Finding Secondary Research

Annual Reports

For publicly traded companies annual reports to shareholders may allude to quantitative information regarding the markets in which a company operates.  For instance, these reports may mention the company’s market position within a particular product category.  The reports may also suggest spending levels for marketing efforts as well as problems the company experienced while selling within a market.

Most publicly traded companies place their annual reports on their website but there are also one-stop clearing houses that collect these reports. 

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Press Releases

A press release is a document intended to gain news media attention or to provide information to other company stakeholders (e.g., customers, investors).   In general, press releases are part promotion and part useful information.  For those seeking metrics for an overall market or industry the most useful releases are those provided by market research firms (see Market Research Companies under High-Cost Market Research Sources below), who are using the release to sell their research reports (which are often quite expensive).  To entice purchasers, the release may reveal some of the market statistics that can be found if the entire report is purchased. 

Most companies that issue press releases post them on their website often within a Media section where publicly issued documents are located.  Alternatively, research seekers can locate releases through third-party wire services. Searching these sites may yield good data, however, most wire services only retain releases in their database for a month or two while a company site may retain the release for many years.

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