These bids will reveal that expected investment of time and money to achieve the proposed image. The research should take no more than two to three months, assuming that it does not start in November or December, or in the summer. Cost will depend on how much relevant information is already available. Research completed by the Community Relations Study Group may contain information about variables used by some audiences to evaluate universities, and information about Memorial s current image among some audiences. Qualitative research should be used to identify competitors and evaluative variables.
Good practice requires a minimum of two focus groups per audience.
A survey to determine current perceptions of Memorial for each key audience should be done. This is a significant amount of money. However, it is an investment that will pay off in increased effectiveness of the communications program. If there is not a commitment to doing rigorous research on Memorial s current image, this strategy is probably not worth pursuing at this time.