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MKT 202 · Unit 1 of 6

Research Strategy

Customer Analytics and Market Research

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Learning objectives

After completing this unit, you will be able to:

  • Apply frameworks from \
  • Apply the frameworks in "Research Strategy" to a real management decision
  • Make progress on your Customer Analytics and Market Research applied project applied project

Why this matters

Research Strategy is essential to Customer Analytics and Market Research. Complete all lessons in this unit, then finish the assessments on the unit page.

Lesson

Unit overview

Work through each lesson in order. This unit covers Research Strategy as part of Customer Analytics and Market Research. Lessons build on one another; complete the knowledge checks and applied work on the unit page after finishing all lessons.

Connection to applied work

This unit feeds directly into Customer Analytics and Market Research applied project. As you read, capture notes, examples, and data you can reuse in that deliverable. Strong students finish each unit with a draft section of their project, not just highlights.

Practice

  1. Write a one-page summary of this unit in your own words without looking at the lesson.
  2. Find a real company example (public filing, news article, or personal experience) that illustrates the main concept.
  3. Draft one paragraph recommending an action a manager should take based on this unit.
  4. Add at least three terms from this unit to your course glossary.

Knowledge check

Answer these without notes before marking the unit complete:

  1. What is the central idea of "Research Strategy"?
  2. What mistake do beginners most often make when applying this material?
  3. How does this unit help you complete Customer Analytics and Market Research applied project?
  4. What is one decision you face this month where this unit applies?

Key takeaways

  • Apply frameworks from \
  • Business concepts only matter when they change a decision.
  • Your MKT 202 assessment (Customer research, surveys, analytics, experiments, and evidence-based marketing decisions.) rewards applied understanding, not memorization.

Unit assessment

Complete each section below. Score 80%+ on the quiz to finish this unit's assessment.

40% applied project35% knowledge checks25% reflections

Exercises

Apply what you learned in this unit with structured practice.

ExerciseApplied practice: Research Strategy45 min
Complete a focused practice exercise on **Research Strategy**. 1. Choose a real company, product, or situation you know. 2. Apply one core framework from this unit to analyze it. 3. Write your analysis in 300–500 words with a clear recommendation. 4. Cite at least one credible source.

Deliverable

300–500 word analysis document saved to your portfolio under MKT 202.

Rubric

  • • Framework applied correctly (not just named)
  • • Specific evidence from a real example
  • • Clear recommendation with tradeoffs acknowledged
  • • Professional writing with source citation
ExerciseDrill: Research Strategy30 min
Work through the practice problems in the unit lesson without looking at notes. Then check your work against the lesson and write a short reflection: - What you got right - One mistake you caught - One concept to review before the next unit

Deliverable

Problem solutions + 150-word reflection in your MKT 202 workbook.

Rubric

  • • Attempted all practice items before checking answers
  • • Honest reflection on errors
  • • Identifies a specific review action

Model / spreadsheet

Build or extend a spreadsheet model tied to this unit.

ModelStructured model: Research Strategy60 min
Create a structured analytical model for **Research Strategy**. Document your assumptions, calculations, and conclusions in a format appropriate to MKT 202 (diagram, table, or written model). Connect outputs to a decision a manager would make.

Deliverable

Structured model document (2+ pages) · One-paragraph summary of key insight from the model · Screenshot or export saved to portfolio

Rubric

  • • Assumptions stated explicitly
  • • Logic is auditable (formulas or steps visible)
  • • Output answers a specific business question
  • • Sensitivity or scenario considered

Knowledge quiz

Check your understanding before marking the unit complete.

1. BrightBrew's growth team reports email open rates up 12% after a new onboarding sequence. Elena asks whether to scale email spend. Which research question best matches the business decision?

2. Priya rejects a $95k syndicated coffee trend report as the sole evidence for BrightBrew funnel questions. What is the core issue?

3. After 16 churn interviews, 9 of 16 mention pod machine compatibility. What is the correct next claim?

4. BrightBrew considers buying brokered email lists to grow its survey panel faster. Priya recommends in-app recruitment instead. What ethical issue is primary?

5. A research plan pre-registers 30-day churn as the primary metric for an onboarding test. Mid-test, open rates look better in treatment. What should the team do?

6. Which pairing is correctly classified?

7. BrightBrew has 142,000 active subscribers. A poorly scoped study delays fixing onboarding for one quarter. Why does translation from business to research questions matter at this scale?

8. Which SMART element is violated by the data question: 'Is churn bad?'

Next unit: Qualitative Customer Research →