MEDIA OUTLET

PREFERENCES
By:
Paige Charland, Greg Cormier, Liam Moloney,
Tim Norton, Brian ONeil, Lindsay Sweet
Marketing Research (MK 333) Fall 2015

Executive Summary
The purpose of the project is to determine which
media outlets are most effective in
communicating to Franklin Pierce University
students when it comes to information about
campus-related events
Survey 160 Franklin Pierce University students on
and off campus for better indication to staff and
students on what media outlets to use

Background Information of the

Organization Under Study
Franklin Pierce Universitys main undergraduate
campus is located in Rindge, New Hampshire and
educates roughly 1,400 students
21 majors, 26 minors
Franklin Pierce University has a student
population with ages that range from 18-23

Nature of the Problem

Clubs, organizations on campus host events
weekly
Many different methods of communication
Which one works the best?

Purpose of the Project

To determine which media outlets are most
effective in communicating to Franklin Pierce
University students when it comes to information
about campus-related events
Research will provide various groups and
departments with better idea of how to send out
information and announcements about upcoming
events.

Problem Statement
Research is necessary to determine Franklin
Pierce students preferred media outlets related to
campus event information.

Research Objectives
1. Review literature related to how students receive
information.
2. Identify various media outlets that are used by
Franklin Pierce Students.
3. Determine which media outlets are most
effective.
4. Determine demographic relationships to the
above research objectives.

Definitions
Audience Response Technology:
Also known as clicker technology allows students to
immediately reflect on their own as well as other
students anonymous responses to see how social
norms are actually perceived by their peers.

Word-of-mouth (WOM):
Refers to a form of promotion in which satisfied
customers recommend or, at least, tell others about a
product, business, or service they were happy with.
This form of marketing is typically unpaid and can be
very effective [1]

Literature
Review

Literature Review: Using Email

Every student at Franklin Pierce and other schools
around the country receive an .edu email
In 2011, 92% of adults use email, with 61% using
it on an average day (Purcell, 2011) [2]
Also in 2011, 94% of peoples ages 18-29 use
email and 64% of them use email on a daily basis
[2]

Literature Review: Using Email

(continued)
In 2012, 166 students at two universities (one
small school and one larger school) participated in
communication survey [3]
The survey, sent to 108 online students and 58
face-to-face (FTF) students [3]
E-mail was indicated as the most frequent method
of communicating for most purposes [3]

Literature Review: Texting

Text message alert system: events, emergencies,
cancellations
At Louisiana State University, only 8,400 of the
35,000 eligible people signed up for the service;
at Nebraska, just 6,000 of 16,000 [4]

Literature Review: Word-of-Mouth

WOM message is seen as an objective source of
product information.
Researchers have found that word-of-mouth (WOM)
influences consumer attitudes and purchase intentions
[5]

A number of studies have also found that the greater

the similarity between the person sending a WOM
message and those receiving it, the greater influence
the WOM message has on those who received the
message [5]

Literature Review: Posters

2011 UNH study conducted research about giving
information through an advertising poster campaign [6]
Survey vs control group
Pictures of students were placed on the posters
Put into certain sexual assault/harassment scenarios
The awareness for the matter showed a near 30%
increase as opposed to the control group who showed
no more awareness in week five than during the week
prior to the campaign [6]

Literature Review: Social Media

Social media is key to understanding and creating a
social environment while away from others [8]
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, & Snapchat are all social
media apps used by students today
The number of people using these apps has nearly
doubled since their introduction in 2012 [7]
82% of the online users are of the college aged or in the
same generation [7]
Facebook and Instagram are top used apps in this study [7]

Literature Review: Social Media

(continued)
Major social media pages are also used in order to
find supporters of ideas and problems in the
world.
UNAIDS utilized the social media stage by finding
new younger supporters across the world for the
fight against AIDs [8]

Literature Review: Social Media

(continued)
Also good for networking
Social media allows for consumers and producers
to share new products and ideas that may be new
to people in another area of the world.
College students are mainly guilty of heavy
internet & social media use [9]
Millennial generation is now using social media
and Internet more than they are watching
television [9]

Methodology &
Procedures

Problem Identification
Research is needed to determine the most
effective communication methods on campus
because it is widely unknown among students,
faculty, clubs, and organizations what methods
are currently the best for communicating
information and event knowledge

Development of Survey
Determine popular media outlets
How long and what outlets were used
Determined the demographics of the students taking
the survey

The questions were revised three times:

Classmates, Professor Jason Little, Internal Review
Board
Survey was finalized and accepted by the Franklin
Pierce IRB on November 3, 2015

Definition of Population
Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH. has about
1400 undergraduate students
Both on and off campus

Sample Size
Total of 160 students surveyed
78 Male, 81 Female, 1 Other
Aimed for an even gender distribution from each
class (20 male, 20 female)
40 total freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors

Data Collection Method

Non-probability convenience sampling method with a
quota of 160 students
Researchers split up the surveys evenly and handed half
of them out to men and half of them out to women
Of these 80 surveys for each sex, 20 were handed out to
freshmen, 20 to sophomores , 20 to juniors and 20 to
seniors
Handed out to the sample group on the Franklin Pierce
University campus on the second week of November
during the year 2015 (classrooms, cafeteria, etc.)

Assumptions
The researchers of this study operated under the
assumption that all questionnaire respondents
answered all of the questions honestly and
accurately

Limitations
Time constraints
Prevented use of probability sampling method
Small sample size
Some discrepancies between responses that were
likely due to the clarity of the questions

Questionnaire

Media Outlet PreferenceQuestionnaire

We are a team of Franklin Pierce University Marketing Research students conducting research
related to how students receive information about campus events. Your individual responses will be
kept confidential and all data taken from the survey will be reported as aggregate data only.
1. How do you learn about upcoming campus events (club meetings, activities, sporting events,
etc.)? Check all that apply.
______ University email [0,1]
______ Social Media (ie. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) [0,1]
______ Posters around campus [0,1]
______ Student Involvement text message alerts [0,1]
______ Word-of-Mouth [0,1]
2. Which social media sites do you use? Check all that apply.
____ Facebook [0,1] ____ Twitter [0,1] ____ Instagram [0,1] ____ Snapchat [0,1]
______ Email [0,1] ______ LinkedIn [0,1] ______ Other [0,1]
3. How often do you check your university email?
_____ 7 days per week (1)
_____ 5-6 days per week (2)
_____ 3-4 days per week (3)
_____ 1-2 days per week (4)
_____ Twice per month (5)
_____ Once per month (6)
_____ Never (7)

4. How many hours each day do you use social media?

____ 0 hours [1] _____Less than 1 hour [2] ____ 1-2 hours [3] ____ 3-4 hours [4]
____ 5-6 hours [5] ____ Over 6 hours [6]
5. Are you signed up for the Student Involvement text message alerts?
____ No [0] ____ Yes [1]
6. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement:
I prefer print media, such as posters and flyers, when learning about events.
____ Strongly Agree[1] ____ Agree [2] ____Neutral [3]
____ Disagree [4] ____Strongly Disagree [5]

7. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement:

I prefer online media, such as emails or social media, when learning about events.
____ Strongly Agree[1] ____ Agree [2] ____Neutral [3]
____ Disagree [4] ____Strongly Disagree [5]
8. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement:
I prefer other forms of media, such as the Student Involvement text messages or word-ofmouth, when learning about events.
____ Strongly Agree[1] ____ Agree [2] ____Neutral [3]
____ Disagree [4] ____Strongly Disagree [5]
9. How well informed do you feel about events that happen on campus?
Very
uninformed
1

Somewhat
uninformed
2

I dont know/
Neutral
3

Somewhat well
informed
4

Very well
informed
5

10. Do you attend campus events?

____ No [0] ___ Yes [1]
11. What media outlets led you to those events? Check all that apply.
______ University email [0,1]
______ Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)[0,1]
______ Posters around campus[0,1]
______ Student Involvement text message alerts (SIPAC)[0,1]
______ Word-of-Mouth[0,1]
12. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement:
I find email reliable for finding out about FPU events.
____ Strongly Agree[1] ____ Agree [2] ____Neutral [3]
____ Disagree [4] ____Strongly Disagree [5]
13. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement.
I find social media reliable for finding out about FPU events.
____ Strongly Agree[1] ____ Agree [2] ____Neutral [3]
____ Disagree [4] ____Strongly Disagree [5]
14. How old are you? Please write in your age.
________
15. What is your gender?
____ Female [1] ____ Male [2]

____ Other [3]

16. What is your class standing?

____ Freshman [1] ____Sophomore [2] ____ Junior [3]
17. Where do you reside?

____ Senior [4]

____ On campus [1] ____Off campus [2]

Results

Question 1: How do you learn about upcoming

events (club meetings, activities, sporting events,
etc.)? Check all that apply. (UNIVERSITY EMAIL)

15.6
%No

84.4
%Yes

Question 1: How do you learn about upcoming

events (club meetings, activities, sporting events,
etc.)? Check all that apply. (SOCIAL MEDIA)

53.3
%
Yes

46.3
%No

Question 1: How do you learn about upcoming

events (club meetings, activities, sporting events,
etc.)? Check all that apply. (POSTERS)

34.4
%No
65.6
%
Yes

Question 1: How do you learn about upcoming events

(club meetings, activities, sporting events, etc.)? Check
all that apply. (STUDENT INVOLVEMENT TEXT ALERTS)

26.9
%Yes

73.1
%
No

Question 1: How do you learn about upcoming

events (club meetings, activities, sporting events,
etc.)? Check all that apply. (WORD OF MOUTH)

58.1
%
Yes

41.9
%
No

Question 2: Which social media sites do you use?

Check all that apply. (FACEBOOK)

15.6
%No

84.4
%
Yes

Question 2: Which social media sites do you use?

Check all that apply. (TWITTER)

28.1
%No

71.9
%Yes

Question 2: Which social media sites do you use?

Check all that apply. (INSTAGRAM)

19.4
%No

80.6
%
Yes

Question 2: Which social media sites do you use?

Check all that apply. (SNAPCHAT)

18.1
%No

81.9
%
Yes

Question 2: Which social media sites do you use?

Check all that apply. (EMAIL)

15.0
%
No

85.0
%
Yes

Question 2: Which social media sites do you use?

Check all that apply. (LINKEDIN)

21.2
%
Yes

78.8
%No

Question 2: Which social media sites do you use?

Check all that apply. (OTHER)

18.1
%
Yes

81.9
%No

Question 3: How often do you check your university

1.3%0.6%
email?
3.8%

12.5
%

23.1
%

58.8
%

Question 4: How many hours each day do you use

0.6%
social media?
8.1%

9.4%

12.5
%

36.3
%
33.1
%

Question 5: Are you signed up for the Student

Involvement text message alerts?

51.2
%
Yes

46.9
%
No

Question 6: Please indicate your level of agreement

with the following statement: I prefer print media, such
as posters and flyers, when learning about events.
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Strongly Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Question 7: Please indicate your level of agreement with

the following statement: I prefer online media, such as
emails or social media, when learning about events.
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Strongly Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Question 8: Please indicate your level of agreement with

the following statement: I prefer other forms of media, such
as the Student Involvement text messages or word-ofmouth, when learning about events.
70

60

50

40

30

20

10

Strongly Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Question 9: How well informed do you feel about

events happening on campus?
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Very Uninformed

Somewhat Uninformed

I don't know/neutral

Somewhat Well Informed

Very Well Informed

Question 10: Do you attend campus events?

14.6
%
No
85.4
%
Yes

Question 11: What media outlets led you to those

events? Check all that apply. (UNIVERSITY EMAIL)

18.8
%
No

81.3
%
Yes

Question 11: What media outlets led you to those

events? Check all that apply. (SOCIAL MEDIA)

54.4
%
Yes

45.6
%
No

Question 11: What media outlets led you to those

events? Check all that apply. (POSTERS)

60.6
%
Yes

39.4
%
No

Question 11: What media outlets led you to those

events? Check all that apply. (SI TEXT ALERTS)

27.5
%
Yes

72.5
%
No

Question 11: What media outlets led you to those

events? Check all that apply. (WORD OF MOUTH)

63.7
%
Yes

36.3
%
No

Question 12: Please indicate your level of

agreement with the following statement: I find email
reliable for finding out about FPU events.
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Strongly Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Question 13: Please indicate your level of

agreement with the following statement: I find social
media reliable for finding out about FPU events.
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Strongly Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Question 14: How old are you? Please write in your

age.
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

34

Question 15: What is your gender?

0.6%
Othe
r

48.8
%
Male

50.6%
Femal
e

Question 16: What is your class standing?

25%
Seni
or

25%
Freshma
n

25%
Junio
r

25%
Sophom
ore

Question 17: Where do you reside?

7.5%
Offcampus

92.5%
Oncampus

Cross-tabulation #1

Cross-tabulation #2

Discussion
Email
According to a Pew Internet survey 92% of adults
use email. [2]
In our study 135 students reported that they
learned about campus events through email,
representing 84.4% of the sample population.

Discussion

(continued)

Email (continued)
According to the same Pew Internet survey, 64%
of peoples ages 18-29 use email on a daily basis.
[2]

Of the 160 students we surveyed, 58.8% of them

reported that they check their email every day.

Discussion

(continued)

Print Media
Following an ad campaign at another campus in
the North East, awareness for a subject showed a
near 30% increase as opposed to the control
group. [6]
From our data we determined that the majority of
students (43.8%) did not have much of an opinion
about print media

Conclusion: Research Objective

#1

Review literature related to how students

receive information.
Literature provided the research team with relevant
information to help in the development of the study
Students from other universities use a variety of media
outlets for school related purposes and for personal use
Articles revealed benefits and drawbacks of various
media outlets

Conclusion: Research Objective

#2

Identify various media outlets that are used

by Franklin Pierce University students.
FPU students use email, social media, and Student
Involvement text message alerts
Students are exposed to posters and word-ofmouth
Specific social media sites:
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn,
email, and unspecified other websites/apps
Most popular are Facebook, Snapchat, and email

Conclusion: Research Objective

#3

Determine which media outlets are most

effective.
Primarily university email and posters around
campus, then social media and word-of-mouth
lead students to events
Least effective method is Student Involvement
text alerts
Students find email and Facebook to be reliable
Overall neutral feeling that posters are effective

Conclusion: Research Objective

#4

Determine demographic relationships to the

above research objectives.
Cross-tab #1
Majority of all classes check their email 7 days per
week
1 senior respondent claimed to not check email at
all
Seniors made up the highest percentage of
students who check their email daily
No significant indication that class standing has

Conclusion: Research Objective #4

(continued)
Cross-tab #2
Freshman class had the highest number of
respondents to say they do not attend campus
events
Sophomores had the highest number of
respondents to say that they do attend campus
events

Recommendations
Continue using email & posters, as the data
reports that students respond well to these
Try to advertise more efficiently on social media
since so many students already use it

References
1. Entrepreneur staff. (n. d.). Word-of-mouth advertising. Retrieved from
://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/word-of-mouth- advertising

http

2. Purcell, K. (2011, August 08). Search and email still top the list of most popular online activities.
Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2011/08/09/search-and-email-still -top-the-list-of-mostpopular-online-activities/
3. Chen, Clement C.; Jones, Keith T.; Xu, Shawn (2012, November). The Communication Methods of
Today's Students. Retrieved from https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-2869192151/the-communicationmethods-of-today-s-students
4. Go, A. (2010). Text Message Alerts--a First Look. U.S. News & World Report, 144(1), 66.
5. Boyer, S. L., Edmondson, D. R., Baker, B., & Solomon, P. (2015). WORD-OF-MOUTH,
TRADITIONAL
AND COVERT MARKETING: COMPARATIVE STUDIES. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 19(1), 102-119.
Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1693219457?accountid= 37705
6. University of New Hampshire. Bringing in the Bystander. Durham: University of New Hampshire.
7. Duggan, M. (2015). The demographics of social media users. Retrieved from
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/19/the-demographics-of-social-media-users/
8. Mount, Matthew, and Marian Garcia Martinez. "Social Media: A TOOL FOR OPEN INNOVATION."
California Management Review 56.4 (2014): 124-143. Business Source Complete. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.
9. Carlson, Ashley, and C. Christopher Lee. Followership and Social Media Marketing. Academy of
Marketing Studies Journal 19.1 (2015): 80-101. Business Source Complete.