone functions). This is a trend that is expected to see significant growth thus, Blackberry need to keep on top of their market position and continue to innovate forward Although the threat of new entrants to the mobile phone market is relatively weak, as a result of the large amount of capital and economies of scale required to compete, the threat of existing competition is strong with key players such as Apple, Nokia, HTC, Samsung and Sony Ericson all competing for the opportunity to become the customers mobile of choice. Currently, according to The Independent (2010) Blackberry controls 19.9% of the ‘Smartphone’ market but, lost “some share in the fourth quarter to phones with Google’s Android software.” In addition, although Apple are currently lagging behind in the market with only 14.4% market share their intensive advertising strategies and widening accessibility in the market by becoming available on most networks may see this turn around.

Management problem As a result of the dynamic nature of the mobile phone industry and in particular the ‘Smartphone’ sector it is inevitable that Blackberry need to keep amidst of the competition to sustain and even increase their position within the market, currently second. Changing consumer behaviour and developing technology means the mobile sector is a frivolous one where turnover of phones is relatively high therefore, Blackberry’s position in Gartner (2010) leader board suggests that with competitors following so closely behind and consistently re-developing their offerings Blackberry need to find a way to sustain their position through an innovative solution. Insight suggests that because Blackberry have previously target an older professional market, the technologically lead nature of the youth student market offers the organisation an attractive opportunity. Therefore, Blackberry could benefit by repositioning themselves amongst the youth market with an innovative strategy that appeals to their lifestyle.

Research problem Blackberry currently target a more professional middle aged mainstream market therefore, in order to increase market share it would be beneficial to target a younger market as they make up a large proportion of the mobile phone market. Consequently we propose to identify what would be the ideal way to appeal to the student youths of today through identifying the following:  

Where Blackberry resounds in terms of a leader board for ‘Smartphone’s’ amongst the students perceptions. Understand the key attributes that student’s desire from a mobile phone. 6

 

Identify the most common values that they aspire to achieve from their purchase of a mobile phone. Understand the most influential factors (affect and cognition, environmental, or marketing strategies) faced by the youth consumer when purchasing a mobile phone.

Approach and Rationale Theoretical framework In order to understand the influences on the student segment when choosing, purchasing and becoming loyal to a mobile phone it will be beneficial to use the ‘wheel of consumer analysis’ (shown below) to frame the research content in order to gain a comprehensive perspective of the dynamic nature of the segments buyer behaviour. In addition, we have also used interviews that were guided by a model called means-end chains to help to identify deep and rich data about how the consumer links the product attributes to more abstract consequences and values which could not otherwise be identified using traditional surface approach research techniques. In addition this type of data is quite sensitive and intimate therefore, an individual and personalised approach is much more appropriate. Two types of questionnaires were then used to get a wide range of attitudes and opinions in a time and cost efficient manner. Research Question Identify a salient attribute that Blackberry could use to become more appealing to the student market, those aged 18-24 years old.

Research Design 'Insight' have used an 'exploratory research’ design to gain an insight into the characteristics of Blackberry’s currently untargeted segment, students aged 16-24, in order to help identify a reasonable means or idea to help solve the marketing problem (Malhorta and Peterson, 2006:72) of attempting to gain market share amongst this dynamic and opportunist segment. In addition the research has been conducted based on a cross-sectional study design. This is defined by Shao (2002: 48) as ‘what is occurring at one moment in time’. This method will be most appropriate for this research as it concentrates on the current trends in consumers’ buying behaviour and attitudes towards technology that are currently in the market. As a result of the consistently changing nature of the mobile phone market any other form of design, such as a longitudinal, would not provide the required date to reflect what exists in the market at a specific point in time.

The core research methods that were used to establish this initial generation of ideas and insight included a range of techniques from different designs: 

Published secondary data

Descriptive Designs  Printed face-to-face questionnaires  Online questionnaires Exploratory Designs  Laddering interviews The above methods of data collection were chosen based on the time, funding, facilities and objectives of the research problem in question. Due to the limited time frame, and available funding and facilities we decided to conduct a mass of questionnaires in order to gain substantial descriptive data. Alternatively, although the laddering interviews are slightly more expensive and time consuming they were used to create a balance between the data that we gathered by providing richer qualitative data.

Measurement and Scaling Questionnaires Both questionnaires were designed based on a variety of measurement techniques in order to give the participant variation and to extract specific information. A variety of the techniques used were a mixture of:  Open ended questions - A blank space given for a personal answer  Closed ended questions - Nominal – Belong to a certain category e.g. multiple choice - Continuous Rating – Likert scale All of which were chosen based on a number of distinct elements that needed to be identified and provided the ability to gain a combination of quantitative and qualitative data. Both questionnaires contained ten questions each in order to keep the process to a minimum period of time to prevent half hearted and half filled out questionnaires. Initial questions were designed to be basic and noninvasive to hold the participants interest and prevent feelings of too much probing into personal data. Further questions required the respondent to think about their answer more and give a more personal touch to the reply. Such questions included open-ended questions where the participant is free to write what they choose and continuous rating scales (mainly a likert scale) used to identify consumers degree of attitude and opinions towards certain topics. The scales ranged from 1 to 5, in which 1 is 'Not important at all', to 5, which is 'Very important.' The use of five choices was chosen in order to minimise the risk of participants not willing to choose a degree of opinion and therefore, ‘sitting on the fence.’ All questions were designed to be non-biased and easy to understand through the use of simple language, non directive questions and substantial options to choose from amongst multiple choice questions. This was necessary in order to maintain levels of participation, and a greater degree of validity through attempting to reduce demand characteristics to a minimum and ensure participants respond as accurately as possible. The majority of the questions had an underlying motive directing towards one of the segments of the ‘Wheel of consumer analysis’ e.g. affect for certain brands, how consumers behave in the purchase process of a mobile phone and what factors in the environment effect the participant when purchasing/ choosing a mobile phone such as the level of service and who they go shopping with. The online questionnaire used a similar design in terms of the questions being asked however, it was established to specifically help to identify specific areas of development rather than consumer behaviour in this segment. It was designed used a research site call Survey monkey accessed via www.surveymonkey.com. It is a website designed to create questionnaires and store the results all on one web page. These questionnaires are sent out to representative members of the target audience via social networking sites, university e-mail and personal e-mail accounts. The participant is given a link and then they have to direct themselves to the correct web page.

Finally, laddering interviews were used to extrapolate much richer qualitative data. As a result of the significant time consumption of this method they were only used on a small sample of the target audience, twenty individuals. They were designed to gain the following:  Identify the salient attributes most valued by this segment  Identify the basic ends that a consumer seeks when purchasing a mobile phone  A deep understanding into consumers purchase motivations for a mobile phone  Understand the consumer-product relationship with their mobile The primary question that was used on all the laddering interviews to keep the topic of conversation consistent began with: “If you were in the market for a new mobile phone, what are they main attributes that you look for?” This was the key topic of conversation. However, in order to probe further and questions then took a basic form of: “Of these factors you just mentioned, which are the three most important?” Due to the nature of interviews and individuality of participants the following questions were then dependent on the participant’s response. However, the basic form is to probe deeper and deeper why these factors are important until they cannot give any other reason behind their views. The result is to discover the true underlining values that are not subconsciously at the top of one’s mind. The laddering interviews would then be analysed and developed into means-end chains to display the attributes, consequences and values that the participants collectively valued the most.

Sampling Method The sampling method chosen is a non-probability convenience sampling method controlled purely by judgement of estimated age due to the location of where data collection was conducted. The age group of 18 to 24 year olds was controlled purely by positioning ourselves on campus of the Lincoln University to specifically target students at this university. A more detailed description of the breakdown of the target markets characteristics such as demo and psychographics are shown below:

Sampling Method The target audience that Blackberry wish to gain an insight into are both male and female students aged 18-24 years old from a wide variety of demographics and psychographics. Shown following is fuller description of the typical individual who will possess the relevant information for this research design. Attitudes towards mobile phones: seen as a necessity, really tech savvy and used as a status symbol. Finance: Usually living off student loans or part time job wages, have limited disposable income Living: Parents, or shared apartments, houses with friends Work: Purely university academic work or a part time job as well. Leisure: Gym, Clubbing, Socialising Transport: No car (due to financial status) or quite old 2 hand car.

Gadgets: Phone (sometimes more than one), laptop, TV, games console, MP3 players, netbooks. Taste/Fashion: highly brand conscious and trend aware, use fashion and branding as major status symbols within certain subcultures. VALS: Strivers & Experiencers.

Physical Questionnaires Distributed to 100 participants based in the vicinity of Lincoln University. There were fifty males and fifty female students and the rest of the participants characteristics were purely random based on the style of conveniently asking anyone who was present at the time of collection. Survey Monkey Questionnaires One the other hand, for this questionnaire the characteristics of the participant were more difficult to control. Although we had hoped to recruit an equal gender difference in responses data collection was dependent on participantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s willingness to respond therefore, in order to achieve our target of 100 responses this would mean pushing the link to whomever, was willing male or female. However, 11

we were able to control whether they were students or not through only forwarding the link through the university contact list, known emails and to participants on social networks where we sure they were students. Laddering Interviews This was also based on a convenience sample of twenty participants who were on campus and were free at the time of data collection to participate in an interview process. Although, they were all students there again was less control over the distribution of gender.

Field work and data collection Process Questionnaires These were distributed by hand on campus to 100 participants, aged 18 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 24 years old, visiting the University of Lincoln Library between February 8th and February 12th 2010. In order to gain a representative sample amongst the gender of students, we designated each pair of the field workers to specifically collect fifty questionnaires on the male gender and the other fifty on the female gender. Participants were selected on a purely â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;first come, first serveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; basis or opportunistic sample. Participants were greeted kindly and asked if it would be possible to help with some research into mobile phones by conducting a short questionnaire. If they were willing to help they were given a questionnaire and told we would return to collect it in fifteen minutes if that was alright with them. This gave them sufficient time without any pressure to fill out the questionnaire. On collection they were told that all data would be kept confidential. All data will be analysed using SPSS. Survey Monkey The Online survey distributed via university email accounts, social networking site called Facebook and through other known email addresses. Although we set out to gain the response of one hundred participants uptake was slow and therefore, it was decided a cut off point of eighty participants would be sufficient. The process began by emailing and sending out the following link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G77ZL37 to a random selection of individuals that had the key characteristics of being students aged between 18-24 years old. Other than that they would have mixed gender and socio demographic statuses. Survey monkey records all questionnaires that have been filled out and logs them on an accessible data site where results are viewable at any given point in time. All data collected has been analysed using excel.

Hypothetical Laddering Interviews (HLI) & Means end Chains The process for these interviews was slightly more complex as it required sufficiently more time and accuracy in the recording of data. Again the twenty participants were selected purely at random based on convenience. They were conducted in the Tower Bar of Lincoln University between February 8th and February 12th 2010. This provides a familiar, relaxed atmosphere, where people would be more willing to participate. They were asked if they had time to participate in an interview on mobile phones. If they did they were escorted to a private table and briefed that the information gained will be kept highly confidential and that they could withdraw at any point. They were then asked a series of questions set out in the research design. All data was recorded by hand in full sentences as far as was possible. Although this lengthened the process of the interview due to recording errors it was necessary for reasons of accuracy. A tape recorder would have been more efficient however, this may have reduced validity due to added demand characteristics to play up to the recorder and a more surreal and awkward setting. All data was analysed in light of the MECCAS model.

Ethics The field workers were required to act in a professional and courteous manner at all times. They must be friendly and grateful in order to encourage the motivation of participants to participate in the research. More importantly they must ensure that the following are abided by:  Gain participant permission  Brief and de-brief participants to prevent any apprehension or dissonance  Ensure that they are aware that they can terminate the process at any time  Ensure that the participant is not under any harm during the process such as offensive or disturbing questions  Ensure that all data collected abides to the confidentiality and privacy regulations However, as a variety of research designs were used there were some specific ethics that needed to be considered for each method. Survey Monkey  Invasion of privacy due to distribution method, social networking sites used for private use shouldn’t on an ethical basis be used for distribution of marketing material.  “Green” Method, ecologically considerate, no use of paper etc.  There is a need for anonymity; otherwise consumers can feel pressured about comebacks if they give negative responses towards the brand or service.  Due to the increase of hackers and malware in computers Insight should ensure the safety of the program/server is top class to ensure there is no transmission of malware, and also it’s encrypted so information cannot be illegally shared.  Social exclusion of poorer demographics who couldn’t access the medium of distribution

Physical Questionnaires and Hypothetical Laddering Interviews  Due to the highly descriptive nature of HLI, participants could feel they are giving too much away and feel invaded.  The act of having to approach people during there every day goings on could be an invasion of privacy and also a nuisance, they could be running to a lecture, for a train home etc.  According to Jobber, D (2007)“Sugging” may have occurred. This is where you are perceived as using your research as a sales mechanism. The leading questions used can make the process feel as though it is being masked as a sales pitch therefore, need to make question design as objective as possible.  Subliminal messages- using things such as body language and head nods to guide the respondent to answer in a way you want to tailor your findings to your preferred goal.  Terminology and Validity - using complex marketing terminology to unknowledgeable respondents could make them scared to ask for help therefore ask the question without understanding it, clouding the validity of the results.

Preparing and Analysing Data In order to analyse our data we used a combination of methods:   

Handout Questionnaires – SPSS Survey Monkey Questionnaires –Excel Hypothetical Laddering Interviews – Word

However, throughout all our analysis despite the variation in methods we used a consistent methodology adapted from Malhorta, N.K.(2004):

Preparing prelimiary plan of data anyalsis - Plan of how you are going to analyse the data collected.

Questionnaire Checking (If used this design) - Check for completness, eligability, missing pages etc

Editing - A review of the data with the objective of increasing the accuracy and precision of data by screening out illegible, incomplete, incosistent and ambiguous responses.

Coding - Assign a code to each possible response

Transcribing - Transfer the coded data into a programme e.g. SPSS

Data Cleaning - Check for consistency and missing responses.

Statistically adjust the data

Select a data analysis strategy

Although we found no significant relationship between the brand choice that participants choose and: 

A number of influential factors (Advertising and Promotion, peer pressure , brand familiarity, persuasion from in store sales, Parents and other) - See Figure 12  Service given - See Figure 13  Shopping companion - See Figure 13  Trial opportunity - See Figure 13 It is still likely that they have a prominent influence on the consumers’ choice of phone even though they may not be prominent salient factors. Therefore, these factors must not be neglected in the strategies an organisation uses to promote a phone but, should be embraced as additional benefits that may make the consumers experience of purchasing a phone much more valued. In addition it was found that there was no significant difference between brand choice and gender therefore; the student market is not likely to be segmented in this way, See Figure 14. However, an organisation could benefit through targeting the student market through price as data showed that the majority would only be prepared to pay £0-2 for a third party application See Figure 23. Thus, favoured the low price and suggested that they would be relatively price sensitive. Results also showed that the student segment’s behavioural characteristics suggest that it was a rare circumstance for them to be loyal to a specific brand with 42/80 participants See Figure 19, stating that they were not loyal to a specific brand. This is then reflected in the ever changing and dynamic leader board and the nature of the dynamic market that involves according to Datamonitor Industry Profile (2009) high rivalry as a result of a high penetration of mobile phones being consistently released into the market thus, a high tendency to switch based on innovative advancements in design and technology. Their perception of brands was also very different from the market as a whole in terms of favourability. According to secondary statistics, Gartner (2010) the leader board is as follows:

4Q08 Company Sales Nokia 15,561.7 Research In Motion 7,442.6 Apple 4,079.4 HTC 1,631.7 Samsung 1,598.2 Others 7,829.7 Total 38,143.3

Market Share 4Q08 4Q07 (%) Sales 40.8 18,703.3 19.5 4,024.7 10.7 1,928.3 4.3 1,361.1 4.2 671.5 20.5 10,077.3 100.0 36,766.1

Market 4Q07-4Q08 Share 4Q07 Growth (%) (%) 50.9 -16.8 10.9 84.9 5.2 111.6 3.7 19.9 1.8 138.0 27.4 -22.3 100.0 3.7

Whereas, the student market suggest that a leader board should look something like the following:         

Brand Nokia Samsung HTC Toshiba Blackberry LG Iphone Network Brand Motorola Ericsson

Samsung Nokia Blackberry LG Ericsson Iphone Motorola and Network Brands HTC Toshiba

As you can see the choice of brand is relatively dispersed across the market however, it was clear that for a large proportion of consumers, 42.5 % the importance of the brand was important to them. This was then clearly supported by the laddering interviews where a key salient attribute was the brand which was then followed by the two of the top sought after end values as being social status and self-esteem. Consequently, this suggests the student market place a high value on the brand in helping them to achieve a place and a sense of belonging in their social environment. The top sought after end values were:  Happiness 50%  Social status 19.6%  Self esteem 14.2%

As part of a trial research we wanted to discover a growing aspect in the mobile phone industry to identify an area where Blackberry could find a key salient factor. One which was identified in the laddering interviews was applications. Top 3 attributes:  Applications  Camera  Aesthetics

Data then showed that third party applications were highly valued by the student market and even though in the initial question 45% said they were indifferent about applications enhancing the functionality of their phone See Figure 21 76.3% actually agreed that there were an enhancement rather than and unnecessary complication See Figure 24. However, the type of third party application is likely to be critical in their response to this question as they need to be relevant to the lifestyle of the type of person purchasing the Blackberry otherwise they may be seen as an unnecessary complication. Therefore, the idea that 24% See Figure 22 were in favour of a business application would be suitable to their needs is a promising area of development that Blackberry may benefit from looking further into.

Limitations Although we have tried to control the conditions as much as possible to encourage results to be as a reliable and valid as possible in terms of the constraints that the organisation faced, the research will still comes with its limitations. Therefore, although research should not be ignored it should not be solely depended upon to support any strategies taken. Initially there are some obvious limitations to the research methods used: Physical Questionnaires 



 



The sample used was relatively small in proportion to the number of students in the UK therefore, the responses of 100 participants from the Lincoln area is not sufficient enough to generalise to other areas. The wording of the question is critical to the reliability and validity of the data collected. For instance, the results from questions. For instance, on survey monkey one question asked a similar concept however, the results proved to be very different. Initially it was asked how far the participant agreed that third party application were an enhancement. The majority were indifferent. However, when it was then asked whether they thought they were an enhancement or complication the majority said they were an enhancement. Therefore, suggesting the limitations of reliability as a result of the type, order and wording of questions. High in demand characteristics. Very often participants try to answer in a way in which they think you want them to answer due to demand characteristics or social desirability where they may change their answers to make themselves/the product in question appear better/worse than they are Leading questions can affect the reliability of the results, if the participant was lead towards answering a question in a certain way to match the researcher’s hypotheses. The mixed style of questions we used, both qualitative and quantitative in the same method, meant the data analysis format of SPSS was difficult to get around, due to the mix of scale and nominal response, meaning a standardised analysis method was almost impossible to achieve. According to Jahoda, et al.(1962) and Walonick, (1993) the fact we as researchers designed the questionnaire ourselves meant our overall objective was skewed from the beginning as we boxed in certain topic areas, giving little or no opportunity for further scope or description from the respondents as to their choice of response. According to Franzen and Lazersfeld (1945), although this type of distribution isn’t liable to direct interviewer bias, the lack of an interviewer limits the researcher's ability to probe responses.

Survey Monkey Questionnaires 



Control is limited as the service provider has the ability to control how, what, when and where the questionnaire is available. We were limited in the length and type of questions that could be asked. It is extremely difficult to control the sample of participants who answer as it is not possible to identify who actually answered the questionnaire. 19

 



Although the participant experiences much greater anonymity it is still possible for them to exert demand characteristics. Financial limitations meant this medium couldn’t be used to its full capacity as in-depth research analysis on these websites costs money which insight could not afford with the budget given, therefore research was done by basic graphs and by hand, meaning reliability of analysis was lowered slightly. Time of distribution meant there was much higher difficulty in finding willing respondents due to the clash with university deadlines and submissions, meaning this method was exceptionally time consuming in terms of information gathering, which therefore had a knock on effect limiting time for analysis.

Laddering Interviews   



Social desirability characteristics are high as the participant may feel pressured to answer questions in a certain way. Sample size was extremely small as result of the resources that it requires. Therefore, results are difficult to generalise. Qualitative data analysis involves a high amount of decoding such as breaking down highly colloquial responses and interpreting ambiguously answered questions. Both interpreting and decoding involves a high level of subjective understanding from the analyst, meaning validity of the decoded message is fairly low. The choosing of the top salient beliefs was only based on number of identical responses not on the relative strength of feeling towards the belief in question. Thus, the validity of the salient choices is low.

Conclusions and Future Recommendations Targeting the student market is clearly going to be a challenging task in terms of developing a strategy that appeals to them, as the data that we have received has been extremely fragmented and difficult to gauge any strong and continual results. However, an area which proved to positively perceived by the youth market is the development of third party applications. Therefore we have come up with the following suggestions that Blackberry could take into account when targeting the youth market:   



Target both male and females with a similar strategy that is implemented in consideration of their price sensitivity. Improve their application diversity, especially though third party collaboration as these applications were commonly mentioned as being a salient attribute that was affectively and cognitively considered during phone choice. Rather than change or modify the brand continue to use the well known business brand perception to appeal to the youth by promoting the academic benefits of using of the phone during their studies through perhaps the introduction of accompanying applications such as a timetabling application. Encourage more specific advertising strategies targeted specifically at the student market. For instance, one could use the “Love What You Do” tagline which is shown alongside. This theme could be used to communicate to the student market a Blackberry is designed to help them love what they study academically. In order to do this Blackberry could develop a communications strategy that is more relatable to this new student market, though promoting a certain lifestyle that they aspire to such as, social acceptance and heavily communicate their strong corporate image on mediums that are capable of reaching the student market. In light of the limitations Insight suggest that further research into the suggesting of implementing third party applications is conducted on a much broader market to identify whether it would be positively accepted by a greater majority the student market and to identify a specific application that would be most relevant to the brand and the consumers lifestyle.

Appendix Figure 1

Shown following is an example of the physical handout questionnaire that was used:

How important is your Mobile Phone? 1. Gender?  Male  Female

2. Do you own a mobile phone?  Yes  No

3. What brand of phone do you have? .................................................................................................................................

4. Do you own any other products of the same brand as your phone?  Yes  No 5. If yes what products? ....................................................................................................................................

6. Where do you normally purchase your phone from?  Internet  Network Stores  Manufacturer stores  Supermarkets 7. On a scale of 1-5 how do you rate the importance of a good service when purchasing a mobile?

Not important at all

5. Very Important

8. Who do you take with you when purchasing a new phone? a) Alone b) Friends c) Family Member

d) Partner 9. How important is â&#x20AC;&#x153;try before you buyâ&#x20AC;? when shopping in-store, on a scale of 1-5? 1

Not important at all

5. Very Important

10. What is the biggest influence on your choice of brand when purchasing a phone? a) Advertising/Promotion b) Peer Pressure c) Brand Familiarity d) Persuasion from in store sales e) Parents f) Other

Figure 2

Shown following from figure 2 to figure 11 is the analysis of the physical questionnaire using SPSS Gender of Participants 50

Count

0 Male

Female

Male/Female

Figure 3

Phone Ownership Yes/No Yes

Figure 4

Brand Dispersion Brand Nokia Samsung HTC Toshiba Blackberry LG Iphone Network Brand Motorola Ericsson

Figure 5

Ownership of other products of the same brand

Count

0 Yes

Yes/No

Figure 6

What Products of the same brand Product N/A TV Ipod Laptop MP3 Player Multiple Items Netbook Games Console Digital Photo Frame Digital Camera

Figure 7

Location of Purchase

Count

0 Internet

Network Stores

Manufacturer Stores

Purchase Place

Supermarkets

Figure 8

Importance of service

Count

Not Important at All Not Very Important

Important

Quite Important

Very Important

Importance of Service

Figure 9

Purchase Partner Who do you buy your phone with Alone Friends Family Member(s) Partner

Figure 10

Importance of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;try before you buyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Count

Not Important at All Not Very Important

Important

Quite Important

Very Important

Try Before you Buy Importance Scale

Figure 11

Brand Influence INfluence on Brand Choice Advertising/Promo Peer Pressure Brand Familiarity Instore Persuasion Parents Other

Figure 12

Relationship between Brand choice and Influences:      

Advertising and Promotion Peer pressure Brand familiarity Persuasion from in store sales Parents Other

We used a simple regression analysis on SPSS to identify the following: R square is 0.001 and the predictor variable of influences has explained 0.1% of the variance in the dependent variable of the brand. Beta value is -0.38 and Sig is O.706 which is > (greater than) 0.05. Therefore, this indicates that from this data there is no significant relationship between consumers brand choice and the indicated influences. The following extract from SPSS shows this data. Circled in red are the figures mentioned above:

Figure 13

Relationship between Brand choice and:  Level of service  Shopping companion  Trail opportunity We used a multiple regression analysis on SPSS to identify whether or not there was a relationship with any of the above.

R square is 0.009. For this sample, the predictor variables of “service”, “shopping companion” and “trial” have explained 0.9% of the variance in the dependent variable of brand. Beta value for service is 0.354 and Sig is 0.067; Beta value for shopping companion is 0.290 and Sig is 0.523; Beta value for trial is 0.082 and Sig is 0.493. Therefore, none of them have any significant relationship with brand choices. The following extract from SPSS shows this data. Circled in red are the figures mentioned above:

Regression

[DataSet1] H:\SPSS Blackberry.sav Variables Entered/Removed(b) Variables Entered

Model 1

Variables Removed

Try Before you Buy Importance Scale, Who do you buy your phone with, Importance of Service(a)

Method

Enter

a All requested variables entered. b Dependent Variable: Brand Model Summary Model 1

R Square

.095(a)

Adjusted R Square

.009

Std. Error of the Estimate

-.022

3.105

a Predictors: (Constant), Try Before you Buy Importance Scale, Who do you buy your phone with, Importance of Service ANOVA(b) Model 1

Sum of Squares Regression Residual Total

8.371 925.819 934.190

Mean Square 3 96 99

2.790 9.644

Sig. .289

.833(a)

a Predictors: (Constant), Try Before you Buy Importance Scale, Who do you buy your phone with, Importance of Service b Dependent Variable: Brand

Coefficients(a) Unstandardized Coefficients Model 1

B (Constant) Importance of Service Who do you buy your phone with Try Before you Buy Importance Scale

Standardized Coefficients

Std. Error

Beta

Sig. .001

4.544 .024

1.376 .008

.354

3.303 .947

.186

.068

.290

.642

.523

.210

.305

.082

.688

.493

a Dependent Variable: Brand

.067

Figure 14

Gender Difference in Brand choice On SPSS we used a T-Test to identify whether there was any difference between gender (male and female) and their choice of brand. F=0.384, Sig=0.537 which is > (greater than) 0.05, this means that the assumption of homogeneity of variance has not been violated, and the equal variances assumed. If p (less than) < 0.05, t-test shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be used because the population variance are not equal. Therefore, the result from the analysis indicates that there is no significant difference between male and females in terms of their brand choices. T value =0.584 and Sig=0.561, which is > (greater than) 0.05. Thus, the relationship is not significant.

The following extract from SPSS shows this data. Circled in red are the figures mentioned above:

T-Test [DataSet1] H:\SPSS Blackberry.sav Group Statistics

Male/Female Brand

Mean

Std. Deviation

Std. Error Mean

Female

5.07

3.185

.429

Male

4.71

2.951

.440

Independent Samples Test Levene's Test for Equality of Variances

t-test for Equality of Means 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference

F Brand

Equal variances assumed Equal variances not assumed

Sig. .384

.537

Sig. (2-tailed)

Mean Difference

Std. Error Difference

Lower

Upper

.584

.561

.362

.620

-.868

1.591

.588

96.447

.558

.362

.615

-.859

1.582

Figure 15

Shown following is an example of the online Survey Monkey questionnaire that was used:

1. Gender Male Female 2. Do you own a mobile phone? Yes No If no, why? 3. How important is the brand of a phone that you would purchase? Not Not very Slightly Very important Important Important Important Important at all 4. Are you loyal to any specific brand of phone?

5. Other than phone calls and texting, What feature of your phone do you use most often?

6. "3rd party applications enhance the functionality of a mobile phone." How do you agree with this statement? Strongly Disagree

Disagree Indifferent

Agree

Strongly Agree

7. In terms of 3rd party applications, which type would you find to be most fitting to your needs? Shopping Application Games "Google Maps" Instant Messenger Banking Business Application (e.g. Email) 35

8. How much would you be willing to pay for a 3rd party application for your mobile phone £0-£2 £3-£4 £5-£6 £6+ 9. Do you consider 3rd party applications as a unnecessary complication or an enhancement to the use of your phone? Complication Enhancement 10. Out of the following "Smartphone" brands, which do you find to be most appealing? Blackberry Iphone HTC Nokia Toshiba

Figure 16

Shown following from figure 16 to figure 25 is the analysis of the physical questionnaire using excel Participant Gender Surveymonkey Participant Gender

Male Female

Figure 17

Ownership of a mobile phone Do You Own A Mobile Phone? 90 80

No Of Responses

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Yes

Figure 18

Importance of the Brand How Important Is The Brand Of Phone That You Purchase?

Not at all Not very slightly Important Very important

Figure 19

Loyalty to Brands

Loyalty to a Brand

Yes

Figure 20

Commonly used features

Feature Of Phone Used Most Often (other than calling/texting) Music 4% 5%

Internet Camera Alarm E-amil

6% 10%

8% 5%

32%

Calendar/Time/Date None

30%

Other

Figure 21

Attitudes towards third party applications

"3rd Party Application Enhance The Functionality Of Your Mobile Phone" How do you agree with this statement? Strongly Agree

Response

Agree Indifferent

Series1

Disagree Strongly Disagree 0

Number of Responses

Figure 22

Suitability of third party applications

Which 3rd Party Application Would Best Fit Your Needs? Business Application (e-mail) 24%

Shopping Application 10% Games 15%

Banking 11%

Google Maps 19%

Instant Messanger 21% Figure 23

Reasonability of the price of third party applications

Price

How Much Would You Pay For 3rd Party Applications? £6 +

£4 - £6

£2 - £4

£0 - £2

48 0

20 40 60 Number of Responses

Figure 24

Enhancement versus Complication

Are 3rd Party Application An Unnecessary Complication, Or An Enhancement To Your Phone? Responses

80 60 40 20 0

61 19

Unnecessary Complication

Enhancement Opinion

Figure 25

Smartphone Brand Dispersion

Brand Of Smartphone

Which 'Smartphone' Brand Do You Find Most Appealing? Toshiba

HTC

iPhone

BlackBerry

26 10

Nokia 0

Responses

Figure 26

Shown following are the laddering interviews that were conducted and their MECCAS Analysis Female, 20, English Literature St Assume that you are in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone. What are the key features that you look for? Hmmm well, to be honest I do like to try and do one better than what my friends have got (I'm not Gonna lie) lol!! But I like to go for something that's not too big, and it has to have loads of cool things on it, like ma cool blackberry that I've got now, lol!! Oh and another thing that makes difference is the actually contract that they offer me!! What are the three most important features out of the ones you just mentioned? Hmmm the camera has to be decent. Its got to be able to do lots like applications etc and Errrrrmmm have one better than my friends and not be behind on having a cool phone. Why is having a decent camera important to you? Well you never know when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to have to take a picture so, having a decent camera means You will get a good quality picture. Why is taking pictures important to you? Because i love taking pictures to savour the memories. Why are memories important to you? Because i like to look back at things that i might have forgotten about as this makes me happy. Why use a mobile phone for pictures over a digital camera? Because a phone is practical, i have it with me all the time where as a camera I only take out if I know iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to use it. Why is it important to have a lot of applications? It means that I can do a wide range of things on one little device. Why is it important to be able to do a wide range of things on one device? On this phone it means I get all of my emails straight to me. I can use msn and access the internet as Well as adding other applications like tracking so, if you get lost you can find where you are! So, it is convenient to be able to have all these things at hand. Why is convenience important to you? Because I am a very busy person always on the go and need to regularly access things via my phone while I am walking to university or work etc. Why is it important to have one better than your friends? Because I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like being jealous because someone has got something better than me. Why is not being jealous important to you? Because jealousy makes you unhappy and in this case it is preventable as I can have the better phone.

Features

Good Camera

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Keep Memories with you all the time

Happiness and sentimental values

Lots of applications

Conveinence of having everything to hand and saves time that can be spent on doing more important things

Happiness and satisfaction

More up-to date than friends

Prevents jealousy and unhappiness

Achieveing a level of social acceptance and enhancing ones ego.

Female, 21 Medicine Student Assume that you are in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone. What are the key features that you look for? Something that is stylish, no big grey brick. Definitely a colour screen and camera and video function. Internet access available so that I can check my Facebook and emails. I’d also want it to be easy to use and easy to text on. Ermmm I would definitely want it to have lots of cool features included on it like good games etc. What are the three most important features to you out of the ones that you just mentioned? Hmmm look good, easy to use and has a camera and video features because I use my camera all the time. Why is having a phone that looks good important to you? Because I don’t want to look out of fashion. I think I dress in fashion and up-to-date with the latest styles so I want my phone to match my self image. Why is having a fashionable self image important to you? Because it makes me feel better about myself knowing that i look good and fit in with society. Why is fitting in with society important? For me I have spent years standing out for all the wrong reasons and it’s nice and makes me happy to be normal. Why is ease of use important to you? Because I am all about quickness. If it’s too complicated I just don’t bother using all the features. Like my new phone the n97mini is quite easy to use but, there are some things that require reading up to use them so, I just don’t bother. So, if you knew how to use the features would you use them? Yes, but not if it takes ages to learn how to use them and, only if they were good features i probably would go to a bit more effort to learn more about the important features but, things i don’t really care much about I wouldn’t bother I don’t think. I only really use it to download games, facebook and my camera. Why is having a good camera and video important to you? Because I always have my phone with me and I love taking pictures of my friends and family. Every time the dog does something cute I take a picture and when I can’t find my phone when I need to take a picture I freak! Lol. I take pictures of funny things I see when I am out to show Rory or just to have because it’s funny or cool. Also, as I work night shifts and get bored I like to make sure I take loads of pictures so I can look through them when I am bored. Is sharing memories important to you then? Yes, i guess it is as it’s something I do everyday

Why use a mobile phone for pictures over a digital camera? Because that would mean carrying unnecessary things. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take my digital camera to work and I certainly donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to look like a tourist everywhere I go. I do have a new digital camera that I take on nights out and holidays but that is it as using my phone is much more convenient. Why is convenience important to you? Because I am a busy woman always on the go and need to be able to have things to hand when i need them without having to remember 101 things. Features

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Appearance

Matches my selfimage, looks trendy and up to date ,

Social Acceptance and Happiness

Easy to use

Minimises time spent using phone so, more time for other things.

Happiness

Has good camera/video functions

Convenience, ability to share and keep memories.

Happiness and Sentimental Value

Male 22, Sports Studies Student Assume that you are in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone. What are the key features that you look for? I would want a good camera, a substantial memory for music, looks stylish and unique, number of applications, games and internet capabilities.

What are the three most important features to you out of the ones that you just mentioned? Camera, Games and memory for music. Why is having a good camera important to you? Errmm just so i donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to buy a digital camera as well as it saves me money and is conveniently in the same things. Why is having this convenience important to you? Because Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just easier to have everything all in one for storage reasons when carrying such devices around with you every day. Why are having games on your phone important to you? Because when I am bored they provide me with good entertainment value. Why is being entertained important to you? Because it keeps me busy when I am waiting for things etc and this makes me happy because it passes time. Why is having a substantial memory on your phone for music important to you? Because it enables me to store more songs so I am able to listen to a wide variety of music from one device without having to keep on updating it. Why is music important to you? Because it plays a big role in my life as I enjoy listening to music all the time from when im in the bath to when im working. As it makes me happy and keeps me motivated.

Features

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Camera

Saves money and is more conveinent

Happiness and satisfaction

Games

Have good entertainment value when in a boring situation

Happiness

Memory

Listen to a wide variety of music all from one device without having to overwrite old music

Happiness and Sentimental value

Female, 19 Media Student Assume that you are in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone. What are the key features that you look for? Bluetooth, a big memory, smart looking, reasonably easy to use What are the three most important features to you out of the ones that you just mentioned? Just Bluetooth and a big memory Why is having Bluetooth important to you? Because I like to be able to send songs Why is sending songs important to you? So that I can have up to date music as my ringtone and message tones. Why is having up to date ringtones important to you? So you can change them whenever you want and have your own personalised tone. Is personalisation important to you? Yes Why is personalisation important to you? Because I like to put my own things on it to express my individuality and make it my own especially considering the ones that come on it are boring. Why is being individual important? Yeah because we are all different and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like being like everyone else as that is just the way I am. Too many people spend their lives following others. Why is having a big memory important to you? Because then I can fit more songs, photos and messages onto my phone. Why is important to be able to keep lots of things on your phone? I like to be able to have a wide variety of stuff on my phone and I also like to be able to look back at things like old photos and old hit music which makes me smile. Why is being able to look back at the past important to you? Memories are precious things that can cheer you up on a bad day, remind you of happy times, and keep those close to you who arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always around just that little bit closer.

Features

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Bluetooth

Have up to date music as ringtones to express individuality

Social Status and Happiness

Memory

Keep a wide variety of interesting things on one device and have acces to memories at all times.

Sentimental Value and Happiness

Female, 20 English Student Assume that you are in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone. What are the key features that you look for? A sleek stylish look, substantial memory, easy to text off, internet capability, and lots of features. What are the two most important features to you out of the ones that you just mentioned? A sleek stylish look and lots of features. Why is having a phone that is sleek and stylish important to you? I am quite a trendy person more sophisticated than high street crazes and I like to keep up to date especially with technology. Why is being trendy important to you? I think that appearances can speak volumes especially in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s society where we are frequently judged on initial impressions. I like to look smart as I feel it says something about my personality that I am conscientious kind of thing. Why is conveying you personality through your style important? I am not really sure but I think it is so I feel comfortable in myself and people can see and feel what I am about if that makes sense. Why are having lots of features important to you? My turn around with technology is terrible and wasteful. I get bored of my phones easily and tend to sell it and purchase another in order to satisfy my need. However, if I have a phone that is a lot of features on it that are useful then I am less likely to get bored. But, there needs to be a balance between style and features. As if I get bored of the way it looks I will also want to change my phone. Why is not being bored important to you? Because when I am bored I tend to look at the negatives of things. I always like to be on the go and have something to do so, being bored just makes me unhappy. Features

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Stylish

Enhances my trendy personality, helps people to encourage impressions of what I am about , and makes me feel comfortable in myself

Social Status/Acceptance and happiness

Applications

Prevents bordem of a phone and in turn lengthens lifetime of the phone.

Happiness

20 Year Old Male Business Studies Student If you were in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone what are the key features you would look for? Primarily and internet browser, then a touch screen and lastly it would have to be black. Why are these three features so important to you? Because of my course i like my phone to look professional and business orientated, these three features do that How does the internet add to this professional look? It allows me to email and check social networking sites on the go. Not so much social networking but I know checking email on the go would be very important to me when I get a professional job post graduation. How does a touch screen add to the professional look? It is technologically up to date, which in my mind makes you seem professional Why do you think this? Because in order to look professional you have got to give people the impression you have money Why is the focus of professionalism so important to you in terms of your mobile? Because I want to taken seriously in terms of business and as a student thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to achieve and anything helps.

Features

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Black

Looks sleek and professional

Enhances ones Ego

Touch Screen

Gives an air of professionalism

Enhances ones Ego

Internet Browser

Been able to check email on the go

Makes Life easier and more efficent

21 Year Old Female Forensics Student If you were in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone what are the key features you would look for? Lots of memory for music and a good camera Why are these two features so important to you? Because I like to keep the amount of things I carry with me to a minimum, music on my phone eliminates the need for an mp3 player and the camera saves me having to take a camera on a night out Why do you like to, let’s say, “Travel light”? Because I always end up losing stuff from my handbag on nights out or on the way to uni somehow and the less I carry the less likely I am to lose things because I have fewer things to keep tabs on. Why do you think you lose things a lot? Because I’m clumsy and ditzy, not much more to it. (Laughs)

Features

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Memory

Can hold photos & music in large quantitys

Happiness, contentment

Music Player

Eradicates the need for an MP3 Player

Happiness

Camera

No Need for a Digital Camera

Happiness

18 Year Old Female Nursing Student If you were in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone what are the key features you would look for? It has to have a loudspeaker, good camera and a big screen. Why are these three features so important to you? I use my phone primarily for fun, like recording drunken videos of me and my mates i like the good camera and big screen for playing them back. What about the loud speaker? People always seem to phone me at awkward times, like when I’m putting my make up on or getting ready so it’s important to me that the loudspeaker is good because I need to use it a lot when I’m in a phone call and multitasking Why do you think your phone is primarily for fun? I’m a student, I’m making the most of having a phone for having a laugh with before I need to look for features such as conference calling and email and all that kind of business stuff. What do you think dictates this outlook? Primarily, my age. Plus I can worry about professionalism when I’m studying and graduating any spare time I have is for me.

Features

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Loudspeaker

Been able to listen to music on the go

Happiness, contentment

Big Screen

Can watch videos on it

Happiness, Fun

Camera

Recording nights out

Happiness, Fun

21 Year Old Male Drama Student If you were in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone what are the key features you would look for? A good keypad for texting, I prefer QWERTY and I like it to stand out a bit be a bit colourful, like interchangeable covers etc Why are these three features so important to you? Because I’m quite a loud person and into my loud colours and like my phone to match me. And I text, ALOT, so like it to made as easy as possible. How does QWERTY help with this? It makes it much more like typing on my laptop which I’m also very used to what with essays and MSN etc, so it’s just familiarity that makes it faster and easier for me to use. Why is efficiency so important to you? My course is really hectic and I always seem to busy, everything I do I have to do as quickly as possible; anything that help with it is a godsend.

Features

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

QWERTY

Faster to type texts

Happiness, contentment

Colourful

Stand out from the crowd

Happiness, peer diversity

Reduces boredom

Fun, Peer diversity

Interchangeable Covers

21 Year Old Female Criminology MA Student If you were in the market for purchasing a new mobile phone what are the key features you would look for? Firstly an internet browser, fun applications and lastly a good quality Camera. Why are these three features so important to you? When I’m at work it’s usually quite dead and I can use my phone behind the desk, so I use the internet for things such as Facebook and email. The applications are used just for fun and to pass boredom and I like the camera for nights out. Why is the “fun” element so important to you? I’m just a fidgety person and like the fact I can use my phone as like part games console, part phone, and part camera. I like the compactness of having everything in one. Why is this? Because I’d rather have everything in one, then buy loads of separate things it saves me money and space in my bag.

Features

Internet

Games

Camera

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Email on the go, and facebook

Happiness, makes life easier

Passes Boredom

Fun, Happiness

Compactness, Money Saving

Happiness & Fun

Female 19 – Advertising Student Assuming you are in the market for a new mobile phone, what features do you usually look for when selecting which one to buy? It has to be a sliding phone. I like a good camera and the ability to store music. I generally look for a pink one, and it needs to be small. Of the features, which would you consider to be the 3 most important to you? I think it would have to be the camera, the size of the phone and being able to store and listen to music. Why is the camera feature important to you? I like to take pictures and send and receive them Is having pictures on your phone important to you? Yeah, I like to have pictures of my family and my friends with me Why is that? It makes me feel good, being able to open my phone and have my friends and my family there, I feel kind of safe Is feeling safe important to you? Yes, I like to feel secure, I think everyone does. Okay, you also said that the size of the phone is another important feature, why is that? I need it to fit in places, like my pocket and my bag, I don’t usually carry a big bag and so I don’t want a phone that won’t fit in easily, I like it being convenient Convenience is important to you? Yes What if the phone you liked was too big to fit in the bags you were currently using? I guess it depended on how much I liked it, but I don’t like to change everything just so for the sake of my phone You also mentioned music earlier. Why is that an important feature to you? I like to have good songs on my phone, I hate those generic brand ringtones that you get built in with the phone. And I like to use it as my mp3 player when I’m out and about Why don’t you like the brand ringtones? Because everyone uses them, the people who aren’t very fashionable do anyway Being fashionable is important to you?

Yeah it is I suppose. I like to think so, anyway, I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a trend-setter or anything, but I do like to follow some of the fashions that are out at the minute, which includes the latest songs, clothes and technology, stuff like that And your phone is an important part of you being considered fashionable? Yes it is I guess, I like having a phone that is new, that has new functions and stuff I can experiment with, and when other people are talking about it, I know what they are talking about You like to get in to social conversations about your phone? Yes

Features

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Camera

Take and receive photos of loved ones

Safety and Comfort

Size

Conveinence and means don't have to change formed habits

Personal Well-being

Music

Good ringtones which are recognised as being fashionable and trendy

High self-esteem and social acceptance

Male, 19 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Photography Student Assuming you are in the market for a new mobile phone, what features do you usually look for when selecting which one to buy? The quality of the camera is something I always look at. The size of the phone, and the colour has to be nice. The price can be pretty important. The size of the memory and definitely the network Of the features, which would you consider to be the 3 most important to you? I guess I'd say the network it was available on, the price and the memory Why is the network important to you? I want to have a phone that's on a good network What makes it a 'good' network? One that I can get lots of allowances on. You know, like free minutes and texts when you top up, free internet, stuff like that Why are those things important to you? I like to know that I'm getting the best deal for my money, and some networks can be more expensive than others. I usually like to stick to one network, so I can keep the same number Is having the same number is important? Yeah, it's just convenient, I don't have to send my number to everyone when I get a new phone, I can just keep the same one You mentioned price again. Why is the price important to you? I don't want to pay too much, I don't like getting ripped off, but then I don't want to pay too little for it, something in the middle Why would you be willing to pay a little more? I guess I don't trust the cheap ones, think they're not very high quality. Just cheap basics So the price is important, but quality also comes into it? Yes. I would never buy a 'home-brand'-type phone. I would rather pay a little extra for a brand I know is decent. The price needs to reflect what I'm buying it for What do you mean by 'buying it for'? The other things that are on the phone, applications and stuff. I guess it's all the other features that I've mentioned Okay. When you spoke about the size of the memory, why is that feature important to you? I like to keep a lot of stuff on my phone, like pictures, music and games. My phone needs to be able to store all of those things and have enough room for my contacts and stuff Having personal things stored on your phone is important? 57

Very. I want to have all that stuff with me where ever I go. Being able to just open up my phone and have it all there is kind of nice Your phone is very personal to you? Extremely. It's like part of me. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why it needs to be good, reliable, and has plenty of room for all my stuff to go on it So you use your phone for almost everything? Yes. I use it for music, pictures, the calendar. And the usual stuff like texts and phone calls So you make use of the applications that come with your phone? Yes. I like to explore all the things that come with my phones. I like variety Variety is important to you? I don't like things to be simple. I like to experiment. Doesn't everybody like gadgets?

Features

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Network

Keep the same number and sim card - Conveinience

Stress-free and happiness

Higher Price

Higher quality moible phone and don't feel like been ripped off.

Longer term satisfaction from purchase

Large Memory

Can store things and use it as an extension of my peronsality

High self-esteem and social image

Male, 22 – Law Student Assuming you are in the market for a new mobile phone, what features do you usually look for when selecting which one to buy? It has to be able to play music. I like a touch screen, plenty of games, easy to use and looks good Of the features, which would you consider to be the 3 most important to you? I would say touch screen, easy to use and music capability Why is having a touch screen important to you? I loved the idea of them when they first came out. I like using the touch screens; they just feel so much better than using the buttons on regular phones. You can use your finger, or the little pen that usually comes with the phone, much better options So you are a fan of versatility? Yes, a big fan. I bought my first touch screen a few years ago and had them ever since, it’s just so attractive Would you ever go back to using a button phone? No, I don’t think I would, unless I had to, but I doubt it When you say it is attractive, what do you mean? The way that touch screens look. They are much more professional, elegant. I like being seen with it Why is the way it looks important to you? I like to have a phone that looks good. It reflects me, I have everything on that phone, it is a part of me, and I want me to look good Why is looking good important thing to you? It’s the way other people see me. What others think is important? To me it is, yeah. I want other people to know that I take pride in the way I look And your phone contributes to that? Of course. I always have my phone out, using it, talking and texting. It’s the thing that everyone see’s, and when they see my professional looking phone, they think that of me too. Okay. You mentioned earlier that the phone needs to be able to play music. Why is that important to you? Like I said, I always have it out with me, so when I’m not talking or texting, I want something to do. What do you do with the music that is on your phone? I listen to it on my way to and from work, but I like to send and swap with people too. I have a good collection of songs at the moment. I get songs from friends, colleagues, even strangers on the train 59

Do you use your music as a topic of conversations with people? Yes, sometimes. I can chat to people on the train about what songs are out at the moment that we both like, and what we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like So you can make friends with people based on the music on your phone? Yeah Alright. What about the easy to use aspect. Why do you find that important? Well it goes without saying really, I want to be able to turn it on and know what to do. I hate having to get out the instructions manual to find out how to send a message

Features

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Touch Screen

Nicer than buttons, seen as professiona by others, is 'queerky'

Social Acceptance

Ease of Use

Know how to use it and therefore feel as though one is technologically intelligent

High self-esteem/ pride

Music

Something to listen to anywhere anytime and can be used to form converstaion and thus friendships

Pleasure, social status

Male, 21 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Psychology Student Assuming you are in the market for a new mobile phone, what features do you usually look for when selecting which one to buy? New models, the networks they are available on, what kind of things you get with them, the look and shape of the model, there's a lot that I look at Of the features, which would you consider to be the 3 most important to you? I would say the network, the look of the phone and how new it is What do you mean by 'how new it is'? Whether it is the newest model of that brand of phone Why is that important to you? I like to use all the new applications Why is the network important to you? I've been on Orange ever since I started buying phones, and I've never changed. They are the best for me, offer me loads of stuff and I like the service that they give me So you're brand loyal? Yeah, when it comes to expensive stuff like that, I am Why is the way the phone looks important to you? I like nice, sleek phones, usually black So it needs to look the way you like? Would you not buy something new and different? I don't know really, I usually stick to what I know, cause I know that I like it

Features

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Familiar Network

Stay with the same provider and feel committed

Loyalty

Aesthetics/ Appearance

Looks the way consumers desire it and is attractive in their perception

Happiness and control

Newest Model

New applications and feel up-to-date

Social status and high self-esteem

Female, 20 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; English Student Assuming you are in the market for a new mobile phone, what features do you usually look for when selecting which one to buy? I don't really know, I guess I just look for the basics, but it has to be the right network Of the features, which would you consider to be the 3 most important to you? The network, the brand and Bluetooth I guess Why is the network important? I like to stick to the same number, on the same network. I'm on O2, and I like what I have at the moment, and don't want to have to change to something new You like things to stay the same? Yes, I'm not very fond of change Okay. Why is the brand important to you? I like Samsung mobiles, and I think I will always stick with them Why do you like them so much? I know how to use them, I know they are reliable and are really durable Why is the Bluetooth function important to you? It's another way of getting information and stuff from people other than texting and phoning. It's a little extra technology whilst still keeping it simple

Features

Consequences (Benefits/Disadvantages)

Valued End State

Same Network

Stay with the same provider and feel committed

Loyalty and Happiness

Familiar Brand

Relibale and know you can trust it

Security

Bluetooth

Extra mode of accesing information easily and is conveinent also allows networking.

Happiness and social status

References Apple (2010) iphone. Available at: http://www.apple.com/iphone/. Accessed: [4th October 2010] Arnould E, Price L, Zinkhan G, (2004), Consumers, 2 nd Edition, Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Pg.225-231 Blackberry (2010) Corporate Website. Available at: http://uk.blackberry.com/. Accessed: [4th October 2010] Business Source Premier. The real-time thing. Marketing Week (01419285), 01419285, 6/4/2009, Vol. 32, Issue 23. Business Source Premier. Online market research leads to community-building. By: Fitzgerald, Michael, B to B, 15302369, 9/28/2009, Vol. 94, Issue 12. Datamonitor (2009) Mobile phones in the United Kingdom. Available from Marketline via e-library. Accessed: [26th January 2010] Gartner (2009) Gartner Says Worldwide Smartphone Sales Reached Its Lowest Growth Rate With 3.7 Per Cent Increase in Fourth Quarter of 2008. Available at http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=910112. Accessed [30th March 2010] Jobber, D (2007). Principles & Practice of Marketing. 5th ed. London: McGraw - Hill. Pg. 250-263. Kirk-Smith, M. (1998). Psychological Issues In Questionnaire Based Research. Journal of the Market Research Society. 40 (3) Peter J P, Olson J, (2004) Buyer Behaviour and Market Research, 7th Edition, Boston: McGraw Hill/Irwin Shao A T, (2002) Market Research: an aid to decision making, 2nd Edition, Cincinnati, Ohio: SouthWestern/Thomas Learning. Unknown (2009) Sociology Research Methods. Available at: http://www.sociology.org.uk/methodq.pdf. Accessed [29th March 2010]

Bibliography Bold Media (2009) iPhone versus Blackberry – why I’m jumping ship. Available on http://boldmedia.co.uk/2009/05/22/iphone-vs-blackberry-why-im-jumping-ship/ . Accessed [2nd February 2010] Datamonitor (2009) Mobile phones in the United Kingdom. Available from Marketline via e-library. Accessed: [26th January 2010] Malhotra, N K, Peterson, M, (2006) Basic Marketing Research: A Decision making approach, International Edition, Upper Saddle river; New Jersey: Pearson Education Marketline (2009) Research in Motion Limited Overview [online]. Available on: http://www.marketlineinfo.com/library/DisplayContent.aspx?R=09B9554F-030F-4E53-9C58AE97FC84E2AC&N=4294843064. Accessed [2nd February 2010] Mintel (2008) Mobile Phones and network providers – UK. Available on: http://academic.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen_academic/my_reports/. Accessed [ 3rd February 2010] Reynolds T “Implications for Value Research: A Micro vs. Macro Perspective.” Psychology and Marketing 2, 4 (1985). Pg. 297—305 Sheth, Jagdish. “Marketing Megatrends.’ Journal of Consumer Marketing (1983): Pg.5—13. The Unviersity of Texas (2008) Advantages of online surveys. Available on: http://www.utexas.edu/learn/surveys/advantages.html. Accessed [2nd February 2010] WARC (2009) BlackBerry / Research In Motion (Canada) [online] Adbrands, WARC. Available on: http://www.warc.com. Accessed [14 February 2010]