Marketing research is a valuable tool for any competitive company but if not properly targeted, the time and money spent will be wasted. The marketing problems of a particular company have to be diagnosed before any campaign can be designed in order to target the programme successfully and to obtain data that is both accurate and useful. And once this information has been gathered, how can it be best applied and developed? Ray Kent analyzes the various methods currently used among marketing researchers, looking not just at the range of techniques, but also at agencies as they assess their customers needs and apply their skills. He uses empirical evidence to show which methods work best in which situations, keeping in mind the sorts of results companies want to generate as well as the surprises they may find along the way. He considers follow-up campaigns and continuous market measurement to show how to maximize on the initial research projects. He provides a guide to the market research industry as well as an analysis of current techniques and new directions which should make this a suitable text for students of marketing and business.