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MKT 3620: Integrated Marketing Communications

Using MRI Simmons Insights

The link to MRI Simmons Insights from the Marketing Research Guide and Databases page leads to the terms and conditions you must accept to use the database: 

  • MRI Simmons Insights Data are confidential and copyrighted and are made available for your use solely for academic teaching and research activities during the Term of the University's license
  • Except as expressly provided by this Agreement, you may not use, disclose, publish, distribute, sell, reproduce or otherwise disseminate the MRI Simmons Insights Data. No right of publication is granted to you for any part of the MRI Simmons Insights Data. Authorized copies or reproductions of any part of a MRI Simmons Insights Data within the scope of permitted use under the University's policies, rules and regulations must include MRI Simmons Insights's copyright and confidentiality notice appearing on such MRI Simmons Insights Data.
  • You may not (a) provide to any person other than a student, faculty member, or staff member of the University, and then only for academic teaching or research purposes, access to tapes, disks, diskettes or other devices containing the MRI Simmons Insights Data (or any part of it) in tabulated or untabulated form or (b) provide access to any other output or product that could be decompiled or otherwise manipulated to permit the MRI Simmons Insights Data to be extracted in a "raw" or untabulated form. You shall employ appropriate security measures and systems to insure that persons not authorized to access the MRI Simmons Insights Data are unable to obtain access to the MRI Simmons Insights Data or any such "raw" or untabulated data from any copies, etc. made by you or in your possession.

Once you have accepted the terms and conditions and accessed MRI Simmons Insights, you'll need to generate a report with the data you will format and analyze.

  1. Click on Dictionary (above the search bar)
  2. Gather the data on magazine readership
    1. In the left menu, click on Print media --> Magazines (digital and print) --> read/look into last 6 months
    2. Click and drag the question to the 'Rows' pane on the right
  3. Look for purchasing behavior for a product or service of interest to you
    1. Browse the list of questions in the left menu, or use the search box for simple keywords (e.g.: hybrid, or dog biscuits)
    2. Select one of the options and drag it to the 'Columns' pane on the right
  4. Click the arrow in the top right corner to run the report
  5. Click on 'Export' in the left menu and export the report as an Excel file (.xls)

Once you have the data downloaded in a spreadsheet, it is easier to format and analyze.

  1. Remove extraneous question information in the magazines column
    1. Copy the text preceding the magazine titles: MAGAZINES - READ/LOOK INTO LAST 6 MOS_
    2. Click on 'Find & Select' in the Home ribbon at the top
    3. Select 'Replace'
    4. Paste the text into the 'Find what' box, and leave the 'Replace with' box blank
    5. Click on 'Replace all'
  2. Add sorting and filtering options to the categories at the top of the report
    1. Highlight the entire row with 'Sample', 'Weighted', 'Vertical %', etc. by clicking on the 13th row to the left of the data
    2. Click on 'Sort & Filter' in the Home ribbon at the top
    3. Click on 'Filter'
    4. Click on the 'Filter' icon that now appears on each column category, such as 'Vertical %' and sort from largest to smallest
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