MKT 382: Brand Management
Data Sources
This assignment guide was created to assist students in locating data sources for Dr. Spake's marketing plan team project.
The guide focuses on suggested strategies and best places to begin research efforts. For information & assistance in using any of the sources, please contact library staff:
For specialized assistance, especially with the Simmon's Choices III or S&P Research Insight databases, please contact the Business Reference Librarian to set up a consultation appointment:
Industry Information
Business & Company Resource Center
A comprehensive database for industry and company information including company profiles, company brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies, and periodicals. Search this database to find detailed company and industry news and information. Coverage is from 1980 to the present.
- Click on the 'Company' graphic from the database home page.
- Enter a company name, that is part of the industry you want to research, choose 'ultimate parent', then click on 'Search'.
- From the results list, click on the specific company.
- Review the tabs across the top of the screen and click on 'Industry Overview'.
- Choose the specific SIC/NAICs Code from the list as needed.
- From the results list, click on the specific industry overview sources.
- Review the tabs across the top of the screen for further information including news, investment reports, rankings, etc. The tab 'Associations' will provide industry trade data information.
Hoover's Industry Snapshots via Lexis-Nexis Academic
Hoover's is a well-known publication that provides snapshots of key industries covering: key players, industry description, key companies, and industry resources.
- Click on ‘Business’ from the left menu bar.
- Next, click on 'Company Profiles'.
- Use the pull-down menu to select 'Hoover's' as the source, select 'previous 2 years' as the date, and search by company name or ticker symbol.
Inside U.S. Business
MCOB Reference HC 106.8 .M337
For twenty-five major industries, describes the industry, gives a history of its development, identifies leading companies and lists other sources of information. Coverage of the industry histories makes this source particularly useful.
Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys via S&P NetAdvantage
Hundreds of industries are profiled and analyzed. Current trends are discussed and leading companies identified. Discussions are illustrated with graphs and tables. Other sources of information are listed for each industry.
- At the top right of the screen, see the Publication Search box .
- Select 'Industry Survey' from the Select Publication drop-down menu.
- Select ticker or company name from the Search By drop-down menu.
- Enter your company's name or ticker symbol in the text box and click on the gold arrow.
- When the Industry Survey section appears on the screen, choose PDF format from the left menu bar.
- Also review other industry sources listed at the bottom of the left menu bar.
Note: If you do not find your industry using the company or ticker symbol search, go to the S&P NetAdvantage home page and look to the right side of the page for 'Quick Links'. Use the drop-down menu to select an industry description.
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Company Information
Business & Company Resource Center
A comprehensive database for industry and company information including company profiles, company brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies, and periodicals. Search this database to find detailed company and industry news and information. Coverage is from 1980 to the present.
- Click on the 'Company' graphic from the database home page.
- Enter a company name, choose 'ultimate parent', then click on 'Search'.
- From the results list, click on the specific company.
- Review the tabs across the top of the screen and click on 'Rankings' for access to sources such as Business Rankings Annual and Market Share Reporter.
- Review the tabs across the top of the screen for further information including news, company history, investment reports, financials and products.
- Click on the 'Company Profile' tab at the top of the screen and look to the left of the screen for company news broken down by topic/functional area (products & services, sales & marketing, statistics, strategy and planning).
Hoover's Company Records (In-depth) via Lexis-Nexis Academic
Provides profiles of over 500 major enterprises including overviews, officers, brief financial data, products and brands sold, rankings and major competitors. It is particularly valuable for the section that describes who founded the company and when, and gives a brief history of the company's development.
- Click on ‘Business’ from the left menu bar.
- Next, click on 'Company Profiles'.
- Use the pull-down menu to select 'Hoover's' as the source, select 'previous 2 years' as the date, and search by company name or ticker symbol.
- On the results list, choose 'Hoover's Company Records - In-depth).
Mergent Online
USA Library subscribes to the U.S. Company and International Company Data modules that provide a wealth of data for over 15,000 NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ companies & over 20,000 non-US based corporations .
- Conduct a 'Basic Search' for your company's name or ticker symbol.
- Next, click on your company's name on the results list.
- Click on the various tabs across the top of the screen for detailed information (Company Details, Company Financials, EDGAR (SEC Documents), News, & Tear Sheets (Stock performance snapshot)).
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Consumer Market Information
Best Customers: Demographics of Consumer Demand
MCOB Reference HC 79 .C6 R87
Data for each product/service includes: average spending, indexed spending, market share of spending by age, household income, household type, race, region of residence, and educational attainment. Each table is accompanied by text identifying the best and biggest customers, analyzing spending patterns, describing spending trends for the product/service over the past few years and predicting future trends based on the nation's changing demographics.
Business Source Premier (EBSCO)
Provides the full-text for more than 8,800 titles covering all areas of business. Additional full-text, non-journal content includes market research reports, industry reports, country reports, company profiles and SWOT analyses.
Click on advanced-search at the top and try the various searches listed below:
- In the first search-box enter your company name and use the pull-down menu to select 'company/entity'. In the second search-box, enter the product or brand name.
- In the first search-box, enter the product or brand name as a keyword. In the second search-box, enter consumers and use the pull-down menu to select 'subject'.
- In the first search-box, enter American Demographics and use the pull-down menu to select 'publication title'. In the second search-box, enter the product or brand name or demographic group. Remember to think of synonyms for various products (ex. Carbonated beverages, soda, coke, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, etc.).
The Official Guide to Household Spending: the Number One Guide to Who Spends How Much on What
MCOB Reference HC 110 .C6 T72
This source is based on the Consumer Expenditure Survey conducted each year by the Bureau of the Census. Within major spending categories such as food and alcoholic beverages, or shelter and utilities, data are presented in groupings by age, income, household type and size; then broken down into entries such as bakery products, nonalcoholic beverages, or food away from home. Tables show average expenditures, indexed expenditures, aggregate expenditures, and market percentages.
Who's Buying Series ... (New Strategist Publications)
| Alcoholic & nonalcoholic beverages |
MCOB Reference HD 9348 .U5 W46 |
| Entertainment |
MCOB Reference GV 53 .W46 |
| Groceries |
MCOB Reference HD 9321.4 .W46 |
| Information Products & Services |
MCOB Reference HE 7601 .W46 |
| Restaurants & Carry-outs |
MCOB Reference TX 945 .W46 |
| Transportation |
MCOB Reference HD 9710 .U52 W54 |
Each report in this series provides: household spending trends for 5 years across a number of demographic characteritics, household spending for specific types of products/services, and a ranking list. For each product/service: best customers are identified, customer trends are given, and average household spending is provided across a number of demographic variables.
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Media Usage
Advertising Age's Data Center
http://adage.com/datacenter/
Advertising Growth Trends: Inflation Adjusted Analysis of Ad Spending (Schonfeld)
MCOB Reference HF 5813 .U6 A73
"Gives information on publicly owned corporations that spend on advertising. The study is organized by SIC and alphabetically by company name within each SIC. Each company's historical information includes: advertising spending for each of the last five calendar years expressed in constant 1990 dollars, percent of advertising in relation to total spending by all companies within the same SIC, inflation adjusted sales for each of the last five years and the percent share of sales over the SIC. The average annual percent change within the five year period in ad spending, sales and ad shares are also displayed. Measures of profitability and effectiveness of the company's advertising expenditures are shown with What-If Scenarios and Management By Objective values for the next calendar year."
Advertising Ratios and Budgets (Schonfeld)
MCOB Reference HF 5801 .A2446 2006/07
"This detailed report covers over 5,000 companies and 300 industries with historical 2005 advertising budgets, 2006 ad-to-sales ratios and ad-to-gross margin ratios, as well as 2006 and 2007 budget forecasts and growth rates. Use it to track competition, win new ad agency clients, set and justify ad budgets, sell space and time or plan new media ventures and new products. Includes industry and advertiser ad spending rankings and data on over 300 major foreign companies. Bought by major advertising agencies, media companies, advertisers and libraries."
Marketer's Guide to Media
MCOB Reference HF 5826.5 .M45 2002
Provides demographics, costs, and ranking lists for: broadcast television, syndicated television, cable television, radio, out-of-home, teens, promotion media, custom publishing/marketing, magazines, newspapers, online services, and Hispanic markets/media. The only source that will provide an average for what it will cost to advertise on major networks.
Standard & Poor's Research Insight Database
(MCOB Lab Use Only)
S&P Research Insight is available for use in the MCOB Labs. If you are a first time user, please ask for assistance by contacting Deborah Harrington to set up an appointment.
S&P RI Manuals are now available on the Web in PDF Format. To learn the basics of the system, which includes more information on how to run preformatted reports such as the one outlined below, refer to the 'Getting Started Guide'.
To run a report that will analyze a company's 'Advertising Expense as % of Sales' for 3 years:
- From the left toolbar menu, click on the 3rd button from the bottom 'Open Report' .
- Scroll down the list of folders and double click on the folder that is titled 'Transfer Pricing' .
- Highlight the report 'Advertising Expense as % of Sales Analysis' and click 'Finish' at the bottom.
- A box that helps you enter data to run the report will appear on the screen. Enter the ticker symbol and click 'OK' at the bottom of the screen.
- When the report appears, click the print button.
- Advertising Expense and Current Year Sales figures are listed in millions of $.
Standard Rate and Data Service (SRDS):
This service offers separate directories giving advertising rates, specifications, and circulation for publications, broadcast stations and a variety of other media.
Business Publication Advertising Source
MCOB Reference HF 5905 .S723 v. 1-2
Consumer Magazine Advertising Source
MCOB Reference HF 5905 .S725
Newspaper Advertising Source
MCOB Reference HF 5905 .S73
Radio Advertising Source
MCOB Reference HF 5905 .S74
TV & Cable Source
MCOB Reference HF 5905 .S745
Note: Refer to http://acronymfinder.com/ to locate information regarding the acronyms used in SRDS publications.
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Product/Brand Information
Once the product/service has been selected, refer to the company's website which should provide quite a lot of information regarding the product, target market, and financial data. Competitor websites should also be examined to determine competitive action, product features/benefits, and industry changes.
Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising
MCOB Reference HF 5803 .A38 2003 v. 1-3
"In addition to the agency histories, one finds entries for advertisers, brands, and campaigns (Airlines; Geritol; Kraft Foods, Inc.; Yahoo!); individuals (Burnett, Leo; Hearst, William Randolph; Packard, Vance); practical and theoretical aspects of advertising (Infomercial, Music and jingles, Package design, Psychographics, Targeting); and social, cultural, and historical issues (Consumer movement; Cultural symbols; Minorities: Representations in advertising)."
Business Source Premier (EBSCO)
Provides the full-text for more than 8,800 titles covering all areas of business. Additional full-text, non-journal content includes market research reports, industry reports, country reports, company profiles and SWOT analyses.
Click on advanced-search at the top and try the various searches listed below:
- In the first search-box enter your company name and use the pull-down menu to select 'company/entity'. In the second search-box, enter the product or brand name.
- In the first search-box, enter the product or brand name as a keyword. In the second search-box, enter consumers and use the pull-down menu to select 'subject'.
- In the first search-box, enter American Demographics and use the pull-down menu to select 'publication title'. In the second search-box, enter the product or brand name.
- In the first search-box, enter the brand name as a keyword. In the second-search box, enter the term advertising.
Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands
MCOB Reference HF 5415.3 .E527 1994 v. 1-3
Profiles 600 of the most popular brands in America that have been prominent since 1950.
Vol. 1: Consumable brands
Vol. 2: Personal products
Vol. 3: Durable goods
Encyclopedia of Major Marketing Campaigns
MCOB Reference HF 5837 .E53 2000 v. 1-2
Profiles 500 of the most notable advertising and marketing initiatives of the 20th century. Covers campaigns that were important for their innovation, for their effectiveness in selling products or services, or for the significance of their companies.
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MLA Citation Sources
End of paper reference style:
http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c08_s2.html
Within-the-text citations:
http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c08_s1.html
Answers to frequently asked questions about MLA style
MLA Formatting and Style Guide (Purdue)
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed.
MCOB Reference LB 2369 .G53 2003
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Last Updated: 1/13/09 DLH
