Unfortunately, most students entering marketing classes are unaware that much of the statistical information they could use in personal and academic life is so readily available. This article is designed to illustrate the value of secondary research sources easily available to marketing students. At the first class session, students are asked to introduce themselves in order to acquaint themselves with the instructor and other students.
Students usually are able to provide only the most basic of information.
After students have completed their self introductions, instructors introduce themselves by sharing a few personal details. However, instead of describing their hometown, instructors tell the class that their hometown description will occur later in the semester. Later in the semester many marketing courses include the topic of secondary research. Instructors typically define secondary research, describe its usefulness, and list some of the more worthwhile sources. The reason for the instructors' success is their exposure to a secondary source, County and City Data Book 1 .