This guide suggests resources and strategies for research on marketing and the related areas of advertising and public relations.  See also the Advertising Research Guide.

Background Information  |  Directories  |  Find Articles  |  Find Books 

Demographics  |   People  |  Organizations   |  Web Resources  |  Additional Resources 

Background Information (Overview Sources)

Encyclopedias and other reference works are an excellent place to start a research project or simply learn more about a particular topic.  They provide topic summaries, context, and bibliographies for further reading.
 
The Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising, 3V.
R 659.103 Ad964
Advertising Media A to Z: The Definitive Resource for Media Planning, Buying, and Research  R 659.103 Su778a
Dictionary of Marketing Terms  R 380.103 D561 1994 
Encyclopedia of Major Marketing Campaigns 
R 659.10973 En196 
Encyclopedia of the Consumer Movement  R 381.3203 En19   
NTC's Dictionary of Advertising  R 659.103 W634n2

A list of people, companies, organizations, etc., commonly in alphabetical order, providing contact and other brief information.

Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook  R 384.540973 B78311 
Bacon's Radio Directory: Directory of Radio Stations Programming Contacts  R 384.5402573 B13696
Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media, 4V.
R 070 Ay2414 
O'Dwyer's Directory of Public Relations Firms 
R 338.7616592 Od9d
Standard Directory of Advertisers, 2V.  R 659.102573 St24

Search indexes, abstracts, and databases to find journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.  For a complete list of Kent Library's online indexes and databases, see the Find: articles page.

To find recent articles and scholarly/peer-reviewed articles use the following online databases:

ABI/inform Complete 
Academic Search Premier
Edgar
Westlaw Campus Research
Wilson Omnifile

Use the Kent Library Catalog to find books, periodicals (journals, magazines, & newspapers), videos, government documents and other materials.

Keyword searches allow you to use your own words as search terms.
Subject heading searches use Library of Congress subject headings.

Advertising
Internet Marketing
Marketing
Market Segmentation
Product Life Cycle
Public Relations

[go to top of page]

Browse the shelves by call number.  Use the Dewey Decimal chart to get you in the right subject areas or try the following:

338 production
380-381 commerce
658 general management
659 advertising & public relations

Population or consumer statistics regarding socioeconomic factors.  These statistics are frequently used to target markets. 

American Generations: Who They Are and How They Lived  R 317.3 M695ag
The American Marketplace: Demographics and Spending Patterns  R 317.3 Am3562
American Men: Who They Are and How They Lived R 305.310973 Am3563
The Baby Boom: Americans Aged 35-54
 R  305.2440973 R9123b2 

Consumer Expenditure Survey
http://www.bls.gov/cex/home.htm
FEDSTATS
http://www.fedstats.gov
Statistical Abstract of the United States
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
The Gallup Organization
http://www.gallup.com
U.S. Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov
 

Learn about important people, such as authors, researchers & historical figures related to this topic or field.

Management Innovators: The People and Ideas that have Shaped Modern Business  658.0092273 W926m
The Ad Men and Women: A Biographical Dictionary of Advertising  R 926.591 Ad1 
 

Professional organizations and/or societies often provide very useful topic related information.

American Association of Advertising Agencies
http://www.aaaa.org/eweb/startpage.aspx
American Marketing Association
http://www.marketingpower.com/
Direct Marketing Association
http://www.the-dma.org
Marketing Research Association
http://www.mra-net.org/
PRSA (Public Relations Society of America)
http://www.prsa.org/
 

Advertising World
http://advertising.utexas.edu/world
KnowThis: Knowledge Source for Marketing
http://www.knowthis.com/
U.S. Commercial Service
http://trade.gov/cs/
 

For a list of Web searching tools, see the Find: web resources page.

After Fifty: How the Baby Boom Will Redefine the Mature Market 658.834 Af89
Breaking into Advertising: How to Market Yourself Like a Professional  R 331.712 Sm61b