1. Socket
Group E
Cory Hawkins
Wenbo Wang
Dani Brauss
Anthony Munoz
Vanessa Salomon
Table of Contents
1- Title Page
2- Table of Contents

2. (3-4)- Managerial Summary
5- Background and Objectives
6- Methods Used to Obtain Information
(7-16)- Results
17- Limitations, Summary, and Recommendations
(18-25)- Appendix
Managerial Summary
Socket was an amazing client to have for this project. They are a local phone and internet
provider in the Columbia area but have coverage areas in Jefferson City, Sedalia, Moberly, a
fiber territory in Fulton and much more. While they already do an excellent job of reaching a
target market, Socket suggested that their Marketing 4050 group of students research how much
the college demographic even knew about internet packages. They were interested if students
were even really aware what a megabyte meant, and how they could use information like this to

3. better market to students. Socket also had informed their marketing group that in the past they
reached Mizzou students by attending the Housing Fair. The Marketing 4050 group also
researched how much Socket could better reach students. For example, should they utilize more
social media pages? Could they potentially sponsor campus events? And what in general would
be the best product offering they could offer students?
First, the Marketing group of students created a list of objectives. If the survey would
answer all of these objectives, then ultimately Socket’s “problem” would be solved. There were
eight objectives total, but some of the most important ones were: How much do students actually
know about internet packages and how can we more effectively market to them based on this
knowledge? The group also asked how satisfied students were with their current provider, and
more specifically who their internet was being provided by. With this knowledge Socket could
target a specific competitor in the Columbia region, and gain more customers.
The Marketing group of students created a 29 question survey. The survey was created
using Mizzou Quadratics, and had several customized paths within it. For example, a student that
would answer “yes” on a certain customized question would have a different path to take in the
survey than the student that would answer “no”. The survey in general consisted of mostly
nominal questions, and a few scaled response questions. Some of the questions called for a short
answer response as well.
The survey was administered to respondents via facebook. The Marketing 4050 group
tried their best to target respondents that lived off campus that they knew had a provider other
than Socket. It was a little difficult to convince students to take a survey about their internet
provider, yet the group was still able to get 62 respondents, 50 female, and 12 male.
Based on the results the Marketing 4050 group was able to identify some key trends. One
of the biggest observations was that Socket should be targeting East and West campus. Half of
the respondents live in this area of Columbia, and most students would be intrigued with
Socket’s “not a penny more” pricing style. Half of the respondents reported that they use
Mediacom, and one third of the respondents used CenturyLink. With this information Socket
should target these providers. One of the questions asked on the survey was how much the total
bill was that the students pay. The mean response was $88 per apartment/ home. While
Mediacom and Centurylink both provide cable services within this price, this shows that
Socket’s pricing structure is right on point in comparison to the market.
Another interesting trend was that of the 62 respondents, only 10 of them had “heard of
Socket”, and of these 10 responses most of them knew someone who worked there. It is also
interesting to note that most of the students found their current provider from a friend. Socket
offers a wonderful referral program, and if they could advertise this a little more to their
customers, students would absolutely be likely to cash in that credit. The Marketing 4050 group
also found that women are more likely to pay for a better service than men, and at least one third
of the respondents were dissatisfied with their services.
The Marketing 4050 group also discover that many of the respondents did in fact attend
the housing fair. However, it also found that students are likely to go to Greek philanthropic
events, sporting events, and read ad sheets. There is also an AroundCampus app that offers
discounts to students. If Socket could utilize some of these events, it could help gain more brand
recognition on campus.
Overall, the researchers found that in comparison with other providers Socket has a great
offering. The only area they are lacking is with their brand recognition with students. If they
could have more of a presence on the Mizzou Campus, and establish more student customers to

4. refer them as a provider, the possibilities are endless. The rest of this report will show exact
responses to questions, even more information on this research project, and even
recommendations from students on how to get the word out about Socket.
Background and Objectives
A. Background of the Project
The purpose of this project was to give Marketing 4050 students the opportunity to apply
concepts discussed in this course to solve a problem for a REAL client. Group E chose to solve a
“marketing problem” for Socket, a Columbia based business that provides internet, phone, and
recently TV services to the Columbia and Jefferson City areas. The client was Allie Schomaker,
who is the Marketing Manager. Socket already reaches nearly 20,000 residential and business
customers, but the goal of this research was to see how Socket could better market to college
students, as well as find out how much this age group even knew about internet packages. Using
concepts learned in Marketing 4050, a survey was generated to solve this marketing problem and
results were analyzed.
B. Statement of the Research Problem

5. Socket wanted to know how much students actually knew about internet services. They
wanted to know how familiar students were with talking about internet packages. Finally, Socket
was interested in how to better market to the college age demographic.
C. List of Research Objectives
1. Are students purchasing their own internet packages or is it being provided by
their leases/ landlord?
2. How much are students willing to pay for their phone and internet services?
3. Is Socket more likely to sell to off-campus housing or apartment complexes?
4. Is Socket’s social media presence more effective than other forms of advertising
media?
5. How satisfied are students with their current phone/ internet services?
6. How can Socket better reach its target customers?
7. How much do students actually know about internet packages and how can we
more effectively market to them based on this knowledge?
8. What should Socket’s target market be if it were to rebrand to college students?
Methods Used to Obtain Information
A. Description of the Questionnaire- The survey was generated using the Mizzou Quadratics
system. The survey mostly included nominal questions to gain some perspective on what
students were paying for their internet, who their providers were, what they would be
willing to pay, how much they knew about their current service, and much more. The
survey also included scaled response questions so it could be determined how the
respondents preferred to see ads, and which social media outlets they used this most.
B. Data Collection Method Sampling Plan ( The sampling plan should be in prose form, not
outline form)-
The best way to generate responses for this survey was by posting the link on social
media accounts of members of the groups. The social media platform most used was Facebook.
This gave the surveyors some control over who could take the survey to try to have most
respondents live off campus using a competing provider.
C. Description of Sample Obtained-

6. For the effectiveness of the survey, it was crucial that the sample obtained would be able
to give Socket a better idea of how to solve the overall problem. The sample consisted of college
aged students aged 18-22, and the group tried it’s best to focus on students who lived off
campus, since most dorms have Mizzou Wireless already in place as part of Student dues. The
total sample size was 62 respondents. The survey did not ask for any form of ethnicity from the
respondents. There were 12 male respondents and 50 female respondents. With this in mind, the
sample was not a perfect depiction of a Mizzou campus but the survey still gives valuable
insight.
Results
Objective 1:
Are students purchasing their own phone and internet plans or are they being provided plans with
their leases?
Survey Questions:
Question 1 - Where do you live?
Question 2 - Does your landlord or apartment complex provide your internet services?
Question 8 - Which complex are you currently a resident at?
Question 9 - Are rates for internet included in your monthly rent, or a separate cost?
Question 25 - Who is your current internet provider?
Findings:
By using cross tabulation between questions one and question two, the research results show that
23 out of the 25 people who live in apartment complexes are already provided with internet
service (Table 1.2). Because of this finding, Socket should be marketing toward the niche of
students who are living in off campus housing on East and West campus. Out of the 62
respondents that answered questions one and two, 28 of them lived in East or West campus
houses, which is almost half of the sample. The students who live in these areas place high value
on low prices and would therefore see more value in the low prices offered by Socket. Socket’s

7. main competitor at the moment would be Mediacom. Out of the 51 people who answered
question 25, 45% of them are currently using Mediacom (Table 1.4). Because most of the
respondents seem to be unsatisfied with their current internet quality, current Mediacom users
would be an optimal target for Socket to use. A second competitor to Socket would be
CenturyLink. Because 33% of respondents are currently using CenturyLink, this proportion of
the sample would be a useful target as well.
Tables and Figures:
Table 1.1
Statistics
Where do you live?
Does your landlord or apartment complex
provide your internet services?
N Valid 62 62
Missing 0 0
Table 1.2
Where do you live? * Does your landlord or apartment complex provide your internet services? Cross
tabulation
Count
Does your landlord or apartment
complex provide your internet
services?
TotalYes No
Where do you live? Greek Housing 3 0 3
Apartment Complex 23 2 25
Dorm 2 1 3
East Campus 1 25 26
West Campus 0 2 2

8. Other 2 1 3
Total 31 31 62
Chart 1.1
Table 1.3
Statistics
Who is your current internet provider?
N Valid 51
Missing 11
Table 1.4
Who is your current internet provider?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Century Link 17 27.4 33.3 33.3
Mediacom 23 37.1 45.1 78.4
Dish 2 3.2 3.9 82.4
My housing unit takes 8 12.9 15.7 98.0

9. care of it
Other 1 1.6 2.0 100.0
Total 51 82.3 100.0
Missing System 11 17.7
Total 62 100.0
Chart 1.2
Objective 2:
How much are students willing to
pay for phone and internet services?
Survey Questions:
Question 22 - How much are students willing to pay for phone and internet services?
Question 26 - How much do you pay monthly for your current internet provider? (Total bill with all
roommates included)
Findings:
The amount the students currently pay for their internet services was able to be determined by
studying the frequencies of question 22 (Table 2.2). Out of the 62 respondents that answered
question 22, only 26 of the responses were valid for the uses of the research objective. Out of
these responses, the mean, median, mode and range of the data was determined. The range of
data is 130, spanning between $10 a month and $140 a month. Because the question asks for the
total bill between roommates, these outliers could be due to uninformed respondents or typos.
Within the valid responses, the mean was $88, the median was $94, and the mode was $80. Even
though college students lean more towards price value models, 24 out of the 62 respondents
reported that they would be willing to pay more for better internet service (Table 2.3). Because
this is almost 50% of the sample, Socket could potentially see more profits by marketing to these
students who want better service. It is important to note that some of Socket’s competitors
provide TV services as well. Pricing somewhere between $70-$90 would be the most beneficial
for their business, if they are competing directly with cable companies. They could also price
lower due to not having TV services quite yet in the Columbia area.

10. Tables and Figures:
Table 2.1
Statistics
How much do you
pay monthly for your
current internet
provider? (Total bill
with all roommates
in...
Would you be willing
to pay more for better
service?
N Valid 62 49
Missing 0 13
Table 2.2
How much do you pay monthly for your current internet provider? (Total bill with all roommates in...
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid 15 24.2 24.2 24.2
? 1 1.6 1.6 25.8
? it’s in our rent. 1 1.6 1.6 27.4
$100 2 3.2 3.2 30.6
$120 bundled with cable 1 1.6 1.6 32.3
$140 1 1.6 1.6 33.9
$29 1 1.6 1.6 35.5
$53/month 1 1.6 1.6 37.1
$75 1 1.6 1.6 38.7
$80 1 1.6 1.6 40.3

11. 0 1 1.6 1.6 41.9
10.00 1 1.6 1.6 43.5
100 2 3.2 3.2 46.8
109-cable and internet 1 1.6 1.6 48.4
112.00 1 1.6 1.6 50.0
120 1 1.6 1.6 51.6
120$ 1 1.6 1.6 53.2
125 1 1.6 1.6 54.8
140+ 1 1.6 1.6 56.5
15 1 1.6 1.6 58.1
56 1 1.6 1.6 59.7
60 3 4.8 4.8 64.5
80 2 3.2 3.2 67.7
80 something 1 1.6 1.6 69.4
90 1 1.6 1.6 71.0
98.00 1 1.6 1.6 72.6
Added in to bill 1 1.6 1.6 74.2
around $80-90 1 1.6 1.6 75.8
Check 1 1.6 1.6 77.4
I don't know 1 1.6 1.6 79.0
I dontknow 1 1.6 1.6 80.6
IDK 1 1.6 1.6 82.3
Idk included in rent 1 1.6 1.6 83.9
Included in rent 2 3.2 3.2 87.1
Included in Rent 1 1.6 1.6 88.7

12. It's includes in a $600 rent 1 1.6 1.6 90.3
NA 1 1.6 1.6 91.9
no idea 1 1.6 1.6 93.5
No idea 1 1.6 1.6 95.2
not sure - its included 1 1.6 1.6 96.8
not sure,paired with
cable,$106...ish
1 1.6 1.6 98.4
unaware 1 1.6 1.6 100.0
Total 62 100.0 100.0
Table 2.3
Would you be willing to pay more for better service?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Yes 24 38.7 49.0 49.0
No 25 40.3 51.0 100.0
Total 49 79.0 100.0
Missing System 13 21.0
Total 62 100.0
Chart 2.1

13. Objective 3:
Is Socket more likely to sell to off campus housing or to apartment buildings?
Survey Questions:
Question 3 - Did they recommend a certain provider to you?
Question 4 - What internet provider did they recommend?
Question 5 - Does your landlord or apartment complex provide your internet services?
Question 7 - Which provider do you or your apartment complex use?
Findings:
As previously stated, almost half of the valid sample of respondents lived in East and West
campus housing. This correlates with the theory that a large majority of Mizzou students live in
these areas. This area would be most beneficial for a second factor as well which is that
apartment complexes usually provide their own internet/cable packages. From the cross
tabulation of results from questions five and seven, this theory would seem to be accurate. Out of
the 58 valid respondents, only half of the respondents indicated that their residential areas
provided internet packages (Table 3.2). Out of these 29 people that were not provided with
internet services 16 of them were told to use Century Link while 11 of them were recommended
Mediacom. Socket is missing a large areas of prospective buyers by not making deals with
apartment complexes. If they could get certain apartment complexes to praise the Socket services
to residents, they could potentially see benefits. Even though this area could see potential, it will
be more beneficial for Socket to market to off campus housing than to attempt to break pre-
existing contracts that apartment complexes already have with other internet providers.

14. Tables and Figures:
Table 3.1
Case Processing Summary
Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percent N Percent N Percent
Which provider do you or
your apartmentcomplex
use? * Does your landlord
or apartmentcomplex
provide your internet
services?
58 93.5% 4 6.5% 62 100.0%
Table 3.2
Which provider do you or your apartment complex use? * Does your landlord or apartment complex
provide your internet services? Cross tabulation
Count
Does your landlord or apartment
complex provide your internet
services?
TotalYes No
Which provider do you or
your apartmentcomplex
use?
Century Link 1 16 17
Mediacom 14 11 25
Dish 2 0 2
My housing unittakes care
of it
4 1 5
Other 0 1 1
Unaware 8 0 8

15. Total 29 29 58
Chart 3.1
Objective 4:
Is Socket’s social media presence more effective than other forms of advertising media?
Survey Questions:
Question 10 - Have you ever heard of Socket?
Question 11 - How did you hear of Socket?
Question 12 - How did you find your current internet provider?
Question 13 - Did you visit any of your current provider’s social media before purchasing their services?
Question 14 - Which social media account of theirs did you visit?
Findings:
According to the findings, Socket is lacking in brand awareness. Of the 58 people who answered
question 10 only 36.2% of them had heard of Socket (Table 4.9). According to the responses
from question 11, the main source of awareness is through word of mouth (Table 4.2). The two
main sources of awareness for comparable internet providers according to 51 of the respondents
are word of mouth and provision from place of residence (Table 4.7). Only four people out of 58
respondents actually made an effort to look at social media outlets for their current internet
providers (Table 4.5). Because of this, increasing awareness through social media may not be the
most beneficial way. TV advertising and ad sheets have proven to be more effective so
development should be made in these areas. It is also interesting to note that the majority of
respondents found their current provider because a friend recommended it to them. Socket offers
a wonderful referral program, and it would be extremely beneficial for them to market this,
considering that regardless of the provider, referrals are the most common way for customers to
choose their own provider.
Tables and Figures:
Table 4.1

16. Case Processing Summary
Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percent N Percent N Percent
How did you hear of
Socket? * Have you ever
heard of Socket?
58 93.5% 4 6.5% 62 100.0%
Table 4.2
How did you hear of Socket? * Have you ever heard of Socket? Cross tabulation
Count
Have you ever heard of Socket?
TotalYes No
How did you hear of
Socket?
2 37 39
A friend 1 0 1
Ad sheet 1 0 1
ads 1 0 1
Classmate 1 0 1
Friend 1 0 1
Friends 2 0 2
Friends on campus and
campus promotions
1 0 1
Friends work there 1 0 1
I knew someone who
worked for Socket
1 0 1

17. freshman year
Living in the Columbia Area
since I was a child,drive
pastthe building many
times
1 0 1
On campus events 1 0 1
Rando 1 0 1
Roommate 1 0 1
Roommates work there 1 0 1
Sister worked there 1 0 1
TV 1 0 1
TV/billboard 1 0 1
work there 1 0 1
Total 21 37 58
Chart 4.1
Table 4.3
Case Processing Summary
Cases
Valid Missing Total

18. N Percent N Percent N Percent
Which social media
accountof theirs did you
visit? * Did you visit any of
your currentprovider's
social media before
purchasing their services?
58 93.5% 4 6.5% 62 100.0%
Table 4.4
Case Processing Summary
Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percent N Percent N Percent
Which social media
accountof theirs did you
visit? * Did you visit any of
your currentprovider's
social media before
purchasing their services?
58 93.5% 4 6.5% 62 100.0%
Table 4.5
Which social media account of theirs did you visit? * Did you visit any of your current provider's social
media before purchasing their services? Cross tabulation
Count
Did you visit any of your currentprovider's
social media before purchasing their
services?
TotalYes No
Which social media accountof
theirs did you visit?
2 54 56
Web Site 1 0 1

19. Website 1 0 1
Total 4 54 58
Table 4.6
Case Processing Summary
Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percent N Percent N Percent
How did you find your
current internetprovider? *
What is your gender?
51 82.3% 11 17.7% 62 100.0%
Table 4.7
How did you find your current internet provider? * What is your gender? Cross tabulation
Count
What is your gender?
TotalMale Female Other
How did you find your
current internetprovider?
0 3 0 3
Apartment 0 1 0 1
apartmentcomplex 0 1 0 1
Asked around 0 1 0 1
Came with a utilities
bundle
0 1 0 1
commercials 0 1 0 1
Complextold us about it 1 0 0 1

20. and we have to login to
their portal every so often.
Didn't have a choice 0 1 0 1
friend 0 1 0 1
Friend 1 1 0 2
Friends 0 1 0 1
I didn't, the landlord takes
care of it
0 1 0 1
I wanted a good cable
service that provided
internetas well and did
research and found
CenturyLink was my best
offer
0 1 0 1
I'm not sure,mostknown
name
1 0 0 1
included 0 0 1 1
It was provided 2 0 0 2
it was provided by my
apartmentcomplex
0 1 0 1
It was the only one
available
1 0 0 1
It's taken care of by
apartment
0 1 0 1
Landlord 0 1 0 1
Landlord recommended 0 1 0 1
My apartmentcomplex
provided it
0 1 0 1
onljne 1 0 0 1
Only one available for our 0 1 0 1

21. house
paired with cable
company
0 1 0 1
Previous experience with
family internet
0 1 0 1
Previous residents 0 1 0 1
Provided 0 2 0 2
Provided by apartment
complex
0 1 0 1
Provided for me 1 0 0 1
provided for me through
apartmentcomplex
0 1 0 1
Recommended by
landlord
0 1 0 1
recommended to us last
year from a friend
0 1 0 1
referred by friend 0 1 0 1
Research bestdeals 0 1 0 1
Roomie 0 1 0 1
Roommate did the
research
0 1 0 1
roommate setitup 0 1 0 1
Sufficient 1 0 0 1
through brookside 0 1 0 1
Through my apartment 0 1 0 1
Was forced into it 1 0 0 1
Word of mouth 2 2 0 4

22. Total 12 38 1 51
Table 4.8
Statistics
Have you ever heard of Socket?
N Valid 58
Missing 4
Table 4.9
Have you ever heard of Socket?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Yes 21 33.9 36.2 36.2
No 37 59.7 63.8 100.0
Total 58 93.5 100.0
Missing System 4 6.5
Total 62 100.0
Chart 4.2

23. Objective 5:
How satisfied are students with their current phone/ internet services?
Survey Questions:
Question 5 - Could you please select the current quality of service which you are receiving at
your complex?
Question 16 - What are some things you like about your current provider?
Question 17 - What are some things you dislike about your current provider?
Question 18 - Did you have to sign a year-long contract?
Question 20 - Would you and your roommates be interested in a 9-month contract if it was
prorated? (i.e. one free month of internet)
Question 27 - Would you be willing to pay more for better services?
Question 29 - Does this speed meet your needs?
Findings:
According to the data analysis, there is no significant difference between gender and satisfaction
with internet services. There is a significant difference, though, between gender and whether
someone would pay more for better services. Seven out of twelve men that were surveyed would
pay more better services while only 16 out of 36 women that were surveyed would pay more for
better services (Table 5.7). This could mean that Socket might have a better opportunity
marketing to men rather than women. What was shocking was that only 9% of respondents found
their service quality to be superior (Table 5.2). This being true, there was also 41% that found it
to meet their needs and 29% reported having services that did not meet their needs. Socket
should try to market to those who rank their satisfaction as neutral, does not meet my
expectations, and terrible. These would be the people who would be interested in switching
internet providers. Because more people gave responses to question 17 in comparison to question
16, it is safe to assume that there tends to be more dissatisfaction with the current providers
(Tables 5.4 and 5.5).
Tables and Figures:
Table 5.1
Statistics
Could you please selectthe current quality of service
which you are receiving at your complex?
N Valid 34
Missing 28
Table 5.2

24. Could you please select the current quality of service which you are receiving at your complex?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Superior 3 4.8 8.8 8.8
Meets my expectations 14 22.6 41.2 50.0
Neutral 6 9.7 17.6 67.6
Does notmeetmy
expectations all of the time
10 16.1 29.4 97.1
Terrible 1 1.6 2.9 100.0
Total 34 54.8 100.0
Missing System 28 45.2
Total 62 100.0
Chart 5.1
Table 5.3
Statistics

25. What are some things
you like about your
current internet provider?
What are some things
you dislike about your
current provider?
N Valid 62 62
Missing 0 0
Table 5.4
What are some things you like about your current internet provider?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid 17 27.4 27.4 27.4
Already installed into myunit 1 1.6 1.6 29.0
cheap 1 1.6 1.6 30.6
Cheap 2 3.2 3.2 33.9
Customer service 1 1.6 1.6 35.5
easy to connectto 1 1.6 1.6 37.1
Easy to set up 1 1.6 1.6 38.7
fairly cheap 1 1.6 1.6 40.3
fast 1 1.6 1.6 41.9
Fast 1 1.6 1.6 43.5
Fast and reliable 1 1.6 1.6 45.2
Fast usually 1 1.6 1.6 46.8
Fast, mostlyreliable 1 1.6 1.6 48.4
High speed and somewhat
cheap
1 1.6 1.6 50.0
I don't have many problems 1 1.6 1.6 51.6
I have wireless and Ethernet 1 1.6 1.6 53.2

26. capability
it doesn'tgo out, it's fast 1 1.6 1.6 54.8
It is the same as our cable,
so it's only one bill to worry
about
1 1.6 1.6 56.5
It provides internet 1 1.6 1.6 58.1
it works 1 1.6 1.6 59.7
It works 1 1.6 1.6 61.3
It works mostofthe time 1 1.6 1.6 62.9
It works usually 1 1.6 1.6 64.5
It works well with a lot of
roommates on it, no contract
needed,good customer
service
1 1.6 1.6 66.1
Justsatisfactory 1 1.6 1.6 67.7
n/a 1 1.6 1.6 69.4
never have faulty or slow
connection
1 1.6 1.6 71.0
No contract 1 1.6 1.6 72.6
None 2 3.2 3.2 75.8
Not too expensive, never
cuts out
1 1.6 1.6 77.4
not very expensive 1 1.6 1.6 79.0
Nothing 2 3.2 3.2 82.3
nothing-they're pretty shitty. 1 1.6 1.6 83.9
paired with cable 1 1.6 1.6 85.5
quality service 1 1.6 1.6 87.1
Rarely disconnected 1 1.6 1.6 88.7

27. Reliable 2 3.2 3.2 91.9
Reliable internetservice 1 1.6 1.6 93.5
They have wireless 1 1.6 1.6 95.2
They're ok 1 1.6 1.6 96.8
Wireless,HD 1 1.6 1.6 98.4
Works fine 1 1.6 1.6 100.0
Total 62 100.0 100.0
Table 5.5
What are some things you dislike about your current provider?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid 14 22.6 22.6 22.6
customer service is poor 1 1.6 1.6 24.2
cuts out sometimes 1 1.6 1.6 25.8
Doesn'talways have the best
reliability
1 1.6 1.6 27.4
Doesn'twork sometimes 1 1.6 1.6 29.0
Everything 1 1.6 1.6 30.6
For some reason itis really
slow at odd times when no
one is on it 2:00 am - 5:00
am
1 1.6 1.6 32.3
frequently does notwork 1 1.6 1.6 33.9
It doesn'talways work 1 1.6 1.6 35.5
it doesn'twork all of the time 1 1.6 1.6 37.1
It often doesn'twork or is
incrediblyslow at certain
1 1.6 1.6 38.7

28. times ofday.
It was the only choice we
had so we couldn'trate shop
1 1.6 1.6 40.3
It's slow 1 1.6 1.6 41.9
Many glitches,DVR doesn't
always work
1 1.6 1.6 43.5
mediacom justkind ofsucks 1 1.6 1.6 45.2
my netflix/hulu/hbo go takes
forever to load,stops and
starts
1 1.6 1.6 46.8
n/a 2 3.2 3.2 50.0
no TV guide/hard to find
channels/don'toffer all
channels Iwould like
1 1.6 1.6 51.6
not the bestwifi 1 1.6 1.6 53.2
Occasionallystops working 1 1.6 1.6 54.8
service skips outand
wireless radius is awful
1 1.6 1.6 56.5
slow 1 1.6 1.6 58.1
Slow 3 4.8 4.8 62.9
Slow connection,spotty
connection,poor customer
service
1 1.6 1.6 64.5
slow inetspeeds 1 1.6 1.6 66.1
slow service,poor
maintenance,and they
literally told me that their
internetboxes are awful
1 1.6 1.6 67.7
Slow sometimes 1 1.6 1.6 69.4
Slow speeds attimes 1 1.6 1.6 71.0

29. Slow, rude,unhelpful,poor
quality and service
1 1.6 1.6 72.6
SO SLOW 1 1.6 1.6 74.2
Sometimes itdoesn'twork 1 1.6 1.6 75.8
sometimes slow.Goes in
and out
1 1.6 1.6 77.4
Sometimes spottyservice,
difficult to be connected to
customer service
1 1.6 1.6 79.0
sometimes super slow 1 1.6 1.6 80.6
Sometimes the customer
service people are jerks
1 1.6 1.6 82.3
Sometimes very slow 1 1.6 1.6 83.9
Spotty service, unreliable,
had to provide my own hot
spotto make I wireless
1 1.6 1.6 85.5
spotty wifi, half the time
cable doesn'twork
1 1.6 1.6 87.1
sucky quality throughout
three floors
1 1.6 1.6 88.7
the name 1 1.6 1.6 90.3
the price 1 1.6 1.6 91.9
There are times when it is
very slow
1 1.6 1.6 93.5
They shutoff our internet! 1 1.6 1.6 95.2
When I can't connect 1 1.6 1.6 96.8
when it crashes takes awhile
to fix
1 1.6 1.6 98.4
You have to register your
MAC Addresses for each
1 1.6 1.6 100.0

30. productyou have so that's a
hassle,their wireless access
points are so slow that I have
to use my own, and they
have a lot of network issues.
Total 62 100.0 100.0
Table 5.6
Case Processing Summary
Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percent N Percent N Percent
Would you be willing to pay
more for better service? *
What is your gender?
49 79.0% 13 21.0% 62 100.0%
Table 5.7
Would you be willing to pay more for better service? * What is your gender? Cross tabulation
Count
What is your gender?
TotalMale Female Other
Would you be willing to pay more
for better service?
Yes 7 16 1 24
No 5 20 0 25
Total 12 36 1 49
Chart 5.2

31. Objective 6:
How can Socket better reach its target customers?
Survey Questions:
Question 15 - Could you please rank which is the best way for advertisements to reach you.
(Scale of 8. 1= Best, 8= Worst).
Question 19 - Could you please rank which campus events would be most beneficial for Socket
to attend so that they can spread their brand. (Scale of 6. 1= Best, 6= Worst)
Findings:
When respondents were asked to rank how to best reach them with advertisements, social media
was surprisingly not the first choice. Ranking first was billboard's followed then by personal
referrals, radio commercials, and emails (Table 6.1). 29% of the 55 respondents ranking
billboards highly should be a sign that Socket should invest in the area of highway advertising.
This data shows that, in the long run, social media plays a very small role in the awareness of
internet providers. Socket’s budget should therefore be allocated to other areas. Socket should
expand upon their presence at the housing fair because 36% of the 53 respondents to question 19
report that the housing fair is the most beneficial campus event (Table 6.2). Because Speaker’s

32. Circle is a very high traffic area, it would also be beneficial to pass out flyers representing the
Socket brand, especially since 19% of the respondents ranked this occurrence highly.
Tables and Figures:
Table 6.1
Could you please rank which is the best way for advertisements to reach you. (Scale of 8. 1= Best...-Ad
Sheets
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Social
Media
2 3.2 3.6 3.6
Ad Sheets 5 8.1 9.1 12.7
Radio 9 14.5 16.4 29.1
Billboards 16 25.8 29.1 58.2
Referrals 10 16.1 18.2 76.4
E-mail 7 11.3 12.7 89.1
Snail Mail 5 8.1 9.1 98.2
Other 1 1.6 1.8 100.0
Total 55 88.7 100.0
Missing System 7 11.3
Total 62 100.0
Chart 6.1

33. Table 6.2
Could you please rank which campus events would be most beneficial for Socket to attend so that t...-
Housing Fair
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Housing Fair 19 30.6 35.8 35.8
Greek
Philanthropic
Sponsorship
9 14.5 17.0 52.8
Event in
Quad or Tiger
Plaza
7 11.3 13.2 66.0
Flyers in
Speakers
Circle
10 16.1 18.9 84.9
Mizzou
Sporting
Events
7 11.3 13.2 98.1
Other 1 1.6 1.9 100.0
Total 53 85.5 100.0
Missing System 9 14.5
Total 62 100.0
Chart 6.2

34. Objective 7:
How much do students actually know about internet packages and how can we more effectively
market to them based on this knowledge?
Survey Questions:
Question 6 - Is your service wireless? (No ethernet cords)
Question 21 - How comfortable are you with discussing internet packages?
Question 28 - Are you aware of what speed of internet you are currently receiving?
Findings:
According to the results, 93% of 58 respondents have wireless internet provision (Table 7.2).
This could be beneficial for Socket because they provide wireless services. What’s interesting is
that 3.4% of these respondents don’t even know whether they have wireless service. On top of
that, 76.9% of 52 respondents don’t know what speed they are getting through their wireless
internet (Table 7.6). It would seem that survey respondents, who are between the ages of 19 and
23, are fairly uninformed when considering their internet services (Table 7.4). Because of this, it

35. is important that Socket emphasizes on qualitative information when marketing toward college
students instead of focusing on quantitative information.
Tables and Figures:
Table 7.1
Statistics
Is your service wireless?(no Ethernet Cords)
N Valid 58
Missing 4
Table 7.2
Is your service wireless? (no Ethernet Cords)
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Yes 54 87.1 93.1 93.1
No 2 3.2 3.4 96.6
I don't know 2 3.2 3.4 100.0
Total 58 93.5 100.0
Missing System 4 6.5
Total 62 100.0
Table 7.3
Case Processing Summary
Cases
Included Excluded Total
N Percent N Percent N Percent
How comfortable are you
with discussing internet
packages? * How old are
you?
52 83.9% 10 16.1% 62 100.0%

36. Table 7.4
Report
How comfortable are you with discussing internetpackages?
How old are you? Mean N Std. Deviation
4.00 1 .
19 1.00 1 .
20 2.50 4 1.291
21 2.94 17 1.249
22 2.48 25 .963
23 1.67 3 .577
that's quite intrusive 2.00 1 .
Total 2.58 52 1.109
Table 7.5
Statistics
Are you aware of what speed ofinternet you are
currently receiving?
N Valid 52
Missing 10
Table 7.6
Are you aware of what speed of internet you are currently receiving?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Yes 12 19.4 23.1 23.1
No 40 64.5 76.9 100.0

37. Total 52 83.9 100.0
Missing System 10 16.1
Total 62 100.0
Objective 8:
What should Socket’s target market be if it were to rebrand to college students?
Survey Questions:
Question 23 - How old are you?
Question 24 - What is your gender?
Question 25 - Who is your current internet provider?
Findings:
Socket currently markets to local Columbia residents who tend to have a higher average age than
college students. If Socket wants to look at targeting college students, they’ll be marketing
towards an age group between 19 and 23 years of age. The 58 respondents within this age group
are fairly unaware of Socket’s current marketing efforts (Table 8.4). Of these respondents, only
21 of them have heard of Socket. Of the people that have heard of Socket, 12 of them are of the
age 22. Within the market of college students it would seem that the older students tend to more
aware of the company. This could be due to prolonged residence within the city or it could be
because these older students are in grad school and living further from campus where the brand
is more recognizable. More effort will be needed in order to market to the younger proportion of
college students. Like stated previously, Socket should look at Mediacom and CenturyLink users
as well. These users tend to have the highest rates of dissatisfaction among current internet
providers (Table 8.2).
Tables and Figures:

38. Table 8.1
Case Processing Summary
Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percent N Percent N Percent
Who is your current
internetprovider? * Does
this speed meetyour
needs?
12 19.4% 50 80.6% 62 100.0%
Table 8.2
Who is your current internet provider? * Does this speed meet your needs? Crosstabulation
Count
Does this speed meetyour needs?
TotalYes No
Who is your currentinternet
provider?
Century Link 2 1 3
Mediacom 3 4 7
My housing unittakes care
of it
0 1 1
Other 0 1 1
Total 5 7 12
Table 8.3
Case Processing Summary
Cases

39. Valid Missing Total
N Percent N Percent N Percent
How old are you? * Have
you ever heard of Socket?
58 93.5% 4 6.5% 62 100.0%
Table 8.4
How old are you? * Have you ever heard of Socket? Crosstabulation
Count
Have you ever heard of Socket?
TotalYes No
How old are you? 2 5 7
19 0 1 1
20 2 2 4
21 2 15 17
22 12 13 25
23 2 1 3
that's quite intrusive 1 0 1
Total 21 37 58

40. LIMITATIONS, SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
a. Major limitations of the project
This project’s main limitations involved getting respondents to not only initiate taking the survey
but also to get them to complete the survey. Distributing the survey to numerous trusted students whom
could return valuable responses required great effort and time. With that, these respondents had to
complete the entire survey which had many short answer response. Questions involving these types of
answers often can be challenging and annoying for respondents. Also, the survey was very comprehensive
therefore it was not short by any means and required some time to complete.
b. Summary and key findings
-Media.com controls market share of college students
-East/West Campus Students = Optimal Target Market for Socket
-Socket is under-marketed towards college students
-Many reports of slow internet speed among college students
-Students are willing to pay for better service
These results provide possible solutions to the initial problem which our research is to address,
that being how can Socket do a better job of marketing towards college students/penetrate the market.
These findings make it clear that there is a need for quality internet, like Socket, within the college
community here in Columbia. These findings also make it clear where the need is and who the top
competition is. Also, these findings indicate the competitions performance in the eyes of students.
c. Recommendations:
These recommendations directly address what the findings have suggested. Through actions such
as these,Socket can have tremendous success within the student market here in Columbia.
Recommendations:
-Target Media.com Customers
-Campus Events/Promotions

41. -Social Media Campaign
-Continue to avoid using internet “jargon” when advertising/make said advertisements available
on campus to students
Appendix
a. A copy of the questionnaire that is identical to the one used in the study.
1. Where do you live?
a. Greek Housing
b. Apartment Complex
c. Dorm
d. East Campus
e. West Campus
f. Other
2. Does your Landlord or apartment complex provide you internet services?
a. Yes
b. No
3. Did they recommend a certain provider to you?
a. Yes
b. No
4. What internet provider did they recommend?
5. Could you please select the current quality of service which you are receiving at your complex?
a. Superior
b. Meets my expectations
c. Neutral
d. Does not meet my expectations all of the time
e. Terrible
6. Is your service wireless? (no Ethernet Cords)
a. Yes
b. No
c. I don’t know
7. Which provider do you or your apartment complex use?
a. CenturyLink
b. Mediacom
c. Socket
d. Dish
e. My housing unit takes care of it
f. Other

42. g. Unaware
8. Which complex are you currently a resident at?
9. Are rates for internet included in your monthly rent, or a separate cost?
a. Included in rent
b. Separate cost
c. They do not provide internet services
10. Have you heard of Socket?
a. Yes
b. No
11. How did you hear of Socket?
12. How did you find your current provider?
13. Did you visit any of your current provider’s social media before purchasing their services?
a. Yes
b. No
14. Which social media of theirs did you visit?
15. Could you please rank which is the best way for advertisements to reach you? (Scale of 8.
1=Best, 8= Worst)
a. Social media
b. Ad Sheets
c. Radio
d. Billboards
e. Referrals
f. E-mail
g. Snail mail
h. Other
16. What are some things you like about your current internet provider?
17. What are some things you dislike about your current provider?
18. Did you have to sign a year-long contract?
a. Yes
b. No
19. Could you please rank which campus events would be the most beneficial for Socket to attend so
that they can spread their brand. (Scale of 6. 1=Best, 6=Worst)
a. Housing Fair
b. Greek Philanthropic Sponsorships
c. Sponsor their own event in the Quad or Tiger Plaza
d. Flyer pass-out in speaker circle
e. Mizzou sporting events
f. Other
20. Would you and your roommates be interested in a 9-month contract if it was prorated? (i.e. one
free month of internet)
a. Yes
b. No
21. How comfortable are you with discussing internet packages?
a. Extremely comfortable

43. b. Somewhat comfortable
c. Uncomfortable
d. Completely Clueless
e. Other
22. Out of you and all your roommates how many devices do you usually have using your internet
service at the same time? (This includes smart phones, tablets, computers, gaming systems, etc.)
23. How old are you?
24. What is your gender?
a. Male
b. Female
c. Other
25. Who is your current internet provider?
a. CenturyLink
b. Mediacom
c. Socket
d. Dish
e. My housing unit takes care of it
f. Other
26. How much do you pay monthly for your current internet provider? (total bill with all roommates
included)
27. Would you be willing to pay more for better service?
a. Yes
b. No
28. Are you aware of what speed of internet you are currently receiving?
a. Yes
b. No
29. Does this speed meet your needs?
a. Yes
b. No
b. A research objectives summary
Objective Survey Question
Are students purchasing their own internet
packages or is it being provided by their leases/
landlord?
Question 1
Question 2
Question 8
Question 9
Question 25
How much are students willing to pay for their
phone and internet services?
Question 22
Question 26
Is Socket more likely to sell to off-campus Question 3

44. housing or apartment complexes? Question 4
Question 5
Question 7
Is Socket’s social media presence more effective
than other forms of advertising media?
Question 10
Question 11
Question 12
Question 13
Question 14
How satisfied are students with their current
phone/ internet services?
Question 5
Question 16
Question 17
Question 18
Question 20
Question 27
Question 29
How can Socket better reach its target
customers?
Question 15
Question 19
How much do students actually know about
internet packages and how can we more
effectively market to them based on this
knowledge?
Question 6
Question 21
Question 28
What should Socket’s target market be if it
were to rebrand to college students?
Question 23
Question 24
Question 25
c. SPSS output for each research objective, neatly labeled and organized and keyed to the
corresponding research objective in the results section (professor’s copy only; you do not need to provide
this to the client).