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Writing a Case Study

Developing the Case Study

Developing a marketing case study follows the same steps and procedures as most case studies. It begins with asking a question: "What is missing?"

  1. What is the background of the case study? Who requested the study to be done and why? What industry is the study in, and where will the study take place? What marketing needs are you trying to address?

  2. What is the problem that needs a solution? What is the situation, and what are the risks? What are you trying to prove?

  3. What questions are required to analyze the problem? What questions might the reader of the study have?

  4. What tools are required to analyze the problem? Is data analysis necessary? Can the study use just interviews and observations, or will it require additional information?

  5. What is your current knowledge about the problem or situation? How much background information do you need to procure? How will you obtain this background info?

  6. What other information do you need to know to successfully complete the study?

  7. How do you plan to present the report? Will it be a simple written report, or will you add PowerPoint presentations, or images, or videos? When is the report due? Are you giving yourself enough time to complete the project?
Formulating the Marketing Case Study

What is the marketing problem? Most case studies begin with a problem that management or the marketing department is facing. You must fully understand the problem and what caused it. That is when you can start searching for a solution.

However, marketing case studies can be difficult to research. You must turn a marketing problem into a research problem. For example, if the problem is that sales are not growing, you must translate that to a research problem.

What could potential research problems be?

Research problems could be poor performance or poor expectations. You want a research problem, because then you can find an answer. Management problems focus on actions, such as whether to advertise more, or change advertising strategies. Research problems focus on finding out how to solve the management problem.

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