Final Post

As the semester is coming to a close, this will be my final blog post.  I hope you have enjoyed my posts throughout the semester as I have given you a taste of Public Relations within the fitness and supplement industry.  However,  this week I will once again veer away from this topic and comment on two of my classmates' blogs for the last time.

A blog post that I found very interesting to read was Charlie Niland's post on experimental research within the field of medicine.  As expected, experimental research is vital in this field as scientists are constantly experimenting with different products and antibiotics to be able to put them on the market to benefit people's health.  Charlie touched upon the extent of experimental research that goes on within the field and also points out the question of ethics.  He provided a very informational article that talks about the role of ethics in medical developments, leaving readers room to think about the role of experimental research in the field of medicine. 

Another blog post that I found very interesting was Lindsey Hock's post on experimental research surrounding media violence.  Lindsey's post was very in-depth as she examined experiments that had been done investigating media violence to benefit major networks such as NBC and CBS.  She also provided an expeirment that was done by NBC in the 1970s so the reader can see how experimental research has evolved throughout the years.  The post was very informative in how experimental research was conducted to examine sociology and psychology of individuals to benefit a major network such as NBC.

And there you have it.  I hope you have enjoyed my posts each week throughout the semester.  I have learned a great amount of Public Relations Research within the fitness and supplement industry as well as other classmates' topics.  In conclusion, I ahve learned that a variety of PR Research methods can be conducted to benefit all industries throughout the world.

Experimental Research

This week I will focus my blog on experimental research, which plays a big role in the fitness and supplement industry.  Consumers are constantly conducting experiments on their own after purchasing different supplements.  For example, an avid user of supplements will record his or her statistics of weights while working out on a specific supplement.  Then, after a couple weeks of working out without supplements, that person may try another supplement and record statistics from lifts while using that specific product.  In this case, the control would be that person's lifts without using any supplements, making it very easy to manipulate each supplement to yield results.  Here is an article of an example of a supplement user conducting an experiment with a new product.

Another way experiment research is used within the industry is where companies hire "testers" to use their product then provide opinions and results after using the supplement.  This is an experimental method where companies can get intensive feedback from consumers who experience the product first-hand.

In my opinion, experimental research is constantly being done within the fitness and supplement industry.  Both companies and consumers are constantly conducting experiments with specific products to benefit both the supplier and the buyer.

Survey Research

This week I will focus my attention to surveys, which is a very efficient quantitative research method.  If conducted correctly, surveys are very beneficial while also being time efficient and inexpensive.  Surveys yield statistical data and can be used to discover a vast variety of information.

Surveys in the fitness and supplement industry can be used for a broad range of topics.  The most obvious type of survey is used to rate supplements on a number system.  For example, users are able to rate supplements on various online databases through a survey method.  A number system is given for each supplement where users can rate the products on a scale of 1-10.  This yields fast and inexpensive data for companies and other customers.  Secondly, surveys are used for companies to find out more information on consumers and how it will affect their consumer behavior.  Companies often conduct surveys to get the latest information on customers which will improve the way they market their products.  Another way in which surveys are used is within customer service.  These are surveys with basic questions regarding their latest purchase from that company.  In an industry where customers are dependent on others to help them make decisions upon purchase, a survey method can be very beneficial in evaluating a company's customer service.

As you see, surveys are a vital research method that can yield a variety of statistical data to inform both companies and consumers regarding the fitness and supplement industry.  In my opinion, surveys are the most efficient method of quantitative research because it is very time efficient and inexpensive.