Questionnaire #

Begin Time

Hour:

p.m. a.m.

Minute:
Place of interview:

_____________________

Questionnaire Template 4285 Brand Management

(using examples from various industries)
Thank you very much for taking your time to participate in this study. Please note that it
is about your personal opinion. There is no right or wrong what counts is your
personal view. Before we start, I want to inform you about the background of the study
and ask you for your informed consent to give this interview.
Market Researcher (MR): Please read out or hand over the

Informed Consent Form (downloadable from the

course website).
Have the interviewee fill in her/his name and sign the form, and sign it yourself.
Only if you want to record the interview:
Thank you very much. Also, to speed up the interview and for documentation purposes,
may I record the interview? I could then just take some basic notes and otherwise focus
on our talk.
Ox

Yes Interviewer: Pls turn on the recorder

O No Pls take detailed notes on

extra sheets, if necessary

Demographics and Purchasing/Usage behaviour

(example: car brand)

(Comment to the Interview Designers: At the beginning of the interview, you have to ask for
some demographics and also some information about purchasing behaviour. This sections
serves as a screener (to filter out respondents which do not qualify for your study) and as a
frame of reference for the following interview. The questions below are only examples. For your
topic, you may want to know, for example, the number of kids up to and above 14 yrs in the
household (for a food brand), with who your respondent phones the most (for a wireless service
provider) etc.)
To start the interview, may I ask you for some statistical data?
Market Researcher (MR): tick the gender
1.1 Gender
male
female
1.2 "How old are you?" __ __ years
1.3 "How many persons are there in your household, including yourself?"
_____ Persons
1.4 "Can you tell me what your profession is?
MR: Type of work, company, position; for student populations type and year of studies
1.5 "Please tell me what your highest educational degree is!"
__________________________________
1.6 What is the name of the city you are you living in? ____________________________
1.7 "Do you own or have access to a car?"
yes
no

Stop

1.8 "Is it a company car or a privately-owned car?"

Company car
Privately-owned car
1.9 "Was this vehicle purchased or leased from new?"
yes
no

Stop

1.10 "And how long ago did this purchase or lease take place?"
________ Years ago (MR: Specify months after decimal point)
1.11 "Were you personally involved in the decision to purchase the car?"
yes
no

Stop

1.12 "What brand and model of vehicle is it?"

MR: Enter exact details
_______________________________________________________________________
1.13 "On average, how many kilometres do you drive in this vehicle per annum?"
__ __ __ __ __ __ km
1.14 "And what do you estimate to be the number of hours you spend in the vehicle per
week?"
__ __ __ Hours
1.15 "Please tell me what kind of journeys you brand in the car."
(MR: ask for details of
Purpose of use,
Frequency of respective journeys,
who travels in the car (Journeys with spouse, journeys with Passenger),
short or long journeys, inner-city traffic or motorway, ...
if also used for business travel: job and exact description of responsibilities, company and
position within company, part played by car in performance of job)

1.16 "I will now read out several part sentences. Please complete them all as quickly and
spontaneously as possible."
The main advantage of having a car is ______________________________________
Without my car ... ______________________________________________________
To me, my car means ...

_________________________________________________

The brand of car you drive is important because ... _____________________________

The thing that bothers me most about car driving is ...___________________________

Brand Awareness/Salience (Example: Charity)

2.1 When you think of charitable organizations, causes or places for which you can
volunteer or raise funds, which ones come to your mind?
MR: Please note verbatim responses provided by the respondent in the order of appearance under
Organizations, causes or places in the table below.The respondent may also say things like "homeless
shelters", " church", or "nursing homes".

Charitable Organizations, Causes and Places

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
2.2 I will now read out a list of charitable organizations at which people can volunteer
their time or raise funds for. Please tell me which of these organizations you have heard of.
MR: Read out the organizations in the table below. If the questionnaire # is an odd number, start with the
first organization in the table and go down to the last. If the questionnaire # is an even number, start with
the last in the table and go up to the first. Mark the starting point with an X to the left of the
organization name with which you started. When the respondent confirms that he/she has heard of the
stated organization, tick the box in column 2.heard of, otherwise leave as is.

2.3. I will now read the same list of charitable organizations. Which ones are you aware
that young people can volunteer their time or raise funds for?
MR: Read the organizations in the same order as you did for question 2. When the respondent confirms
that he/she is aware or has heard (hearsay is enough) that young people can volunteer their time or raise
funds for this organization, tick the box in column 3.1 specific activity known, immediately ask question
3.2., note the answer to 3.2.verbatim in column 3.2. or leave blank when no specific activity is
remembered, and then proceed with question 3.1. for the next organization.

2.4. And can you remember a specific event or activity that raises funds for this
organization?

Organization

2.2
heard
of

2.3
specific
activity
known

Amnesty International

Breast Cancer Foundation

Care Canada

Free the Children

Greenpeace

Heart and Stroke

Foundation
Oxfam

Plan Canada, also known

as Foster Parents Plan
Red Cross

Save the Children

Terry Fox Foundation

Unicef

United Way

War Child Canada

World Vision

World Wildlife Fund

2.4. name of specific event or activity, if

known

Freely elicited associations (Post-secondary business

education), Performance and Brand Judgments

3.1 "I will now name several institutions where you can study for a business
degree. As spontaneously as possible, please tell me everything which you
associate with the brand! Just tell me everything that occurs to you.
MR: The following series of questions should be repeated for all the brands below. The
first question and the follow-up question should only evoke free associations. Contents
which could affect the direction in which the associations could go should therefore be
avoided. Always start with Ryerson. The other brands should be rotated from interview
to interview. In order to do this, select a brand at random and put a 2 at the side of it on
the questionnaire. Then continue with another brand and put a 3 at the side of it etc.,
until you have asked about all the brands.
What comes to your mind with _________ MR: insert brand?"
MR: If abstract terms are used such as "(high) quality", "prestige", "research-oriented"
etc., ask for a more detailed explanation of the term, and also do this if the respondent
gives replies which are not self-explanatory, e.g.: "can you explain that in more detail?",
"You have mentioned .......,but can you tell me more?")
(MR: Follow-up question after the first association:)
"What else comes to your mind concerning _________ (MR: insert brand)?"
Ryerson:

UfT:

Colleges like Seneca, Sheridan or Humber:

Schulich School of Business:

School of Administrative Studies, formerly Atkinson

3.2 "I will now read out various partial sentences to you. Please complete the
sentences as quickly and spontaneously as possible."
MR: If abstract terms are used such as "(high) quality", "prestige", "research-oriented"
etc., ask for a more detailed explanation of the term, and also do this if the respondent
gives replies which are not self-explanatory, e.g.: "can you explain that in more detail?",
"You have mentioned .......,but can you tell me more?"
The main reason for taking an undergraduate business degree at Ryerson is ...
What makes an undergraduate business degree at Ryerson special is ...
As an undergraduate business student at Ryerson you feel ...
You might have a bad conscience when you decide for an undergraduate business
degree at Ryerson because ...
You can have a good conscience when you decide for an undergraduate business
degree at Ryerson because ...
Thing that bothers me most about an undergraduate business degree at Ryerson is ...
"In a nutshell, what is the most typical feature of an undergraduate business
degree at in your personal opinion?"
The main reason for taking an undergraduate business degree at the School of
Administrative Studies is ...
What makes an undergraduate business degree at the School of Administrative Studies
special is ...
As an undergraduate business student at the School of Administrative Studies you
feel ...
You might have a bad conscience when you decide for an undergraduate business
degree at the School of Administrative Studies because ...
You can have a good conscience when you decide for an undergraduate business
degree at the School of Administrative Studies because ...
Thing that bothers me most about an undergraduate business degree at the School of
Administrative Studies is ...
" In a nutshell, what is the most typical feature of an undergraduate business
degree at the School of Administrative Studies in your personal opinion?"

The main reason for taking an undergraduate business degree at UfT Rotman is ...
What makes an undergraduate business degree at UfT Rotman special is ...
As an undergraduate business student at UfT Rotman you feel ...
You might have a bad conscience when you decide for an undergraduate business
degree at UfT Rotman because ...
You can have a good conscience when you decide for an undergraduate business
degree at UfT Rotman because ...
Thing that bothers me most about an undergraduate business degree at UfT Rotman
is ...
" In a nutshell, what is the most typical feature of an undergraduate business
degree at UfT Rotman in your personal opinion?"
The main reason for taking an undergraduate business degree at Schulich is ...
What makes an undergraduate business degree at Schulich special is ...
As an undergraduate business student at Schulich you feel ...
You might have a bad conscience when you decide for an undergraduate business
degree at Schulich because ...
You can have a good conscience when you decide for an undergraduate business
degree at Schulich because ...
Thing that bothers me most about an undergraduate business degree at Schulich is ...
"To summarize, what is the most typical feature of an undergraduate business
degree at Schulich in your personal opinion?"

3.2 "What comes to your mind with "York University"?

MR: follow-up question after the first association:

"What else comes to your mind with York University?"

MR: ask for LA&PS only among students of York University

3.3 "And what comes to your mind with the "Faculty of Liberal Arts and
Professional Studies"?

Comment: The following performance-related attributes are not carved in stone, not even for the
example of SAS. Think what may be important for customers in terms of products & services.
Dont forget to ask for experiential attributes of your product pertaining to taste, smell, sight,
sound, touch

3.4 When you now think of an undergraduate business degree at the School of
Administrative Studies at York University and compare it to other major business
schools in Toronto: How would you describe the quality of its courses and
programs? For example, are the courses and programs up-to-date? Are they well
organized? Do they teach the things necessary for a successful career in a forprofit or not-profit organization? Are the instructors highly qualified to teach their
courses? Why? Why not?

MR: Ask the following questions 3.5 to 3.7. only to students or alumnis sufficiently
familiar with the course programs and services at SAS
3.5. Do the programs and course schedules at the School of Administrative
Studies offer you enough flexibility in terms of content and scheduling, or not?
Why? Why not?

3.6 And what about the quality of services? Are the instructors and the staff at
the School of Administrative Studies friendly and competent when you need their
help or advice?

3.7. And what do you think of the quality of services at York University? For
example, is the general staff friendly and competent?

3.8 How do you rate the university location and facilities like libraries, the food
places and shops and its recreational facilities? Is York and its classrooms a
convenient and nice place to go to/to be?

3.8 Overall, do you think that the School of Administrative Studies

is a good choice? _____________________

is trustworthy? _____________________

Why? Why not?

Why? Why not?

is knowledgeable in its academic fields? _____________

is knowledgeable in education _____________________

is concerned about its students _____________________

Why? Why not?

Why? Why not?

Why? Why not?

is understands the needs of its students _______________ Why? Why not?

is concerned about society as a whole ___________________

not?

is innovative _____________________

Why? Why

Why? Why not?

has a long history and tradition _________________ Why? Why not?

Imagery (various examples)

(Comment: Focus on your brand for 4.1 and 4.2)

4.1 What feelings do you associate with UNICEF?
Persuasive
Engaging
Excitement
Warmth
Fun
Caring
Self-confidence
Prestige
Sadness
Self-respect
Other ...
Other Positive Feelings:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Other Negative feelings:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
4.2 If Koodoo would be a person just walking through the door, what would he or
she look like and be like? Can you describe this person to me? is it more an old
person or a young one? Male or female? Rich or poor? What character would this
person have and what would be important for this person in his/her life? What
would he or she do in leisure time? What education and capabilities would the
person have?
(Comment: For this question, focus on your brand only)

To what extent would the following attributes characterize this person?

down-to-earth?
honest?
daring?
successful?
charming?
outdoorsy?

(Comment: For the following questions, you should get the opinion of the respondent of select
brands which constitute your direct competitive field plus the market leader(s), if not included in
this competitive field, but in total not more than 4 or 5 brands. Select your brands carefully.)

4.3 And when you now think of the typical users of different cell phone brands?
MR: In the following questions on typical users, after the first free associations, please
ask about the points in the following list for which the respondent has not yet provided
any information:
Age and sex
Character
Phone usage
Family status
Profession
Social Status
Start again by randomly selecting one of the brands, mark it etc..)
"How would you describe a typical user of Koodoo?"

"How would you describe a typical Fido user?"

"How would you describe a typical user of Virgin Mobile?"

And what about the typical user of Rogers Wireless?

And the typical user of Wind Mobility

(Comment: the following type of question is important if you believe that consumers
hold attitudes towards a brand which some would not want to state directly, like for
example if they think people are showing off with a car brand).
4.4 "I will now show you three illustrations with people in a certain situation. One
of the persons is talking to others. Consider what the other persons might reply
or what they might be thinking.
In the first illustration, you can see a husband and her wife. The two other
illustrations depict a man who is talking to people who may be important to him
when buying a car. Please tell me what the people in the illustrations might be
saying or thinking, and tell me who the other people in the second and third
illustration are!"
MR: Hand over the accompanying sheet. Please note how the respondent defines the
discussion partners in the second and third illustrations.)
Wife/womans reply in illustration 1:

Description of persons in illustration 2:

Who are the others?
________________________________________________________
Reply from person(s) in illustration 2:

Describe the persons in illustration 3:

Who are the others?
________________________________________________________
(MR: Only enter if different from illustration 2)
Thoughts of person(s) in illustration 3:

(MR: remove the accompanying sheet)

What do you think about

buying a Mercedes as our
next car?

I'm just wondering

whether or not to buy a
Mercedes

There it is, outside, my new

Mercedes!

Accompanying sheet

Brand Choice and Laddering (Example: Wireless

Brands)

5.1 "Please now try to run through your last decision when you chose or changed
your wireless provider for your cell phone. Please tell me the story from the point
in time when you decided that you need a new wireless service provide until you
made your first call with your cell phone with this new service provider"

(MR: Let respondent talk; ask additional questions if necessary, like:)

When was this?
What type of wireless services did you look for?
How did you search for information?
Did you ask somebody for advice before making your decision?
"Can you remember which alternatives you were considering at the time?"

______________________________________________________________________
5.2 "And what wireless provider did you eventually choose? _______________
5.3. Why? Please tell me up to five features of this service provider which made
you choose this provider over the others you had initially considered. Please tell
me what was most important to you personally. This can include specific product
offerings and service features, the plans offered, but also more general things
like for example the image of the brand, the fact that friends, your partner or
relatives use the same brand too, or simply that you liked the advertising.
(MR: Enter the features into the first column of the table below. Ask for clarification if
you are not completely sure what the respondent means. Make sure that a feature is
not so similar to another one that the two can be considered one and the same thing. In
this case, group them into one single feature and ask the respondent for additional,
different features important to him in his choice. For 5.3., you want to elicit features, that
is more or less concrete attributes of the its products, its services, the brands image or
advertising etc. If a respondent starts with benefits like convenience, ask 5.4. and 5.3
in reverse order, that is, try to find out what concrete features the brand selected by the
respondent had that made her think that it offers more convenience).

MR: Ask, for each of these features, questions 5.4 to 5.6., and then move on to next
feature.
I would now talk a bit about each of these features. Lets start with . (MR:
Insert one of the up to five advantages):

Laddering:
5.4 Please explain to me why having this feature is important to you. What
benefits does it give you? These benefits can be performance-oriented, that is
that you can do things with this brand which you couldnt with another brand, or
they can be more practical ones like saving time or money, or they can be
emotional, that is, how having a provider with this feature makes you feel. You
can also say that a feature was important to you because it offers several
different benefits for you.
(MR: for each of the benefits mentioned ask:)
5.5. And how does having this benefit relate to your current situation in life, to
your general values, and your personal lifestyle: Why, do you think, is this so
important to you, when you consider what makes you you and what you want
to stand for or achieve in your life?

MR: Continue with the next features

Feature (5.3)

Benefit(s) related to the feature

(5.4)

General Goals/Values, Lif

(5.5) related to benefit

Resonance (Generic)

(Comment: Focus on the brand the respondent is currently using)

6.1. Given your experiences now with the __________ (MR: Insert the brand
chosen by the respondent), would you choose it again? Why, why not?

6.2. Are you proud to have/attend/use __________________ or not? Do you enjoy

talking about it to others or exchanging your opinions about it with others?

6.3. And would you recommend it to a friend? Why, why not?

6.4. Overall, do you feel that you have special relationship with ________ not?
Do yo feel that ______ is more than just a _____ (product category) for you? Why?
How would you describe this relationship? / Why not?

6.5. Would you miss _______, if it were not longer existent?

6.6. Do you feel part of a bigger community of _______ users/students/owners?

Why/Why not?

Future Positioning (Preliminary Ideas) (Generic)

7.1 Looking into the future ..

(Comment: Here you can test some of your preliminary ideas., that is ask a few questions about
strategic direction you consider taking. Example: You are thinking of repositioning your Wireless
Brand to be the most multicultural Ask questions to find out how relevant this would be to
your prospects or customers, how consistent this is with the previous positioning, how
believable this positioning would be in the eyes of your target group, and specific measures your
target group would expect with this new positioning. You may also contrast two strategy options
and see which one the respondent likes better.)

Question 7.1: .....

Question 7.2 ....
Question 7.3 ....

Thank you very much for this very interesting interview and your
valuable time!
MR: Please fill in the following information:

End Time

Hour:

Minute:

p.m. a.m.

How was the interviewee recruited?

interviewee is a relative of mine NOT A VALID INTERVIEW!
interviewee was personally known to me before the interview (but not a relative of mine)
interviewee was known to someone that I personally knew before the interview
I had no direct or indirect relation to the interviewee before the interview. Where did you
recruit the interviewee? _______________________________________________________
Date of the Interview (MM-DD-YYYY)____________________________________________
Your Name (PRINT):___________________________________________________________
Your Signature: _______________________________________________________________