A professional marketing research report has four objectives:

(1) To effectively communicate the findings of the marketing research project

(2) To provide interpretations of those findings in the form of sound and logical recommendations,

(3) To establish the credibility of the research project, and

(4) To serve as a future reference document for strategic or tactical decisions.

You have been asked to prepare a marketing research report for the Marketing Manager of Rule 1.

Rule 1 describe themselves as being “Athletes, Bodybuilders, Crossfitters & Powerlifters. Guys       who've lifted a few million lbs & downed a few thousand scoops of protein. We're also                    supplement pros who've done this before. Guys who know the difference between the good stuff & the over-hyped wannabes. Creating and delivering the best protein powders and nutritional      supplements in the world; that’s our mission. It’s an ongoing quest. Being good is never good        enough. We wake up every morning thinking about ways to improve our products and processes. To be the best, you never stop striving” .

Rule 1 is looking to adopt a celebrity to endorse Rule 1 proteins and are in discussions with Chris   Hemsworth and Channing Tatum. Before making their decision, Rule 1’s in house marketing          research team conducted a mixed method study utilising projective techniques and a quantitative survey to investigate consumer associations with the two celebrities, and other consumer               judgements such as familiarity and attitudes towards the celebrities.

You will need to analyse both sources of data to test the research objectives below. You will then be required to effectively communicate the findings to Rule 1 management, interpret the findings and make sound and logical recommendations to inform Rule 1’s decision to adopt either Chris     Hemsworth or Channing Tatum as their celebrity endorser.

Initial Research Question - Decision Maker’s Purpose

Should Rule 1 sign Chris Hemsworth or Channing Tatum to endorse Rule 1 proteins?

Redefined Research Questions

1.   What associations do consumers hold with Chris Hemsworth and Channing Tatum?

2.   What are consumer attitudes towards Rule 1 Proteins?

3.   Which celebrity is more familiar?

4.   Does consumer purchase intention differ depending if Chris Hemsworth or Channing Tatum is endorsing the brand?

5.   Which celebrity do consumers perceive to be a better fit with Rule 1 products?

6.   How does perceptions of ‘celebrity to product fit’ influence consumer intention to purchase Rule 1 proteins?

7.   How do consumer attitudes and behaviours differ depending on a consumer’s demographic and psychographic profile?

Research Objectives

1.   To identify the associations that consumers have with Chris Hemsworth.

2.   To identify the associations that consumers have with Channing Tatum.

3.   To compare and contrast consumer associations between Chris Hemsworth and Channing Tatum.

4.   To determine if consumers overall attitude toward Rule 1 Proteins is negative or positive (significantly different to a mean rating of 3 on a five point scale).

5.   To compare consumer familiarity of Chris Hemsworth against familiarity of Channing Tatum.

6.   To determine if consumer purchase intention differs depending if Chris Hemsworth or Channing Tatum was featured in the advertisement.

7.   To compare consumer perceptions of celebrity to product fit between Chris Hemsworth and Channing Tatum.

8.   To determine the relationship between consumers perceptions of ‘celebrity to product fit’ and purchase intention.

9.   To determine the relationship between age (age groups 18-35 and 36+ years) and Protein use (light, medium, heavy).

10. To compare attitudes towards Rule 1 Proteins between light, medium, and heavy protein users.

Rule 1 have provided you with the data from a word association task and an online questionnaire.

Word Association Task

A total of 100 Australian consumers were recruited through a professional online panel company, QuestionPro. Participants were shown both an image of Chris Hemsworth and Channing Tatum      and were asked to type in the first word that came to their mind when viewing the picture of each celebrity.

Online Questionnaire

A total of 200 Australian consumers were recruited through a professional online panel company, QuestionPro to participate in an online questionnaire. A between-subjects experimental design    was adopted with participants allocated to one of two experimental conditions: Chris Hemsworth (n=100) or Channing Tatum (n=100). Participants were shown an advertisement of either Chris     Hemsworth endorsing Rule 1 Proteins, or Channing Tatum endorsing Rule 1 Proteins. Both             advertisements were identical, only the image of the celebrity was changed. After viewing the      advertisement, participants were asked to rate their attitude towards the celebrity “Please            indicate how you feel about the celebrity Chris Hemsworth/Channing Tatum : dislike/like,               unfavourable/favourable, negative/positive” (Nan and Heo, 2007), their attitude towards the        brand “Do you think the brand is: bad/good, unpleasant/pleasant, worthless/valuable” (Low and  Lamb, 2000), and their intention to purchase the product; “How likely is it that you

would purchase a product from Rule 1 Proteins either for yourself, or for someone else:                  unlikely/likely (Till and Busler, 2000). Familiarity with the celebrity was also determined, including the perceived fit of the celebrity to Rule 1 proteins using three items drawn from Till and Busler    (2000) including: do not belong together/ do belong together, do not go together/ do go together and do not fit /do fit. Finally, participants were asked to indicate their level of protein use and       their age.

Experimental Stimuli

Copy of the Online Questionnaire